Ich help all fish whiped out except snowflake eel?!

[Mark The Kidd]

So I recently had an ich break out witch started with my yellow tang then whiped out my puffer fish & lion fish I did try ich attack but no success :/ after that I stopped using ich attack saw no point. tank has been running with no fish for about 4 weeks now except my snowflake eel who still eats normal and shows no sign of ich. Question is could my snowflake eel still be the host? Or did my snowflake eel get lucky? I know eels can be resistant to ich especially with their slime to help and also don't have any fins for the ich to attach itself to has anyone else gotten luck on their side?

[TheTodd]

Ich does not need fins to attach to. It actually prefers gils. I would think the eel could still host the Ich. Fish can host Ich without showing clear signs. If Ich was in the tank, I would assume it is not gone without being killed, which is done with hypo or copper in QT. Leave the DT fallow for 6-8 weeks and you are Ich-free.

[Fahemah]

I agree with Todd. Your snowflake eel is probably grown resistant, but without treatment, he is probably still carrying the parasite.

I'm not too clued up on eels, but I would remove him do what Todd said with your DT. Treat him in qt and then put him back in. I'm so sorry about your loss, I also recently lost all my fish and had to start over.

[Mark The Kidd]

Thanks guys for your reply. I really want to add new fishes since I'm bored of just having nothing swimming around :/ almost going to be 5 weeks. How is it that my snowflake eel is still alive? What if he didn't even get ich? And I'm just waiting around for nothing it's hard to tell guess no one can tell but just guess or assume from research. I'm planning on adding a none expensive fish like maybe a clown fish. I believe that this is the only way to tell if there is ich or not then just wasting time assuming there is.

[TheTodd]

Fish (or eels) can host something like Ich, but it does not mean they will die. I would assume if there was Ich in the tank, that it did not magically disappear if nothing was done to kill it. I've read that fish can have it, but not show outward signs as well. You think you are fine, you add new fish and it pops up again because it was in there "hiding" all along.

I would QT the eel. Not sure which is better for eels...hypo or copper...and leave the DT fallow for six weeks. The eel will be Ich-free from treatment. The tank will be Ich-free due to it not having a host. QT future additions and treat if something pops up. You should never have Ich in your DT again.

[Mark The Kidd]

Originally Posted by TheTodd

Fish (or eels) can host something like Ich, but it does not mean they will die. I would assume if there was Ich in the tank, that it did not magically disappear if nothing was done to kill it. I've read that fish can have it, but not show outward signs as well. You think you are fine, you add new fish and it pops up again because it was in there "hiding" all along.

I would QT the eel. Not sure which is better for eels...hypo or copper...and leave the DT fallow for six weeks. The eel will be Ich-free from treatment. The tank will be Ich-free due to it not having a host. QT future additions and treat if something pops up. You should never have Ich in your DT again.

Thanks for your response and again your just basing it on research but I've actually witness ich go away magically. This one was when I had a freshwater tank I had also had an ich break out and again every fish I had was being wiped out only had two fish left with ich I was going to just give up and decided to give those two clown loach who both had ich to my GF mom BF who also had a freshwater tank running. I wanted them to survive somehow so I just put them in my his tank and hoped for the best. Months later their still alive and huge and the ich did not spread or infect any other of his fish just magically disappeared so I'm sure my eel does not have it because its rare for the them to get it in the first place.

[TheTodd]

You asked a question and we gave you advice. Yes, my advice was based on proven science. Big money has gone into scientific research and they pretty much understand the Ich life cycle and what effectively kills it. It is possible to die out in a tank, but I sure would not assume that would happen in less than its life cycle. I believe its several months. It is possible though, its just impossible to tell this soon.

I tend to not go on hope, luck and/or magic with my pets. That's just me though. I hope it works out for you.

[Mark The Kidd]

Originally Posted by TheTodd

You asked a question and we gave you advice. Yes, my advice was based on proven science. Big money has gone into scientific research and they pretty much understand the Ich life cycle and what effectively kills it. It is possible to die out in a tank, but I sure would not assume that would happen in less than its life cycle. I believe its several months. It is possible though, its just impossible to tell this soon.

I tend to not go on hope, luck and/or magic with my pets. That's just me though. I hope it works out for you.

Agree but waiting is frustrating. Guess luck will have to be on my side guess I'd rather learn the hard way. Thanks again for your educational advice

[Chrisc0930]

Originally Posted by Mark The Kidd

Agree but waiting is frustrating. Guess luck will have to be on my side guess I'd rather learn the hard way. Thanks again for your educational advice

I would have to agree with Todd. from my own personal experience the most effective method to get rid of ich is to starve it. if your eel is ok, move it to QT and wait it out, could take from a month to six weeks, I have waited up to two months in my time just to be safe.

[Chrisc0930]

And although frustrating, you have to remember saltwater is always about patience, nothing happens with this hobby over night

[Mark The Kidd]

Originally Posted by Chrisc0930

And although frustrating, you have to remember saltwater is always about patience, nothing happens with this hobby over night

Lol true.

[TheTodd]

Good luck to you. It's really frustrating to see people get solid advice and totally ignore it, but I've got kids and understand that sometimes people have to learn the hard way.

Saltwater and lack of patience will not work in the long run. You are gonna waste lots of money learning. That's coming from someone who made lots of mistakes (hundreds of dollars worth) many years ago before there were sites like this. I wish there were resources like this back then.

[Mark The Kidd]

Originally Posted by TheTodd

Good luck to you. It's really frustrating to see people get solid advice and totally ignore it, but I've got kids and understand that sometimes people have to learn the hard way.

Saltwater and lack of patience will not work in the long run. You are gonna waste lots of money learning. That's coming from someone who made lots of mistakes (hundreds of dollars worth) many years ago before there were sites like this. I wish there were resources like this back then.

I appreciate your solid advice thank you ill keep updated to see how my eel is doing

[melosu58]

Read these

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

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

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

[Mark The Kidd]

New update Mr. eel is still great and hungry 6 weeks now with no fish but him Ive been medicating my tank with ich attack for a week now and also began using my UV sterilizer today.