Ich treatment guidance

[bennyblee]

Hi, unfortunately less than 2 weeks after stocking my new tank (after completing a fishless cycle), I think I have a mild outbreak of ich among my neon tetras. Would appreciate some guidance here as this is my first time dealing with this. I have two main questions. First, I have CPDs in the tank, any thoughts on maximum temp? Unfortunately I don't have a quarantine tank. Second, so far the outbreak appears to be very mild. Is medication absolutely necessary here, or if it's not getting significantly worse can I pull them through with just religious water changes and vacuuming? Aquarium salt? Full details below.


Thanks in advance!

Fish: I have 5 neon tetras, 6 CPDs, and 3 female guppies. Only the tetras are affected, 3 of the fish have 3-4 spots each. I first noted a single spot on the tail of one tetra 2 days ago (pic #1), that spot is now already gone and I don't see any more spots on this fish, now just the few spots on the others. All fish are from the same LFS.



Parameters: ammonia & nitrites 0, nitrates 7.5 ppm, temp 76F, pH 7.8.


Tank: 20g high, set up 2 months ago, finished fishless cycle 2 weeks ago, fish stocked 10 days ago. Gravel substrate, plastic decor, no live plants.



Filter: Marina Slim S20 HOB, filled with sponge material, biorings, and a Purigen packet (NOT the special filter cartridges). Set to medium flow, plenty of bubbles at the drop-in, not sure what the gph is.



Maintenance: First vacuuming +50% PWE was 4 days ago (1 week after initial stocking). Since I noticed the first spot 2 days ago, I have been doing daily vacuuming and 30% PWE, and plan to continue until this gets sorted out.


Feedings: Twice daily, alternating tetra flakes, Omega One micropellets, and frozen brine shrimp.

 

[Aiken Drum]

If there are ich infected fish, its in the tank, in the water and all the fish could be infected. No point quarantining.

As to how to treat, its all about how risk averse you are.

The ich parasite goes through a lifecycle, part of which is going to the substrate to reproduce. Gravel vac will remove them the substrate, but how can you be sure you removed them all? The only surefire way to kill all the parasites is to have medication in the tank while its freeswimming, which can be several weeks after the visible feeding stage. Temperature speeds up the life cycle so it completes in a week if the tank temperature is at 28c and ensures a 1 week treatment covers that freeswimming stage.

Another thing to consider is that otherwise healthy fish live with ich and show no signs. Their inbuilt immunity protects them from visible infection. Many people will have ich in the tank and as their fish are otherwise healthy they never see any sign. It may be you can just ride it out.

You could just raise the temperature, speed up the lifecycle, fish recover, but the parasite will likely still be there and could reinfect your fish weeks, months or years from now.

You could just medicate or salt treat, but similar to above your treatment may not catch all the parasites while in the freeswimming stage weeks later and again weeks, months years later your fish get infected again.

Temperature and medication together will kill off the ich, but is more stressful for your fish.

Also consider, your LFS has introduced this into your tank with already infected fish. It cant spontaneously appear. All your efforts could be undone everytime you buy fish without quarantining first.

No-one can tell you what will happen. If you want to eradicate it completely, then medication and heat. But this is at risk of increased stress to your fish. Heat or medication is safer for your fish, but increased likelyhood the ich will come back.

Personally, i would probably just medicate if you think the danios are more at risk from raising the temperature. Although my zebra danios do OK at 28c for the couple of weeks of summer we have here in the UK.

 

[bennyblee]

Thanks Aiken. Yeah, I get the protozoa are in the tank, but if most fish are unaffected when healthy (certainly my guppies and CPDs aren't showing any signs), I am debating whether full on eradication is necessary or not, if I'm just diligent about keeping my fish as healthy as possible.



I was referencing (lack of) a quarantine tank more because if I had one I could put the CPDs in there while I cranked up the temp in the main tank to see if I can clear the lesions in my tetras, not to separate the infected fish. I'll probably move to get a quarantine tank for the future. In all honesty, the tank was a present for my son's 7 yo birthday, I had no idea how complicated this all could get, nor how much I would get hooked into all this, safe to say I'm enjoying keeping fish way more than my kids are at this point



I'll probably just go the safer route and treat...