omg... the Ich is back . What's the deal?!?!? I need help.

[OCDP]

I am having a real hard time here guys... this is upsetting.

Some may know that I had a pair of true percs about 2 months or so ago, they both came down with ich.. and sadly never made it. (This whole time I had a yellow watchman in the tank and is still there) ... so they didn't survive, which was upsetting (already in rough shape when I got them)

So I figured great.. the ich is going to spread to the YWG now... but to my suprise, it didn't.. and we are talking months.. so about 3 weeks ago I put in a bicolor blenny.... no ich, no nothing... on either fish.

I put in a pair of true percs from golds on Tuesday evening, the pair is in such good health and spirits... and then last night I spotted ich on both their bodies!!! WHAT IS THE DEAL!?

How does the ich not get to the yellow watchman goby (who has been in the tank since the last pair of true percs died from ich, and poor health when recieved) .. and how does the bicolor not get it?? and then of course my fav. fish get the ich...

So you know, I am at a loss.. no QT, no supplies for QT, no money for QT ... I thought I had gotten off lucky, I admit to that... but I am just soo confused as to why these two fish didn't get ich, and they have both been in the tank for a while ... and then the clowns are in for one night, and the next I spot the evil white spots..... I am so PO'd !!

[danny zubot]

I'm really sorry about your problem Scott. The bad new is that the Ick has probably been there all along. As to why the goby doesn't have ick is a mystery to me. I believe that many sand dwelling fish have either a higher immunity to this parasite, or the parasite is not interested in them because they are sand dwelling. The life cycle of ick should only be a couple of weeks, if no fish are present they will die off in this time. If even one of the parasites hosted on the goby thats all it needed to propogate its species, and they are resiliant.

You will need to quaranteen the fish; even the goby, for 4-6 weeks and perform hyposalinty treatment. Medications such as kick Ick don't work, I know from experience because I'm going through this right now. You will need to leave your tank fallow for 4-6 weeks to ensure the tank is free from the ick bug. You only need a 10 gallon tank, a cheap heater and some kind of filter or powerhead.

Good luck, I feel for you man.

[muck]

Originally Posted by danny zubot

You will need to quaranteen the fish; even the goby, for 4-6 weeks and perform hyposalinty treatment. Medications such as kick Ick don't work, I know from experience because I'm going through this right now. You will need to leave your tank fallow for 4-6 weeks to ensure the tank is free from the ick bug. You only need a 10 gallon tank, a cheap heater and some kind of filter or powerhead.

Good luck, I feel for you man.

I would leave your tank fallow for a minimum of 6 weeks no less..

[OCDP]

Any ideas on why the bicolor didn't get it?

[danny zubot]

There isn't much information out there (that I could find) about why certain fish don't get it. Some fish aren't appealing to the certain parasites while others are. This time around it was my tang that introduced it, my clown got it worse and my lionfish only got a bit. Before, my manderine never got it while my psudochrimis got it and fought it off every time. It may have something to do with their scales but I can't be sure.

Just think if you were a parasite, and you had your choice of food, you'd pick the most tasty and easiest to aquaire, right?

[OCDP]

Right. I guess that would make sense...

But if it's been 6 weeks or more... and the ich hasn't gone to any fish in the tank, how can it still be in the tank??? This is all confusing.. and I am coming to the conclusion that maybe the new clowns brought in the Ich.. or maybe last night they were just showing signs of Ich from recent transportation (doubtful) .. I am going to try pristine water conditions, and a steady, somewhat heavier diet with garlic extract in it. Clowns afterall, are fairly hardy, and if I act now... maybe I can help them, so they can fight it off.

I just have NO room at all for a QT... that's not a word of a lie either. I would QT if all's I need is a 10g with powerhead and heater.. I just honestly do not have any room in my house. My parents wouldn't like that idea anyways... that's a whole other story though.

If I have no luck with this, I might have to see if some kind soul out there would take them off my hands .. either to keep, or if they felt extra kind.. to QT them for me , but that's asking far too much.. so I don't really know what I will do if this doesn't work. Glad things are going well for your livestock now Danny.. good to hear things are clearing up.

This is quite upsetting... I fell in love with these clowns as soon as I put them in the tank.. they are gorgeous percs, they are very calm, and just have something about them.. I dunno!

[Bob I]

Okay, I have gone through this a number of times. I do not believe that leaving a tank fallow works. For this reason, the Ick encysts, which is a survival method. All the literature states that the Ick breaks out of its cysts, and not finding a host the Ick dies, and the cycle is broken. In my experience that is not true. Encysting is for long term survival of the species, and six weeks is not long term.
in my experience the Ick is present in the tank at all time, and under proper conditions will reinfect susceptible fish. And really I do not care what the experts say. I am using both logic and experience.
Now for OCDP, I have a 10 gallon tank, which has been running for a long time. If you want you can bring the fish over, and I will attempt treatment. For those who don't believe Kick Ick works, it does if you follow the directions carefully. It has worked for me.

[OCDP]

So Bob, in other words are you saying that Ich itself has the potential (in your experience) to come back after a tank has been fishless for 6+ weeks?

Now it seems as if I am going to try fighting a battle I can't win ??

Thank you very much for the offer to take the fish Bob, I will most definitely keep you in mind. For the time being, I think I am going to at least try feeding them , keeping a good diet, soaking food in garlic, and keeping water paramaters and stress to a minimal, and see if these clowns can fight it off themselves.

If it looks hopeless , then Bob... I will be getting in touch with you... thanks so much.

[danny zubot]

Thats really discouraging news Bob, I guess I'll find out if its true. I'm coming up to two weeks of treatment after giving up on kick ick. I just could stand by and let the parasite eat away at the fish any more. Perhaps ick works if you treat immidiately after finding the ick. I didn't start until after the first cysts burst.

I'm interested to know where you read the info about them encysting long term. I've often wondered if they could lay dormant, or if they had to be "born" at a certain time of maturity. Do you think if I continue the Kick ick treatment on my main tank it will aid in killing off any dormant ick cysts?

[monza]

Any ideas on why the bicolor didn't get it?

Pretty much as Danny said or the fish could have had it and you could not see it. In the same tank some fish can have it so bad they die and some seemingly not infected. Also your new fish might have had Ick and you could not see it. On healthy fish it can hide in and around the gill areas and can be almost impossible to spot.

I sort of agree with Bob's theory that it is always there. Because I've had it come out of seemingly nowhere. But the ‘pros’ do state different...strict QT, hyposalinty treatment for infected fish and fallow water for six weeks. Their logic is strict laboratory scientific study. Where I can't agree with you Bob is if Ick Kick works, how can it be still present in the tank...it simply didn't work.

Dave