sharon a said:
what is the best way to treat ick? On the internet they say you should treat the entire tank because if you treat the fish in a
QT tank you will just put them back into the ick in the tank once the
QT time has ended.
If any fish are left in the main display while the infested fish was treated, you would be correct. The only effective way to treat for
C. irritans is in a quarantine tank but
all the fish must be removed and treated as well, not just the fish exhibiting signs. Any fish remaining in the display will feed the parasite and the lifecycle will continue. Only by removing the fish from the dispaly for treatment and leaving the tank fallow for 4-6 weeks will the parasite die off. No fish, no food source, the parasites life cycle is broken.
I think two of my fish have ick. They look like they have been sprinkled with salt and they itch themselves on everything in the tank.
Could also be velvet. Ich (
C. irritans), would have a sugar sized look to it while velvet would have a salt and pepper appearance and can often be more difficult to see.
On the internet they say fish dont get ick the ick is in the tank and attaches itself to the fish.
Fish bring in the parasite and most are quite susceptible to it. It's one of the more common problems aquariust face. Once a tank is left fallow long enough and all fish are treated for the parasite effectively, it will not re-occur unless re-introduced from an unquarantined animal.
What is the best and safest way to treat ick? If I treat the entire tank what do I need to take out of the tank? Do I need to shut the filter off? I bought Ick Guard II. Once the treatment time has ended do I need to empty the entire tank of water and start over? Or do you just give it time to cycle out? How long do I need to wait before I turn the filter back on? It does have charcoal...
The two only truely effective treatments for
C. irritans are copper (preferabley
Cupramine) and >>
hyposalinity<<. Both must be performed in a quarantine tank and
all fish in the display must be treated. If you are unsure if it's
C. Irritans (ich) or
Amyloodinium (velvet), choose the Cupramine as it will treat both effectively.
Once the fish are out of the display and undergoing a proper treatment, leave the main display fishless for about 6 weeks. The parsite will die off naturally and there will be no need to remove anything else or add damaging chemicals to the display.
Cheers
Steve