ick not going away

[ngarcia11892]

so i have all my fish in the quarintine and im using coppersafe the amount it says to treat with and my hippo tang still has some signs of ick its still has the white spots and is scratching any idea whats going on should i use more? i have plenty of time because i still have 7 more weeks before every one goes back into the display but i just thought the coppersafe would kill it

 

[MrTuskfish]

Copper will only kill ich in the free-swimming stage. It won't kill ich buried in the fish or the cysts that are developing the new batch of free-swimming parasites. Completely killing ich can take weeks; but you should see considerable improvement before then. Are you using a copper test kit to make sure copper is at the right level? Is there any rock, substrate, or other porous material in the QT? Don't add more copper, any brand of copper should kill ich at the dosage on the package. Here's a good thread that will help you understand the ich life-cycle; then my post should make more sense.http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1992196

 

[b0bab0ey]

IME it takes around a month to completely eradicate Ich from a tank when treating with copper. You may see "white spots" on and off again during this time.

 

[ngarcia11892]

no i dont have a test and theres no substrate just pvp for hiding spots and barebottom

 

[jamesyoung_31]

Putting a fish in an unrealistic environment has got to be stressful. Probably adds stress to the point that fish can't get over some ich outbreaks. Anyone agree?

 

[MrTuskfish]

Putting a fish in an unrealistic environment has got to be stressful. Probably adds stress to the point that fish can't get over some ich outbreaks. Anyone agree?

Just having the ich parasite creates more "stress'' (the most over-used word in our hobby, IMO,) than any good QT. I don't think a fish cares if he hides under a piece of rock or in a piece of PVC.
A Qt, quiet ,no mayhem, no competitors, and PVC hiding places is a very low-stress environment. IMO & IME, new fish acclimate readily to a QT and QTs are as vital apiece of fishkeeping equipment as anything I own. A fish in a good QT and being properly treated, will almost always do well. Ich cannot survive in copper or hypo and I think the ''stress'' of a QT is a myth was created to avoid using one.

To the OP: I'd get a copper test kit. Very accurate dosing is vital for the fish's health end the ich's death. Dosing by counting drops just isn't accurate, IMO. You also have WCs (if needed) and top-offs to consider. Also, was the QT cycled? Are you monitoring ammonia?