Ich!!!!!!!! I hate those little fockers!!!

[Andyv2004]

Hey guys, I have a case of ICH!! I have been ICH free for 8 years. I was given a free fish the other day and I quess it was infected with ICH. I am more than sure the gentleman I got it from was not aware. He only had the fish for few days and it was nipping at his SPS. Being that he lives next to a pet store that does not QT their fish. I believe he had no glue the fish was infected. My fault for not setting up a QT tank. My belief is that ICH is not always present in the aquarium. Ich needs a host to survive or will die off just like any other living organism. We need watrer and food to survive just like the cryptocaryon parasite needs a fish to feed of to survive. Take the fish out and the parasite has nothing to feed on. :scratch:

 

[jcdeng]

let me guess, the new fish is a tang?

 

[Andyv2004]

File fish

No, it was an orange spotted file fish

 

[jcdeng]

that sucks now that you have to treat every fish....

 

[Andyv2004]

no

I am treating a few in QT tanks, but all the fish were exposed. I am going to run a coralife uv 36w sterilizer to help them fight it off. I dont expect this to be a cure but hopefully help[s a bit:bagfish:

 

[jcdeng]

but then you would always have ich in your tank from now on and you won't know when they will strike again..

 

[vinnie19]

ich.

i got a basd case of ich in dec. i turn off the lights for 2 weeks raise the temp and drop the salt down to 1.9 and soked thier food in garlic. it worked but i only have fish no coral.

 

[xxxAngeloxxx]

I read if you leave your temperature at 80 degrees you can always fight ich that way too. I currently have my temperature at 80 degrees to fight ich.

 

[Imbarrie]

You may have had ich but just not many visible signs.
All we really know about this parasite is from hearing how people were affected and how they handled it. If your fish are still eating and they remain active then leave it at that.
I had an outbreak a couple years ago and it went away. I treated with cleaner shrimp and neon gobies. Do I still have ich? Who knows, i havent had signs for two years. Did you always have ich? You can't know.
If you disturb your tank to try to be aggressive your actions could be worse than letting the parasite run its course. As long as they keep eating you will be fine.

 

[sunny]

I read if you leave your temperature at 80 degrees you can always fight ich that way too. I currently have my temperature at 80 degrees to fight ich.

That is not true for Marine Ich. It has no affect on it with temp. Marine Ich can live in temps as high as 90 and as low as 45 degree.

With Marine Ich it is one of the two things. 1. The fish acquire immunity towards it (some fish do) or 2. They will die unless treated.

Ich is a pain and I hate it with a vengeance.

Sunny