Adding new fish and ick

[mitek2]

Hi. I understand the lifecycle of Ick and I have always quarantined my fish using copper for about a month with very good results.
About a month ago I bought four anthias and they have been in my quarantine tank with no copper. If I have not seen any ick on the fish, do you think it's safe to go in the main tank?

I read that the cyst stage of ick can be up to 21 days, but so far I have not seen any spots on the fish, and I have done water changes and vacuumed out the bottom to pick up any cysts. It is a bare bottom tank with no carbon.

The only thing I did different this time was I did not use copper prophylactically. Could it still be present even though I have not seen any spots in a month? They are so small and delicate I did not want to use copper unless I had to

Thanks!!

 

[Breakthecycle2]

The ICH cyst stage can last up to 72 days.

 

[mitek2]

Oh shoot did not know that. I will keep them in quarantine for another couple months. Should I use copper though if I don't see any spots? Can you have ick but not see spots?

 

[Breakthecycle2]

I mean, chances are after a month, most likely OK. If you think about, if you had copper in the QT tank and then added the fish and they still don't show any signs, you are probably OK. The cyst stage doesn't live on the fish, only hard surfaces, rock, glass, etc.

 

[mitek2]

Cool. One more question...
I know the tank was clean before the fish went in. I actually set it up just for these new fish. If when I put them in there I did not see any spots could they have had ick and me not know? What I mean is, I know it was not in the cyst or free swimming stage then because the tank was clean and I did not see any spots on the fish so maybe there was no ick to begin with ??

 

[Breakthecycle2]

Cool. One more question...
I know the tank was clean before the fish went in. I actually set it up just for these new fish. If when I put them in there I did not see any spots could they have had ick and me not know? What I mean is, I know it was not in the cyst or free swimming stage then because the tank was clean and I did not see any spots on the fish so maybe there was no ick to begin with ??

Very good chance there wasn't any. Im no expert by any means, but I have done research, spoken to people and gone through ICH and velvet outbreak. When dealing with ICH and trying to get rid of it, it's a daunting challenge. My best guess is, you should be alright now.

 

[mitek2]

Awesome! Thanks for the input. I may leave them in there for just a couple more weeks for good measure, and then give them their new home!!!

 

[Breakthecycle2]

Awesome! Thanks for the input. I may leave them in there for just a couple more weeks for good measure, and then give them their new home!!!

Its a good bet, although you could treat them with Chloroquine Phosphate. Its a 10 day treatment, but you would need to find pure grade CP first. Its less harsh on fish. Its also the primary ingredient in all the Dr. G's medicated food.

 

[ThRoewer]

I wouldn't worry so much about cysts in QT but rather about an occult infection due to partial immunity.

All fish can and likely will develop immunity against most protozoan parasites after surviving a non lethal infection and having enough time to recover.
For that reason it is best to put new fish through a series of tank transfers (search for TTM) at some point of the quarantine process.

I would not recommend copper as it is an immunosuppressant toxin that simply isn't good for fish. TTM is the better and usually more reliable method if ich is of concern. TTM can also be combined with other medications to target other parasites and infections.

 

[snorvich]

Hi. I understand the lifecycle of Ick and I have always quarantined my fish using copper for about a month with very good results.

which means you have been lucky

About a month ago I bought four anthias and they have been in my quarantine tank with no copper. If I have not seen any ick on the fish, do you think it's safe to go in the main tank?

visible symptoms are not necessary for ich to be present. In any case, if they came from a source running a low level of copper, you should observe for six weeks to insure n o other parasites are present

I read that the cyst stage of ick can be up to 21 days, but so far I have not seen any spots on the fish, and I have done water changes and vacuumed out the bottom to pick up any cysts. It is a bare bottom tank with no carbon.

The only thing I did different this time was I did not use copper prophylactically. Could it still be present even though I have not seen any spots in a month? They are so small and delicate I did not want to use copper unless I had to

copper is not a good treatment option as mentioned above

Thanks!!

 

[snorvich]

Its a good bet, although you could treat them with Chloroquine Phosphate. Its a 10 day treatment, but you would need to find pure grade CP first. Its less harsh on fish. Its also the primary ingredient in all the Dr. G's medicated food.

CP is the treatment of choice for velvet (14 days) but would not be effective in all cases for ich, and especially not for ten days.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

CP is the treatment of choice for velvet (14 days) but would not be effective in all cases for ich, and especially not for ten days.

It has been proven to be effective in a 10-14 day treatment period.