Help, Not sure why but Ick is back!

[confusedfishy]

Just wanted to give everyone helping an update, I have lowered the salinity to 1.009 and the fish are all doing okay. They are all eating and swimming, hopefully it will stay that way. Spots still haven't come back as much as they were before the freshwater dip. Will follow-up with more soon...

 

[confusedfishy]

Hi again everyone! Here's the follow-up question...
As you know from the rest of this thread which began on July 8, I have a tank with ich, I decided to try the hypo again with them and take all fish to the qt and leave the display empty of fish. This has been so since July 9th. I lost the neon goby within 2 days but the hawkfish and kole are fine still. They eat and swim okay, but the kole still has some spots on the fins. They are like white splotchs now, not fine white spots. I tried taking a picture but my camera wont capture it clearly enough. It doesn't look like it did at the beginning but it doesn't look like it has gone away...what does everyone think? Are his fins healing from the ich or is the ich survivoring the lower salinity? I am worried about these poor little fish in that qt day after day, week after week...

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by confusedfishy
http:///forum/post/2700245
Hi again everyone! Here's the follow-up question...
As you know from the rest of this thread which began on July 8, I have a tank with ich, I decided to try the hypo again with them and take all fish to the qt and leave the display empty of fish. This has been so since July 9th. I lost the neon goby within 2 days but the hawkfish and kole are fine still. They eat and swim okay, but the kole still has some spots on the fins. They are like white splotchs now, not fine white spots. I tried taking a picture but my camera wont capture it clearly enough. It doesn't look like it did at the beginning but it doesn't look like it has gone away...what does everyone think? Are his fins healing from the ich or is the ich survivoring the lower salinity? I am worried about these poor little fish in that qt day after day, week after week...

Are you using a refractometer? How often do you check the SG? What do the spots look like? Look at them VERY closely with a magnifying glass. If they are raised, smooth, and round then they are ich. If they are flush against the body and look like his colors, but faded then it is just stress marks.

 

[confusedfishy]

Oh yes, definately using a refractometer. I check every other day, add alittle fresh water then too. It isn't raised up, it was before, but now it is only on the fins, and you know how the fins are almost a color but transluscent in color also, well there are whitish splotches there were the raised marks were . I hope that makes sense, it is hard to describe. It is almost like a smudge that you want to wipe off...

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by confusedfishy
http:///forum/post/2700319
Oh yes, definately using a refractometer. I check every other day, add alittle fresh water then too. It isn't raised up, it was before, but now it is only on the fins, and you know how the fins are almost a color but transluscent in color also, well there are whitish splotches there were the raised marks were . I hope that makes sense, it is hard to describe. It is almost like a smudge that you want to wipe off...
The spots are not raised? If you looked at the fin head on, they do not stick out? The blotches could be from where the ich was, but I doubt it. Don't bring the SG up though. It doesn't sound like you were on top of checking the SG. If the SG went to 1.010 then ich could live. At that point you are allowing ich to get used to the lower salinity. Ich is an adaptive parasite. If you were not checking it daily and adding FW daily then the SG may have gone above 1.009.
Stress marks appear on the body, not the fins. The fins should be clear of spots at this point. It is possible that something else is gong on though. Look VERY closely at the marks. Tell us what you see.

 

[confusedfishy]

Oh gosh, I thought I was doing it right, I just hadn't seen an increase so I thought checking it that way was okay.
As of today, I checked all water parameters and they are:
salinity 1.008
ph 8.2
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 10
Nitrate is alittle high because it has been experiencing a small cycle and it just finished. Each time I have put fish in does this.
I added water. This is all exactly like it was Thursday night too, but I know now that waiting that long was wrong.

So if that has happened, the ich has found a way to survive, what do I need to do to fix it?

 

[seltzerd]

My Two Cents:
Copper will kill plants, coral, etc. Good for a fish only tank. Copper can be absorbed by silicon and potentially leech out, so if you use a tank that has copper in it, you may never be able to put non-fish stuffs in it again. That is why I avoid copper
Coral Vital at 3x normal dose whan you first add a new fish can prevent ich. It is not labeled such, as it would then be a medicine. Works great for me so far. A trick I learned from my LFS. I think it can also cure ich. use 3 x dose x 1 week.

 

[gmann1139]

Ok, I'm only reading this thread for the first time, and its had a lot of surprises for me.
First, how did those links posted 17 days ago survive? Especially since its that website.
Second, this:
Originally Posted by Barracuda1
http:///forum/post/2679981
Find a cupramine that is not copper based and I guss that would cover it if not here are a list of others
I have no idea what Cupramine is, but based on the name, ITS COPPER. You're not going to find one like it that's not copper based.

On the other stuff... I'm going to hold my tongue.

Confused, sounds like you're doing what you can. Either there's some 'missing variable' here, or you just got stuck with a hardy strain of ich. Just stay with the hypo, and you should be ok.

 

[beth]

There are only two reliable treatments for ich. Hyposalinity and copper. Cupramine is indeed copper, and the best choice when using copper treatment.
You may have supplied the info already, but are you using a refractometer?

 

[confusedfishy]

Originally Posted by Beth
http:///forum/post/2701016
You may have supplied the info already, but are you using a refractometer?
Yep, when I first got into saltwater I used a hydrometer and once I found this site I quickly was convinced that I needed a refractometer. I love it, very easy to use.

 

[emeralcrab]

I've got 3 hippo tangs and a falco hawk fish in hypo right now, going on a week into. I put a glass top on my tank to help with evaperation, check my salinity morning and night along with the ammonia level. The glass top is a great help in keeping the salinity stable.

 

[confusedfishy]

Originally Posted by EmeralCrab
http:///forum/post/2701520
I've got 3 hippo tangs and a falco hawk fish in hypo right now, going on a week into. I put a glass top on my tank to help with evaperation, check my salinity morning and night along with the ammonia level. The glass top is a great help in keeping the salinity stable.
Thanks for the info.! I do have a glass lid on mine too, I just need to add more water everyday I guess to ensure that it doesn't spike. I swear I have nightmares about ich!