How long to keep in treatment tank

[alex656]

Hello, I have a powder brown tang and a Blue hippo tang that were in my display tank for over a month and did great. The hippo got acouple specks of ich on em and soon the PBT got it to. Got back quick to I took them out and put them in QT treated with copper safe and have been doing every other day water changes. In one week they both look perfect and eat great. How long would you guys keep them in Qt to be safe? Thanks

 

[alprazo]

The fish should be clear in two weeks. The majority of ich falls off in 4-5 days and that is why they look clear. However, the display tank will remain infected for at least 4 weeks (assuming you removed all fish) and I would wait 8-12 weeks before returning the fish.

Better question is why the out break? Change in temp? Add new fish? Low levels of ich may be present in the tank but established, healthy, unstressed fish will tolerate it quite well.

 

[kevin2000]

My 02

Once you have placed an ich infected fish in your display tank then that tanks now infected. All fish in the display tank need to be treated in a QT with either hyposalinity or copper (whether they shows signs of ich or not) and the display tank should be left without fish for about 5 weeks (ich need a fish to perpetuate their life cycle).

 

[kevin2000]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12925760#post12925760 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by alprazo
Better question is why the out break? Change in temp? Add new fish? Low levels of ich may be present in the tank but established, healthy, unstressed fish will tolerate it quite well.

Old myth .. while stress may compromise the immune system making fish more susceptible to disease ... healthy unstressed fish die of ich all the time.

The cause of ich is simple ... the aquarist put the parasite into the display tank.

 

[alex656]

removing all the fish would be nearly impossible, will the Ich go thrue its cycle and dissipate? Most of the fish dont have signs of it? As long as fish are in the display will the Ich just keep reinfecting?

 

[alprazo]

Yes, the ich will continue- for years and years though all of your other fish are fine. You can think of them as carriers. Similar to humans with yeast in the mouth / private area in women. It remains asymptomatic but is contagious and may become symptomatic if their immune system becomes compromised (HIV extreme stress or antibiotics)

Some will argue the ich will cycle out because of DNA mutations and lack of heterogenisity. This is ludicrous. Darwin's birds survived when transplanted onto different islands in the Galapagos - just looked different because of lack of a mixed gene pool. (millions of years later).

You will have ich unless you remove all fish for 4 weeks minimum (I would recommend longer) or treat the display. I think most of us have ich in our reef. It is not necessarily imminent doom - I've never had an established fish die from it. Only new fish that have trouble acclimating to the new tank because of harassment.

good luck