How long should i wait?

[Imat]

How long after curing my current fish from ich should I wait before I add more fish to my tank? I have 3/4 of my fish die from it and believe it is finally gone. I figure I will need to wait a while but want to get opinions on how long.

Thanks


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[PNWaquarist]

I would wait a minimum of two weeks. That's just off the top of my head, and I haven't dealt with ich for decades.

 

[BBradbury]

Restocking Your Tank

How long after curing my current fish from ich should I wait before I add more fish to my tank? I have 3/4 of my fish die from it and believe it is finally gone. I figure I will need to wait a while but want to get opinions on how long.

Thanks


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Hello I...

Ich parasites live dormant in most tanks. When the water isn't clean, the parasites can hatch and infect any fish that is stressed because of the poor water quality. By keeping the tank water very clean and doing a good job of vacuuming the bottom material, your tank should be clean enough to introduce more fish. However, if you do a poor job of taking care of the tank water, the infection can come back.

B

 

[Dallascowboys16]

2 weeks is the usual wait time . Ich usually isn't deadly because it is easily treated with meds or heat treatment, Im surprised it took out 3/4 of your tank . Are you sure ich was what killed your fish?

 

[dalto]

Hello I...

Ich parasites live dormant in most tanks. When the water isn't clean, the parasites can hatch and infect any fish that is stressed because of the poor water quality. By keeping the tank water very clean and doing a good job of vacuuming the bottom material, your tank should be clean enough to introduce more fish. However, if you do a poor job of taking care of the tank water, the infection can come back.

B

This is one of the many myths of fish keeping lore. Ich cannot live without a host for more than a few days.

Ich can live on a fish unseen because a healthy fish is typically capable of protecting itself. However, it is rare for this to happen after treatment for an Ich outbreak. Also, any type of stress to a fish that is carrying ich can cause an outbreak, not just poor water quality.

So, back to the OP's original question. It depends on your tank temperature but you should continue to treat for 3-5 days after visible signs disappear. Please note that this is different than waiting. You need to have continuous treatment of the Ich by whatever method you choose.

Also, since you have learned your lesson with Ich and are going to be quarantining your new fish for 2 weeks in a separate tank the waiting won't be an issue, right?

 

[BBradbury]

The Ich Parasite

This is one of the many myths of fish keeping lore. Ich cannot live without a host for more than a few days.

Ich can live on a fish unseen because a healthy fish is typically capable of protecting itself. However, it is rare for this to happen after treatment for an Ich outbreak. Also, any type of stress to a fish that is carrying ich can cause an outbreak, not just poor water quality.

So, back to the OP's original question. It depends on your tank temperature but you should continue to treat for 3-5 days after visible signs disappear. Please note that this is different than waiting. You need to have continuous treatment of the Ich by whatever method you choose.

Also, since you have learned your lesson with Ich and are going to be quarantining your new fish for 2 weeks in a separate tank the waiting won't be an issue, right?

Hello dalt...

I'm a little less sure than you on how long the parasite can live without being attached to a fish. The parasite can be introduced by infected water, plants substrates and fish too. It would need to live in an inactive or a not actively growing (dormant) state for more than 3 to 5 days if it was in water, plants or substrate transferred to another tank.

Just a thought.

B

 

[Imat]

I am extremely new to this and we don't have a quarantine tank :/
I am pretty positive they had ich but cant guarentee thats what killed them. My water parameters are perfect and we keep our water very clean and do routine water changes/vaccuming of rocks. I did buy the fish at petsmart and petco so that could have played a huge part too.
Since my water parameters are good (had the stores test it too) ich was thr only other thought for cause. We treated the tank and have since done another water change.
As far as a quarantine tank goes, we really don't have space for it...


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[dalto]

I'm a little less sure than you on how long the parasite can live without being attached to a fish. The parasite can be introduced by infected water, plants substrates and fish too. It would need to live in an inactive or a not actively growing (dormant) state for more than 3 to 5 days if it was in water, plants or substrate transferred to another tank.

I think the confusion here is related to how Ich works. Ich would only be dormant on plants and substrate for a short time. However, it can hatch and attach it itself to a fish in that short time. A healthy fish can sometimes protect itself from the Ich and so the white spots will not appear and the infection will not spread. However, once the fish becomes stressed it can lose it's battle with the ich and it will start to show spots and spread to other fish.

I am extremely new to this and we don't have a quarantine tank :/
I am pretty positive they had ich but cant guarentee thats what killed them. My water parameters are perfect and we keep our water very clean and do routine water changes/vaccuming of rocks. I did buy the fish at petsmart and petco so that could have played a huge part too.
Since my water parameters are good (had the stores test it too) ich was thr only other thought for cause. We treated the tank and have since done another water change.
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Ich is a pretty obvious illness. It is white spots that appear all over the fish. It almost looks like little grains of salt. They are big enough to be obvious to the naked eye. If your fish didn't have these spots than it probably wasn't Ich.