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Quick Ich question

1K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  Joetee 
#1 ·
I've just noticed ONE spot on ONE fish which looks very very much like Ich.
I have a treatment by Esha that I used just a couple of months ago that did not have a negative effect on my loaches although I think I did lose an otto or two at the time (but they were still fairly new and probably still in their "I-could-die-at-any-moment" stage). Also, no negative effect on my plants.... I think. Its possible I lost all my Vals at the same time but I can't remember for sure and its not a huge deal now.

Shall I just go ahead and treat NOW before it spreads. Being that its only one spot at the moment, I don't have a 100% positive ID on it, but the treatment I have also works against fungal diseases so I've got that covered if I'm wrong.
There's no way I'm going to be able to catch a very small Cherry Barb in a 300l tank so its all or nothing

TIA!
 
#2 ·
My philosophy is to not treat the tank. I like to concentrate on keeping a healthy environment for the fish. If it's a healthy environment the fish will be healthy. I don't have a quarantine tank either and never have. I have a bleeding heart tetra that recently had a milky white patch on it's side and it's mouth. This fish looks very healthy otherwise. It's eating and acting normal. After a week the mouth cleared up and the patch on the side is gotten smaller. No other fish have this. I could have bought something and treated the tank but at what cost to the health of the plants,fish and bacteria bed? If fish are healthy they can fight off diseases IMO. Treating with chemicals adds undue stress to other lifeforms. At least that's how I see it.
 
#3 ·
While I am a strong advocate for quarantining all new fish and especially any fish showing symptoms of some disease, I would not treat for Ich when there is only one undiagnosed white spot on one fish. If it were Ich you'd need to treat the entire tank as the only life stage where the Ich parasite is vulnerable to treatment is the one where it'll be in the water of the tank.
 
#4 ·
Well, another part of me is saying - Ich is present at all times. Which means the fish are always in contact with it. So if one fish gets one spot, it doesn't necessarily mean they will all get infected..... That part of my brain could be wrong though.
The fish is still active. I have inspected everyone else and they are all clear at present.
Any other views on this?
 
#5 ·
Imeridian - I posted at the same time as you. I do quarantine new fish. I have added no fish to this tank for about 2 months. This single spot has come out of nowhere and I am quite surpised by it!
 
#7 ·
Ich being present at all times is myth. It has a distinct life cycle, without a susceptible host it dies.
How does it randomly appear for no apparent reason then? Having added no new fish I'm not sure where its come from. I'm not arguing - I'm just curious :)
I did have an Ich problem after I added some Tiger Barbs back about 3 months ago - apparently I didn't quarantine them for long enough :icon_conf but it all cleared up within days, and I continued the treatment for a while after too.

But if its not always present then hopefully that means its not Ich
 
#8 ·
It doesn't actually randomly appear, it just seems that way. If you have Ich suddenly show itself then it was there on the fish already, hiding in the gills perhaps. This is pretty unlikely, especially if husbandry is otherwise good. Ich is a parasite, and as such it requires a host. It cannot live without one, unlike bacteria or fungi.
 
#9 ·
Ok, thank you, that makes sense.
I will not treat for now but keep an eye and watch closely over the next few days. If more spots appear then it will be an all-tank job and a few crossed fingers and toes for my ottos.
 
#10 ·
If you have Ich on one fish to can be certain that it is already in the tank everywhere. If any of your fish are weak they will come down with the symptoms. A healthy fish might be about to fight it off.
It might not even be ich. Did you look closely to make sure that it isn't just a air bubble? I have thought the same thing many times then after further inspection found it only to be an air bubble.
If it is indeed ick, I would start dosing the whole tank at 1/2 the suggested dose for a longer period of time and slowly raise the temp to 84 degrees. Add some aquarium salt. And watch them closely. You'll also need to perform a lot of water changes.
If you remove the one fish, you'll probably need to soon remove another fish and so on.
Some people don't add salt or raise the temp. I have and it seems to work if you can catch it soon enough. Once the fish is to far gone, it probably won't survive anyway.
I hope this helps
Joe
 
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