How Fast Does Ick Kill?

[nick76]

Im wondering how long a fish usually lasts untreated with Ick will last...?
Ok heres my story. So I bought 2 damsels for my 55g tank from my lfs. They were doing fine. My Domino all of a sudden has some white spots, and one morning he looked horrible they were all over him. Later that day when I get home, no spots on him what so ever. So 2 weeks later same thing happens again, this time I scoop him out and into the QT. Hours Later all the spots are gone. and hes been in it by himself for about a week now. No spots. I dont know what to make of it. The other 3 stripe damsel never contracted any signs of this and hes still in the DT doing fine.
Wouldnt the ick kill him in less than a week if he wasent treated? Hes doing fine now, All Params are good, Salinity in QT is 1.023. Im going to call the lfs tmro and see if they copper treat all new fish. If they do its probably not ick then right?

 

[chipmaker]

A fish can be in ich infested tank and not contract it. It has a lot to do with the fishes immune system and how stressed the fish may be.

 

[bang guy]

Most healthy fish can fight off an Ick infection without any intervention. It's normally only deadly to stressed or ill fish.

 

[nick76]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
Most healthy fish can fight off an Ick infection without any intervention. It's normally only deadly to stressed or ill fish.
So is the fish fighting it off and then it returns and he fights it off again?

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Nick76
So is the fish fighting it off and then it returns and he fights it off again?
Yes, a healthy fish will fight it off. The problem is that now ich is in your DT. I don't mean this to be rude, but if you have a qt set up then why didn't you qt the damsels? You have a 20 gallon qt, I realy suggest that you pull the other damsel out and perform hyposalinity on them both and let your display run fishless for 6 weeks to be sure all ich are dead.

 

[nick76]

Originally Posted by sepulatian
Yes, a healthy fish will fight it off. The problem is that now ich is in your DT. I don't mean this to be rude, but if you have a qt set up then why didn't you qt the damsels? You have a 20 gallon qt, I realy suggest that you pull the other damsel out and perform hyposalinity on them both and let your display run fishless for 6 weeks to be sure all ich are dead.
Well I wanted some advice 1st. Its a 15gallon Tall QT. Those 2 are gonna kill each other in there. Im having trouble catching the 2nd one...Hes a smart one. I might have 2 "fish" for him. And ive already got the 6 weeks planned out. Thanks for the help.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Nick76
So is the fish fighting it off and then it returns and he fights it off again?
Yes.
I agree with the other poster that it would have been best to quaranteen the fish before adding them to your display.
But since you didn't it's not a grave error, you will just have to be diligent about keeping the environment stress free. Just my opinion but I think the source of stress is probably from the two Damsels not getting along. One is probably picking on the other and stressing it. When stressed the first major problem is a supressed immune system. This leaves them open to disease and parasites (Ick is a parasite). You would think that these two fish could get along with 4 feet of space but Damsels don't operate this way.

 

[chipmaker]

Since its impossible to know who or what may have to be quarantined in a small tank on occasson it does not hurt to have a peice of plexi or other suitable material for a divider. I use a 10 gal tank on occassion for a QT and silicones some strips of plexi to the inside front and back panels to form a track or trough for another piec eof plexi to slide down into and form a slide in divider. I then drilled a bunch of holes in this plexi divider to allow water flow. Works fine when QT two fish that do not get along.

 

[nick76]

Originally Posted by chipmaker
Since its impossible to know who or what may have to be quarantined in a small tank on occasson it does not hurt to have a peice of plexi or other suitable material for a divider. I use a 10 gal tank on occassion for a QT and silicones some strips of plexi to the inside front and back panels to form a track or trough for another piec eof plexi to slide down into and form a slide in divider. I then drilled a bunch of holes in this plexi divider to allow water flow. Works fine when QT two fish that do not get along.
Hey thats a really good Idea, I might just Try that.
Well yea I made some Beginner mistakes, im sure every1 does. 1st was not using a QT, the 2nd was getting damsels lol. I really dont want to keep them, but Idk if the lfs will take them back.

 

[chipmaker]

As cheap as damsels are, at least in my area, even if lfs did not want to give you anything for them, I bet they would still take em for free and you would be free of them. My son had a big time problem of always buying fish for our tanks and everytime we would go away and have him tank set we often came home to a tank with a few new inhabitants. Luckily none ever got sick or caused a sickeness inthe tank, but most created problems with not being suitable to reef tank or its other fish inhabitants. I never even tried to trade or sell these undesireable fish he bought, I just carried them to thelfs in a plastic bag and plopped them on the counter and said have a free one on me and walked out. They just can not refuse taking in any fish as its bound to be sold and make a buck for them one day, and that loss to me is more of a gain as its less of a potential for problems that I will have to deal lwith now or later on.
One LFS here routinely takes in lots of damsels and just throws them in this large tank with a huge moray eel. Its completely natural and even though they are destined to be live food for that eel its not the same as flushing a fish. I was thereone time when kid and his father came in with a bag with some ***** damsels in it that they just bought specifically just to dump in that eels tank and watch him eat them.......;-)

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by chipmaker
As cheap as damsels are, at least in my area, even if lfs did not want to give you anything for them, I bet they would still take em for free and you would be free of them. My son had a big time problem of always buying fish for our tanks and everytime we would go away and have him tank set we often came home to a tank with a few new inhabitants. Luckily none ever got sick or caused a sickeness inthe tank, but most created problems with not being suitable to reef tank or its other fish inhabitants. I never even tried to trade or sell these undesireable fish he bought, I just carried them to thelfs in a plastic bag and plopped them on the counter and said have a free one on me and walked out. They just can not refuse taking in any fish as its bound to be sold and make a buck for them one day, and that loss to me is more of a gain as its less of a potential for problems that I will have to deal lwith now or later on.
One LFS here routinely takes in lots of damsels and just throws them in this large tank with a huge moray eel. Its completely natural and even though they are destined to be live food for that eel its not the same as flushing a fish. I was thereone time when kid and his father came in with a bag with some ***** damsels in it that they just bought specifically just to dump in that eels tank and watch him eat them.......;-)
That is just terrible, I am sorry. I must express my opinion on this. How exactly is it different from flushing? They get the pleasure of being swallowed whole? Why in the world people are still buying damsels when they don't want to keep them is beyond me. I am sure there is an LFS somewhere near Nick76 that will take them and not kill them.

 

[nick76]

Well all n all ive learned my lesson with damsels. Im done with them, never again! Ill take the one back to the lfs.

 

[daddyjama]

What happens when a fish eats onter fish with ICK?

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by DaddyJama
What happens when a fish eats onter fish with ICK?
Nothing. Ick burrows into the skin & gills, not from the inside out.