Ich remains after 6 weeks of hypo???

[bix]

Hey all,

I have had my puffer/damsel in hypo (1.008-1.009) for 6 and a half weeks.

I just started increasing the salinity and noticed that the puffer was doing some flashing (he wasn't at all during hypo.) I thought it might have been the changes in the water so I didn't worry so much.

Looking at the puffer again I noticed 2 white spots on his tail. I'm worried that the ich hasn't cleared up.

What would you guys do? I see the options as:

1. Wait it out and see if it gets worse to verify it is ich.

2. Lower the salinity immediately for another 6 weeks (I really don't want to do this, my patience is being streched already having my tank bare for almost 2 months I will if I have too though.)

3. Treat with copper. My worry here is that the puffer won't be able to handle the copper.

This is so frustrating!

 

[reefdiver]

did you raise water temp?

 

[bix]

Water temp was over 80+ for the first little bit... then I read that its better to have it at a lower temp for hypo... so I lowered it to about 75 for the remainder of the treatment.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Raising water temp doesn't do anything for saltwater ich. Doing the hypo treatment at the normal temperature that you normally keep the fish is the best to minimize stress.

So when you did the hypo, did wait until the last white speck was gone until "starting the clock" on the treatment time? If not, that might be an issue. The treatment is 4-6 weeks at 1.009 AFTER you see the last ich spot disappear. It might take a couple weeks for that to happen.

If I was in your shoes, I'd probably just continue raising the salinity to normal levels and watch the fish for 2-3 more weeks before deciding what to do. If the ich is still there, it will probably be obvious after some time and then you'll at least know you still have to treat it one way or another.

 

[bix]

Thanks Kurt.

The only one in the tank that was showing any ich symptoms was the puffer. I basically kept him in the hypo until he wasn't showing any more symptoms (heavy breathing, lethargic etc) then I caught all my other fish and put them in the hospital tank.

I started the clock when I put the damsel in there. The damsel never showed any signs of ich or spots so I never actually saw any spots on him. I thought the puffer was in the clear from spots but now I'm worried I might have missed 1-2 spots.

I'm going to do as you say and give the puffer more time to see if it gets worse. Also I'm going to keep upping the salinity back to what I'm going to keep my DT at. If it gets worse I'll decide what to do then.

 

[cmor1701d]

How are you checking the salinity?
If you are not using a calibrated refractometer, get one and start the Hypo clock over again.

When you do a PWC in the QT are you siphoning the bottom of the tank to remove any tomonts? The tomont stage can last as long as 35 days, which is why I prefer a 6 - 8 week hypo treatment.

If you haven't already read it, please read Marine "Ich"

 

[bix]

I'm using a calibrated refractometer.

When I do my PWC I am siphoning the bottom to get rid of any dietrus etc, I'm trying to get rid of all of the tomonts but I can't see them so I can't be sure.

I had them in hypo for 6.5 weeks but apparently that wasn't long enough. I can see why people give up on this hobby. If this is ich again I'm probably going to sell everything and give up. I'll lose some money but at least I will have my time/sanity.

I realize the veterans here are going to assume I did something wrong with my hypo treatment. That's fine. I read everything I could on hypo treatment and did everything by the book. The one thing I might have missed was if there was a spot buried in the puffers gills or somethhing and it somehow survived the 50+ day hypo treatment.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

...The one thing I might have missed was if there was a spot buried in the puffers gills or somethhing and it somehow survived the 50+ day hypo treatment.

Or if you're not actually dealing with ich.

 

[abdhalim2]

yup.....picture can explain it....

 

[Innovator]

Ich strains can also survive near freshwater conditions so it is not surprising either. Puffers can handle copper, just start with a half dose and raise slowly until therapeutic levels are reached. If you have the money, Chloroquine is safer.

 

[bix]

Ok, so the spots I was concerned with are still there, and there are no new spots/symptoms.

Salinity is up to 1.022.

I hope I'm just being paranoid (this wouldn't be the first time) so how long would I have to wait before I should feel it is safe and the ich is completely gone?

Puffer is still eating like a champ and the flashing hasn't been as noticeable for the last few days.

Picture is difficult because the puffer usually has his tail clamped up so I can only see the dots when he spreads out his tail which is usually for a split second and in an awkward angle. I can try but I doubt it will be a clear picture..

 

[thincat]

You won't kill the ich with an SG of 1.022. you need to bring it down to 1.009 and keep it there.

 

[bix]

Not sure if you saw the first page or not thincat

I had it at hypo for 6.5 weeks, I started this thread after starting to bring the salinity back up.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

This is a thread on Marine Ich on our local reef society website. Very good information and a couple of different viewpoints. Give it a read

ICH IN MY REEF TANK - Greater Iowa Reef Society - Greater Iowa Reef Society Discussion Forums - Public Forums - General (Hobby Related)

 

[thincat]

Not sure if you saw the first page or not thincat

I had it at hypo for 6.5 weeks, I started this thread after starting to bring the salinity back up.

oops!!!!!

 

[cmor1701d]

I think you need to verify if this is really Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans).

The parasite has been known to have a longer life cycle than the 30 days we all assume. Also

Highly aberrant strains have recently been found thriving in hyposaline environments in Taiwan (Yambot et al., 2003).

from http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2003/mini1.htm


So perhaps the treatments that Innovator suggested are in order if you cannot do another round of Hypo.

Sorry.

 

[bix]

I want to know for sure that it is ich again before I use copper I think.

It definitely was ich the first time (before the hypo) just not so sure about now.

It's been about 12 days and the same 2 spots are there, no additional spots, and the flashing has completely stopped.

How long would you leave it so that I am sure it isn't still ich?

 

[melosu58]

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: A Quarantine Tank for Everything by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com


Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part I by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part II by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

Some good reading

 

[cmor1701d]

Two weeks and you will know for sure if there any additonal spots or not.

 

[bix]

Thanks Cmor that's what I was looking for.

I'm going to give it until this weekend and if there are no changes at all I'm going to move the puffer back into the DT.

The spots could have always been there since I wasn't checking the puffer too closely when he was in hypo... As soon as I started raising the salinity I started checking very closely and that's when I noticed the spots.