Steve, I really like what you wrote about ich on here. However I think there is an error in the method. Why do we treat for copper for 4 weeks, but fallow the DT for 9 or 10?
My suggestion is display tank fallow for 9 weeks, treatment with copper (tested every night just before lights out) for four weeks, then observation for four weeks afterward. However, I am fairly adept at noticing behavioral symptoms (not white spotds) and can resume treatment as needed. For those less confident, 8 weeks is fine, except . . .
Copper has several significant disadvantages in treating Ich. First, at too low a dosage, it is ineffective. Secondly, at too high a dosage, it could kill all your fish; some fish cannot deal with the normal therapeutic dose while others can. Daily before lights out, or better yet twice daily, testing is required to maintain an appropriate and consistent level of copper. Even then, within the appropriate ranges, some fish cannot tolerate copper. Some of the fish more sensitive to copper are lionfish, pufferfish, mandarins, blennies, and any other scaleless fish. Copper is also a known immunosuppressive, making fish more susceptible to secondary infections.
Copper specifically targets the infectious, free-swimming theront stage of this disease, as being buried deep in the skin of the host protects the trophonts; the cyst walls of the tomonts are similarly impervious. It may be that the protomont stage is susceptible to copper before it is able to encyst but that is my speculation and I can find no literature source for this supposition.
Copper is probably the most popular method of treating Cryptocaryon irritans, but tank transfer is probably my first choice. Copper requires constant testing, and as such many hobbyists will not do this religiously. The second largest downside is that it lowers the fish's resistance to other diseases, and can cause serious damage to the kidney, liver, and beneficial intestinal flora of the fish being treated.
Say when yo put you fish in the HT timer starts, but say you also introduce cysts that arent going to hatch for say 40 days. Not even as far strecthed as 72 days. Just 40 days
Well the copper has been removed after 30 days, now those cysts hatch, fish are reinfected. And as we all know, they may have subclinical symptoms. So we re introduce them to the DT, then down the road, BAM more ich. Do you see where Im going with this? Im really wondering if we need a 9 or 10 week copper treatment. That makes more sense to me. The copper period needs to be equal length as the fallow period. If it isnt, the practice is flawed and doesnt make sense.
Your input?
