QT everyone for ick?

[kathywithbirds]

I think I have ick. I will attempt to photograph them with my cell and post pics, but there's a white spot on Spot that's been there for a few days and the wrasse now has a bump under his scales.

I've read through the threads on ick on this forum and on other info sites. My question is, and I guess I know the answer, do I have to QT everyone? I've got a 10g, is that enough for 4 fish for 4 to 6 weeks?

And if this might be still low-level, there's only one spot on Spot but it sure looks like the pics of ick, will hyposalinity and fresh dips be enough without meds? And how long is a "dip"?

argh.

[kathywithbirds]

From everything I've read, the way to wipe it out is to remove all fish, QT them and medicate/treat the ick and have no fish in the display for 6 weeks. Without a fish host, the ick dies, and 6 weeks is enough for all cycles of the parasite to grow up and die.

BUT, is it advisable to do this and stress the fish out for that long? Has anyone successfully treated ick with what I seem to believe are minimally infected fish (just yet) in the display tank?

(I know, don't medicate a reef.)

[sasquatch]

Well IchyPoo (sorry, you know I had to) its the only way to be free from it, many manage to get by with ich but that means at some point your investment will be bigger and harder to deal with, you may lose some of your buddies and you'll be spotchecking your fish till you go blind looking for spots.However what youve listed as ich dosent sound like ich to me, "a few days" you would see a daily increase in spots. Gets some pics up if you can and we'll deal with it as required. Steve

[kathywithbirds]

Between poo and spots, I'm already nearsighted....

OK, how do you tell fish to stay still?

[Boomer]

See you did get lucky with the Nudi and now it is having babies

Yup, if you have ick all FISH only have to be removed. Let the tank then operate as normal. Put the fish in a ESTABLISHED QT tank and slowly lower the salinity. Lets make sure these are not just bubbles on the fish first.

If it is ick you should see spots ( as you are) and then one day POOF it is like they are all gone, only 2-3 days later, POOF they are back and more of them.

Steps in Hypo
ATJ's Marine Aquarium Site - Reference - Hyposalinity Treatment

[kathywithbirds]

Well, there's a spot on Spot that has been there for a few days, although in looking it may be a displaced scale or both, a spot and scale lump. The wrasse definitely has a scale out of kilter. I don't see itching, except for a week ago when Spot was rubbing a couple times, literally nothing after that. And I've been home a lot to watch. There's nothing at all like the serious ick infestation pics on the links, I'm nowhere near that at all if it is ick.

Info that may or may not be relevant: nitrates bet. 5 and 10; amonnia, TrIties, phosphates 0; lots of hair algae and microbubbles!!! from moving pumps/turning them around and replugging them in. Hooked up a new powerhead within this past week and I think it's FINALLY starting to not produce bubbles. lots of algae.

[lcstorc]

Well Spot is named spot for a good reason.
Anyway if it has been several days with just the one spot (other than his normal spot) I doubt you have ich. I do not however have any idea what it may be.
Get a qt tank going in case it is something that needs to be treated with meds. It is a good idea anyway so might as well get it over with now since it will need to cycle before you can do anything with it.
Try to get a pic if you can. Even if it is blurry th experts may be able to figure it out. Ich usually looks like the fish was sprinkled with salt not just one spot.
HTH

[kathywithbirds]

I have a 10g, my plan was to fill it with tank water, no substrate, no LR, maybe some PVC. I was reading not to give parasites anywhere to hide. But if the fish'd be in there for a while I need LR???

I was planning on water changes every other day.

[kathywithbirds]

I don't have a camera currently. Mine died. My cell phone is woefully inadequate.

[lcstorc]

If you have no biological filtrationb plan on more than every other day for waqter chaqnges. Even with LR I was doing 2 50% water chaqnges a day and adding Amquel and still the amonia was through the roof. Most people put a sponge or some bio-balls in their sump for just this reason. I used Lr knowing that it would be dead if/when I treated the tank.

[kathywithbirds]

ah, now I could do that... I have a piece or two of LR I could get rid of in the end, put it in the QT with no substrate, a canister filter for flow, which is where I can add meds... hmmm. lemme think, lemme think.

Can I put in ammonia chips in a canister filter with the QT? Or carbon maybe?

[lcstorc]

You can but from what I have read the amonia chips are next to useless. Carbon would be a good idea.
Remember event with the lr I still had out of control amonia.
Really time for the qt to cycle is really what you need plus something for the bacteria to grow in/on.

[bluespotjawfish]

Sorry about that! No fun!

Don't move your fish until you are sure you have QT that is stable. If you use live rock you may get die-off when you lower the salinity that would add to the bioload, not sure on that. Once you start the treatment you don't want to add anything from the existing tank (water or anything else, even use different equipment for water changes, etc) or your time will start over. You are processing an ich cycle, if you interrupt it you start over on your time.

You may just have some external parasites. If it is a bump or two, raised (looks like a whitehead), I'd guess parasites over ich. A freshwater dip would help with that and would even buy you some time for the ich so you could get the QT going.

I have successfully treated ich that surfaced on some new fish in my ESTABLISHED QT by lowering the salinity, they are now very healthy. I lost all but one fish on my tank outbreak because the QT was NOT ESTABLISHED. Listen to Boomer, ESTABLISHED QT only! If the QT cycles, they stand a better chance in the display right now.

[kathywithbirds]

I was actually trying to avoid a cycle in the QT, if I just load some of my LR and water to the QT and go from there, is that healthy?

[kathywithbirds]

Thanks, Lorraine... it might just be that. I know on a freshwater dip, temp and ph have to be the same (RO/DI of course), anything else?

And how long to dip? Are we talking seconds or like 15/30 minutes? And do I go for an aclimation period as in coming from an LFS or out-dip-back in tank?