mattmku said:
Would this procedure get rid of the ich?:
1. remove all inhabitants and live rock into seperate tank
You could but it would be much easier to remove just the fish and treat them seperately. You would also still need to leave anything with a hard surface
QT'd for 4-6 weeks to ensure there are no reproductive cysts (
tomonts). Not really easier when you consider all the angles.
2. lower salinity in main tank to kill ich
Lowering the salinity to 14
ppt will be a very effective treatment against
C.irritans but it also kills everything else. The only thing that should survive hyposalinity when
properly performed is the fish and bacteria. All other "critters" that may be living in the substrate would also perish.
3. do a freshwater dip with 2 invertabrates to remove ich and place back into main tank
FW dips will kill mobile inverts. They cannot feed the parasite and are therefore not a concern in the treatment scheme. Leave the main tank as is and just remove the fish. Leaving the tank fallow for 4-6 weeks is the easiest and safest way to rid the display tank of this parasite.
4. dose fish with ich medication and once cured replace fish back in main tank
You're better off with >>
hyposalinity<< than the product you've purchased. Even in a
QT environment it's effectiveness against
C. irritans is limited.
This is just my idea of how to shorten the cure time.
Taking short cuts is very risky and increases the possibility the fish will not be properly rid of the parasite.
How long will it take for the medication to cure the fish?
The one you have may never cure the problem. Hyposalinity takes about the same amount of time as the fallow period and Cupramine takes 2-3 weeks but the fallow period must still be observed.
Cheers
Steve