new fish have ich

[uwmck]

I just bought four damsels and put them into my 36 gallon tank. I think one of the damsels had ich when i purchased it. I've only had them for a few hours and I plan to return them once the store opens in the morning. Is my water going to be contaminated now? There will be no fish or live rock or anything living for that matter, so can I or should I treat or change the tank water? Do you recommend waiting to get any new fish? I know that a OT tank is recommended to be used for any new fish for a period of three weeks, but i dont have one yet.

 

[beth]

If you leave your tank fishless for a month, the tank should be clear. There really is no choice here, so don't be tempted to get fish before the month is out.
You can't always return fish when they come down with ich. Most fish carry ich. You need to figure out how you are going to handle treating it....or never have fish.

 

[uwmck]

Should i treat the whole tank for ich, only one fish (damsel) has any visible ich? There are other living things in the tank besides the four damsels. Is it worth it to treat them all or is it a waste of my time and money? Since i just bought them the store will return them

 

[tiencvu]

It is not sure weither your water got ick or not. I would do 10-20% water change before adding a new fish. Hopefully, the water change will clear it out a bit.
One of my fish got ick and died. I did 25% water change and other fish seem to be ok.
Good luck.

 

[beth]

Yes, the whole tank is infected. It is in the water, on the rocks, in the sand and on the fish.
What type of tank do you have? Reef? FO? Live Rock?