Ich???!!?!?!?¿

[watersalt]

I have ich in my tank. I started to notice it a week ago. Wasn't sure what it was then, but now I know. I have 5 damsels, 1 p. puffer, 1 snowflake eel, 5 hermit crabs, 1 sandsifting starfish, and 1 anenome. 2 of the damsels are infected so far. I don't have a QT. I really don't have the money right now for a QT.
Is hypo the best treatment for ich?
How long does hypo take?
Are the white spots on my glass ich? If so, should I scrape it off?
Can everything in my tank get ich ( LR, crabs, eel, the filter, etc )?
Where does ich come from?
How can I prevent ich?
Please help. I've had my 56 gallon for only 7 months. Still new to the game.

 

[nicetry]

Originally Posted by watersalt
http:///forum/post/2936745
I have ich in my tank. I started to notice it a week ago. Wasn't sure what it was then, but now I know. I have 5 damsels, 1 p. puffer, 1 snowflake eel, 5 hermit crabs, 1 sandsifting starfish, and 1 anenome. 2 of the damsels are infected so far. I don't have a QT. I really don't have the money right now for a QT.
Is hypo the best treatment for ich?
How long does hypo take?
Are the white spots on my glass ich? If so, should I scrape it off?
Can everything in my tank get ich ( LR, crabs, eel, the filter, etc )?
Where does ich come from?
How can I prevent ich?
Please help. I've had my 56 gallon for only 7 months. Still new to the game.
Hyoposalinity is one treatment. Whether or not it's the best depends on who you talk to. There are strains of ich that are resistant to hyposalinity and these are becoming more frequent. Copper is another treatment but puffers don't respond well to copper sp hypo would be your safest bet.
The procedure, done correctly takes about a month. Again, your fish may appear healthy but the parasite may not be completely gone, requiring a repeat course of treatment.
The white spots on your glass are not ich.
Only fish can host the parasite but anything wet can transport it to your system. Inverts can not tolerate either method of treatment.
Ich (c. irritans) is an obligate parasite that comes from an infected fish or is brought to a system via infected water. As stated, anything wet can carry the parasite in one of it's stages, allowing it to reproduce and infect your system.
It can be prevented by thorough quarantine of any fish for a minimum of three weeks before adding it to your display. It is wise to quarantine everything to be absolutely sure you're not bringing the parasite into your system.
You really need to intervene here or you'll likely lose all of your fish. A qharantine tank can be set up for cheap, and can be a simple rubber maid tote. Read the FAQ's at the top of this forum.

 

[al mc]

Originally Posted by watersalt
http:///forum/post/2936745
I have ich in my tank. I started to notice it a week ago. Wasn't sure what it was then, but now I know. I have 5 damsels, 1 p. puffer, 1 snowflake eel, 5 hermit crabs, 1 sandsifting starfish, and 1 anenome. 2 of the damsels are infected so far. I don't have a QT. I really don't have the money right now for a QT.
Is hypo the best treatment for ich?
How long does hypo take?
Are the white spots on my glass ich? If so, should I scrape it off?
Can everything in my tank get ich ( LR, crabs, eel, the filter, etc )?
Where does ich come from?
How can I prevent ich?
Please help. I've had my 56 gallon for only 7 months. Still new to the game.
Certainly a QT/HT is the way to go as the previous post notes...no question. However, while I do not advocate dumping chemicals into a DT, if you want to buy yourself some time while you set up and cycle a QT, then consider using Kick ICh (metronidazole). It will NOT IMHO eliminate the parasite but it may buy you some valuable time while you do set up a QT if your fish are starting to become ill from the parasite

 

[kingphish]

Ich sucks believe me. I have a 750 gallon. About 9 months ago I noticed ich on my puffers. I tried the copper treatment and it didnt work. I ended up giving all my fish fresh water baths for about 5 minutes every day for about a week I also used Ich- attack made by Kordon. It's 100% organic. My system was Ich free in about 11 days and it only affected my puffers. Also try lowering your salinity