How long does a ich treatment last

[Mudbeaver]

Hi , someone whats to give me a fish but it has ich. He's treating it, but i'm less that enthusiatic about taking a fish that has that problem. How long does this treatment last usually.

Its an adult yellow wrasse

I have a few questions as well;

- If he survive is he a carrier
- Should i QT that fish again before adding it to my tank
- Should i take him at all.
- Any other precautions or stuff i should know thanks.

 

[Nina51]

i would never knowingly take a fish that has ich but then, that's just me. you could do tank transfer with him and then observe for a few weeks to make sure the ich is gone.

and YES YES YES, if you take him, definitely qt him!!!!!

 

[Spar]

i'd personally have zero issues taking a fish that has noticeable ich. in fact, you are doing the fish a huge favor in life by doing so, assuming you plan to QT and eradicate the ich. as Nina stated, tank transfer method will be extremely quick (12 days) and highly effective to do so.

make sure to watch him for a few weeks after before moving over to the DT just in case anything else is wrong (velvet, brook, etc). you can dose PraziPro for Flukes during the QT process; very easy to administer.

 

[Mudbeaver]

Thanks guys , the guy doesn't want to give it to me with the ich; he wants to treat it himself before , so i don't get the trouble, so i should QT him anyway after he give it to me regardless right?

 

[Spar]

Correct! Trust no one but yourself! I re-QT from my supplier who does copper treatment on all new fish.

 

[snorvich]

Thanks guys , the guy doesn't want to give it to me with the ich; he wants to treat it himself before , so i don't get the trouble, so i should QT him anyway after he give it to me regardless right?

The only person you should trust for proper quarantine protocol is you.

 

[jcdeng]

28 days in copper should be good enough for treatment for a fish with ich. and use prazipro too just to be sure.

 

[Mudbeaver]

Ok i've prepared my Qt tank, with just the essential now will wait for him to finish the treatment as he insist , then fill my QT and transfer buddy in it for a full QT cycle. Thanks for the help.

 

[LouisianaReefer]

Correct! Trust no one but yourself! I re-QT from my supplier who does copper treatment on all new fish.

I wonder about most standard Qt practices allowing ich to remain. For instance, I could Qt fish for 10 to 12 weeks after which a fish could still remain as a non-sick carrier by the end of that period if the fish has a tough constitution such as a clown. Surely a tang would show symptoms of ich in that period of time. Is the only way to be sure that a new fish is ich free is to Qt them in copper or use a tank transfer method during one's Qt period?

I am certain my tank is ich-free after a prior ich problem. I did the Qt and 10 week fallow period for the display back in December. After that experience, I am very hesitant to get any new fish. I wondered if getting fish directly from breeders is a possible way to go to reduce risks. I know a LFS that would allow me to get fish straight from the ORA shipment without placing them in the LFS tanks first.

 

[Deinonych]

Tank transfer is about as close to a 100% guarantee against crypto as you will get in this hobby. Copper is also effective, but it targets the less predictable phase of the life cycle. I have moved away from proactive chemical treatments and now do TT for all new acquisitions.

 

[Mudbeaver]

Tank transfer is about as close to a 100% guarantee against crypto as you will get in this hobby. Copper is also effective, but it targets the less predictable phase of the life cycle. I have moved away from proactive chemical treatments and now do TT for all new acquisitions.

When you talk about tank transfer what exactly are you talking about. Am i reading more than just a simple transfer or is it just what it means lol . hahah.

Never got ich before and this would be my first dealings with it in 10 years. So i'm not familiar with all the treatments and lingos lol. I'm very careful and i choose wisely. I may forgo the whole thing. My system is very healthy, my fishes are very fat and happy i didn't over stock the tank with anything, not corals or fish. they have ample room to swim and excersice, lots of flow. Fed twice a day, vareity of foods, some growing in the tank itself. and i don't have my hands in it all the time. One observation i've made over the years is . People who are constantly in their tanks, and not letting their fish alone while feeding, are stressing their livestocks. Lots of time resulting in ich. Most of the time i put the food and leave them be.

Having lots of swimming room for my fish was important to me as having caverns and rockworks for them, corals were secondary and served only to decorated , so i have a FISH friendly environment not a coral oriented tank.

I'm told that is one reason i never had a problem with stressed fish. As i don't know much about ich , but i was told that stress is a major factor. Now do i have ich in my tank already Some said yes. If so i had no manisfestation yet.

In any case i'll be carefull in introducing that one, as for the transfer, that is the question . Thanks for your time.

