How long should Hypo take???

[jwb0126]

What's up guys, I've got a Koran Angel with Ich and I've been treating him with hypo for the last three days. This is the first time that I've used hypo and I'm wondering how long it should be before I start seeing any real improvements???

 

[billsreef]

You should start seeing improvements in around a week, however, run the treatment for a full 4 weeks. Hypo, like any other treatment, does not affect the ich on the fish, but takes care of it after it matures and drops off the fish to reproduce. Essentially what your doing when treating for ich is breaking the cycle of reinfection.

 

[jwb0126]

Cool. Thanks Bill.

 

[jwb0126]

Bill, what are your opinions about raising temp during ich treatment? I've read many conflicting reports. I'm wondering about both, the hospital tank as well as my display.

Thanks,
J

 

[billsreef]

The raising temperature idea comes from treating the fresh water version of ich, which while it has a similar life cycle is a totally different protozoan. Raising the temperature will speed up the life cycle slightly, but unless you are keeping your tank rather cold, not enough to make a real difference, besides the SW ich likes the warmer temperature unlike the FW version. Since raising the temperature doesn't have any real benefit to the fish, and is actually optimal for the ich, I personally don't see a point in raising the temperature.