Where did this ich come from?

[bobpiker]

Fish-wise, I have a powder blue, a purple tang, a diamond goby and a yellow tang in my display currently. My purple and powder went through a 4 week cupramine quarantine in a 55 before adding them to my display a few weeks ago. I haven't seen any sign of ich in my display since my yellow tang had it about 3 months ago. Since then, not a sign even with the new additions after quarantine.

Yesterday, I picked up a great neon green hadoni from Petco. I couldn't pass it up because the price was fantastic even though I hadn't planned to buy anything when I stopped in. They only had it for a day so I took a chance that it would make it since I already have an 18" hadoni that I've had for 6+ months doing great.

After acclimating the neon, and making sure to remove all of the pebbles which were still attached to the hadoni from Petco, I lowered it into my display inside of a small bowl that I removed water from before transfer. The hadoni was essentially just wet before transfer.

I get up this morning and see that my powder is exhibiting ich. The only correlation I can think of is that the neon hadoni brought the parasite with him. Possible?

If that's the case, what's my best course of action now? Should I catch the fish and put them in quarantine and start all over again with Cupramine and let my display go fallow for 10 weeks? Ouch!

Thanks,
Bob

 

[saltyair]

imo i would just feed well and watch for aggression - purple tang and YT could be a stressful battle for territory.

it could have come in from anything not qt'ed like snails and othere cuc

 

[Sk8r]

Be sure it's actually ich and not nem stings.

 

[snorvich]

It is highly unlikely that anything coming in with the carpet would visibly present itself on existing fish. Either it was already in the tank (possible) or as Sk8r mentioned, it may have had a sting from the carpet (less likely unless the carpet was not very sticky due to moderate health). It is also possible, but less likely still that you transfered theronts from Petco to your display tank. But, in any case, be sure it is ich before coming up with a plan of action.

 

[snorvich]

Oh, if it were a sting, it would look a bit like a red rash.

 

[bobpiker]

Thanks, everyone. If it came from Petco it wasn't on any rocks and because I removed all but the wetness on the nem before transfer it would surprise me if I got anything in with the nem but it was the only correlation I could think of. I'm sure it isn't a bunch of stings from the nem because it, although sticky when transferred, was closed up at least 50% with lights out and was still mostly closed up this morning. My PB looks a lot like it did when I first picked him up, exhibiting those just below the skin bumps (a dozen at least) and a couple of white specs that took nearly 2 weeks to eradicate with Cupramine. That was before my PB had ever seen my first carpet. So, because of the visual similarity, I'm pretty sure it is ich. My yellow and purple, although they do occasionally back up to one another, get along pretty well so I don't think it's stress thing there. Also, my PB is the biggest of the three.

Assuming it is ich, and only my PB is showing signs, would it be a good course of action to just try to catch him and put him back in quarantine, or is it too late to avoid an explosion of ich?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[snorvich]

Thanks, everyone. If it came from Petco it wasn't on any rocks and because I removed all but the wetness on the nem before transfer it would surprise me if I got anything in with the nem but it was the only correlation I could think of. I'm sure it isn't a bunch of stings from the nem because it, although sticky when transferred, was closed up at least 50% with lights out and was still mostly closed up this morning. My PB looks a lot like it did when I first picked him up, exhibiting those just below the skin bumps (a dozen at least) and a couple of white specs that took nearly 2 weeks to eradicate with Cupramine. That was before my PB had ever seen my first carpet. So, because of the visual similarity, I'm pretty sure it is ich. My yellow and purple, although they do occasionally back up to one another, get along pretty well so I don't think it's stress thing there. Also, my PB is the biggest of the three.

Assuming it is ich, and only my PB is showing signs, would it be a good course of action to just try to catch him and put him back in quarantine, or is it too late to avoid an explosion of ich?

Thanks,
Bob

If it is ich, and it does sounds as if it is, most likely it was in your tank from prior quarantine that was inadequate. So, you would need to treat all fish (ideally with tank transfer) and leave your display tank fallow for 9 weeks minimum, 12 weeks preferred. If you decide to use cupramine, you will need four weeks of exposure to a therapeutic dose and that level must be maintained.

 

[bobpiker]

Thanks, Steve.

In that my yellow tang, alone with diamond goby and inverts, was in my display without any signs of ich for 3 months, I had presumed that ich was no longer present since the cycle should have been broken without a host to attach to for that stage of the ich cycle. Although I guess it could be possible to have ich on a fish without signs even after 3 months, or is that even more unlikely. I don't have the room for another tank beyond my 55 quarantine so tank transfer would be difficult unless I could use my display. I may have no choice but to catch them all and go straight to quarantine for 3 months. Ugh!

 

[snorvich]

Ich does not have to be visible to be present. In fact, ich presents most often in the gills first. So yes, they could have carried ich and you been unaware. Not uncommon, I see it frequently in this forum.

 

[bobpiker]

That might explain it then. It's incredible, if so, that ich could be in the gills for 3 months without any exterior appearance. Plus, I don't believe I ever saw the fish misbehave...such as rapid breathing...which I think would be present on a fish with ich in its gills. For the sake of understanding, if a fish did not have ich anywhere, after 3 months there would be no trace of ich in a tank, right, even if it was there before? The cycle would have ended without a host the ich could grab hold of?

So, either my yellow tang without visible symptoms carried the parasite for 3 months or something came in with my new nem. Did I mention, too, that my PB was in the tank for a month before I saw this ich...maybe the new nem caused some alarm for him even though I already had a carpet.

 

[snorvich]

Ich is not psychological.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Sorry for your dilemma. Re-appearing ich is a very common subject on this forum. This thread should be a sticky (Titled: "out of sight, out of mind")for all the folks who assume untreated ich "just disappeared". It doesn't.

 

[bobpiker]

It's psychological for me! I was actually referring to the possibility there could have been additional stress because of a new nem, so my pb, who may have had invisible symptoms, may have "presented".

Good words to the wise...even if fish show no signs of ich visibly, if it was in the tank before it's still in there until the tank is either treated or left fallow for 12 weeks.

 

[snorvich]

Stress does not cause ich; (I do know what you were referring to), however less than optimal conditions are never desirable.