 

[snorvich]

Stress does not cause ich or any other parasite. Improper quarantine protocols do. But if you are happy with the way things are, go for it. If you want to learn more, read the stickies in this forum.

 

[Mudbeaver]

Stress does not cause ich or any other parasite. Improper quarantine protocols do. But if you are happy with the way things are, go for it. If you want to learn more, read the stickies in this forum.

I didn't say that stress caused ich, i said i made sure i didn't stressed my fish , making a point about not making them susceptible to illnesses.
I'm told that stress lowers immune systems and ich takes advantage of this to infect the fishes. NO? That the larve of ich swims around and have different stages of maturation , comes and go , lay dormant in the sands, but needs a host to incubates. stressed fish are perfect host because of their low immune system. Thats what i know so far. But i'll look it up.

 

[Spar]

I didn't say that stress caused ich, i said i made sure i didn't stressed my fish , making a point about not making them susceptible to illnesses.
I'm told that stress lowers immune systems and ich takes advantage of this to infect the fishes. NO? That the larve of ich swims around and have different stages of maturation , comes and go , lay dormant in the sands, but needs a host to incubates. stressed fish are perfect host because of their low immune system. Thats what i know so far. But i'll look it up.

Ich doesn't technically 'lay dormant' in the sand. The cyst stage (Tomites) will be in the sand. But for there to be cysts, that means they had to have been on a host just prior to forming the cyst. When the cysts hatch (typically 5-8 days after formation, but can be up to 72 days) they will have to find a host or die. Even the healthy fish are then carriers. But, the healthier the fish is, the less likely Ich is to overwhelm the fish. However, Ich will still be on the fish somewhere, typically the gills.

A stressed fish will have a weaker immune system that will allow the parasites easier access under the skin, and thus will/can be quickly overwhelmed by the next bombardment of hatching tomites. You would see the effects (the white spots) once that stage jumps off the fish.

Regardless, yes, keeping fish healthy and a less stressed as possible will greatly increase your chances of not having a fish die due to Ich. The point I always make though is why not give them the comfort of having NO parasites at all...? I can't imagine it being comfortable for them to even have a few parasites chewing on their gills.

 

[Amoo]

The only person you should trust for proper quarantine protocol is you.

This is the first time I have ever disagreed with one of your posts. If you told me you QTed a fish and it was parasite free, I would dump it in my tank without second thought. Outside of that though, You're probably right

 

[Mudbeaver]

Ich doesn't technically 'lay dormant' in the sand. The cyst stage (Tomites) will be in the sand. But for there to be cysts, that means they had to have been on a host just prior to forming the cyst. When the cysts hatch (typically 5-8 days after formation, but can be up to 72 days) they will have to find a host or die. Even the healthy fish are then carriers. But, the healthier the fish is, the less likely Ich is to overwhelm the fish. However, Ich will still be on the fish somewhere, typically the gills.

A stressed fish will have a weaker immune system that will allow the parasites easier access under the skin, and thus will/can be quickly overwhelmed by the next bombardment of hatching tomites. You would see the effects (the white spots) once that stage jumps off the fish.

Regardless, yes, keeping fish healthy and a less stressed as possible will greatly increase your chances of not having a fish die due to Ich. The point I always make though is why not give them the comfort of having NO parasites at all...? I can't imagine it being comfortable for them to even have a few parasites chewing on their gills.

Agreed ...

 

[LouisianaReefer]

This is the first time I have ever disagreed with one of your posts. If you told me you QTed a fish and it was parasite free, I would dump it in my tank without second thought. Outside of that though, You're probably right

I know of fellow reefers who I would trust to do the proper Qt and treatment. It is too bad many LFS(s) do not adopt some of these procedures for new fish in order to prevent the spread of disease among our tanks. I would pay a bit extra for such service. Does anyone know of any online distributors that do a thorough Qt procedure that would include tank transfers or copper treatments. Any reefers on Reef Central who breed and sell clownfish that could be "guaranteed" ich free? By the way, could one successfully breed clownfish in a tank that has ich infestation?

 

[Deinonych]

I know that Brett at NiceWrasse.com does a thorough QT. I would still QT any new fish, though.

 

[Nina51]

When you talk about tank transfer what exactly are you talking about.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1996525

i have adopted this method and while it is a little more work-intensive than simply medicating, it's easy peasy to do.

 

[LouisianaReefer]

I know that Brett at NiceWrasse.com does a thorough QT. I would still QT any new fish, though.

Thanks for this info. Too bad more companies do not strive to be like this one! I like this man's philosophy.