Ich?
- Thread starter Dan9
- Start date
FishinAround
New member
All the inverts can stay in the tank. Only the fish need to be removed. The ich virus only lives on the fish for a few days (max 7) and then drops off to hide in the sand, rock or whatever and multiply. It then rehatches in anywhere from 3 days up to 28 days, when it hatches in needs to find a fish within a day or so or it will die. That's how you break the cycle, if there's no fish in the tank when the ich "hatches" it dies off. You need to wait at least 6 weeks because it can stay in the multiplication stay for up to 4 weeks before hatching. Good Luck, I just finished with a same thing, (fish out of tank for 6+ weeks and in QT with cupramine) fish have been back in the tank for 3 weeks now and everyone is healthy and happy.
puredrive888
New member
I just lower salinity and put garlic extreme in the fish food.
I do that for 10-15 straight days.
I do that for 10-15 straight days.
Shagsbeard
New member
It's not salt coming out... it's water going in to try to equalize the cocentraitions of salt in the organism and in the surrounding fluid. It's called osmosis. The creatures can't handle the influx of water. Fish can to a great degree but are still "harmed" by hypo salinity. The idea is to not kill the fish, but to "almost" kill the fish. Copper is just as stressful for the fish... or perhaps a bit more.
Still... a month or so in hypo or copper is much better for the fish than a lifetime with Ick.
Still... a month or so in hypo or copper is much better for the fish than a lifetime with Ick.
ToTaLCHaoS13
New member
Well I am also doing a QT with Cupramine right now. I plan on keeping the display tank fish free for 42 days. How long do I need to treat with the Cupramine before I can consider the fish in QT parasite free?
Nope. In the case of ich, the hypo does not directly kill the parasite, but merely halts the reproductive cycle. In the case of trematodes, aka flukes, the lowered salinty or a FW dip will outright kill them. In this case it's not that salt rushing out of the tissue, but rather the higher internal cell salinity drawing fresh water in and in essence drowing the parasite in it's own tissues
Actually for the short duration of hypo used for treatment, there is no damage or harm to the fish. Long term, i.e. several months or longer, there can be problems of fatty liver deposits. However, that's not an issue for the length of time we use hypo as a ich treatment.
Could someone please explain this for me? Does this work? Does this replace the qt procedure? What do you lower the salinity to? What is garlic extreme? Can I get it at my lfs? Does it get rid of the ich all together or will it still be in the water? Thanks for all the help so far.
ToTaLCHaoS13
New member
Garlic eXtreme is made by Kent and can be bought at some lfs and online at places like Marine Depot. Some believe it acts as an appetite stimulant (I fall in this catagory) while other think it helps cure Ich (no proof of this but if it works for you, great!).
The lower salinity refered to is actually called hyposalinity treatment and it involves reducing your salinity to 1.009 and holding it there for a period long enough to stop Ich's life-cycle. It should only be tried if you have a lab grade floating hydrometer or a refractometer.
The lower salinity refered to is actually called hyposalinity treatment and it involves reducing your salinity to 1.009 and holding it there for a period long enough to stop Ich's life-cycle. It should only be tried if you have a lab grade floating hydrometer or a refractometer.
ToTaLCHaoS13
New member
buy a cheap plastic tub and use that. It will then come in handy later for mixing water and salt...
