Salfin ick question

[fishman]

Ok so I have been in the hobby 4 years and have had a regal with ick before. I did the hypo and it worked. I recently bought a salfin and have him in QT. My questions are these.
-I assume salfins are just as prone to ick and you can see if its on him?
-Im going to keep the salfin and a couple other fish in QT for 6-8 weeks. IF there are no signs of ick, what are the chances of it showing up after the say 6-8 weeks of QT? Guess Im wondering if say 10 weeks (2 weeks after it goes in the main) - what are the chances of it showing up then?
Just curious...
Thanks

 

[cmor1701d]

If you treat the fish in QT with hyposalinty or copper then the chances of ich appearing later are practically none.
If you keep it in QT with no treatment and good water quality control the chances are slim that the parasite would show up later. Healthy fish can fight off the parasite and it does not become a problem. If the fish gets stressed and the parasite is still around, the fish can succumb quickly.

When you did the hypo on the regal, did you leave any other fish in the main tank or did you qt all the fish?

 

[fishman]

On the regal I QT him along with all of my fish. I left the main fishless for 7 weeks. It has been 2 years and no signs of ick on him or any of the fish I treated with hypo.
Also I think Im confusing the issue. Let me restate.
My question is if I QT a fish (with NO hypo and no copper) for 6-8 weeks, and the fish doesnt show signs of ick, then what are the chances of it showing up with ick later?

Also second question is - is it easy to see ick on a salfin? Since the colors are so dark, it looks like it would be difficult to see. Whereas on a regal its very easy to see.

 

[ellisz]

I am treating a sailfin right now with cupramine in a QT setup. I notice a few spots but it is really hard to notice. I had a kole die in QT that I never saw signs of trouble until it was too late. Garlic and Beta Glucan are supposed to be good for boosting natural immunity.

 

[melosu58]

If you are asking about QT a newly aquired fish for 6-8 weeks then that should be sufficient for observation purposes. If you dont see any parasites on him by then IMO he is safe to go in the main tank. IME hippo tangs are ick magnets and hard to keep from getting the parasites while sailfins are a little easier. Maybe someone else has different experiences.

 

[ellisz]

I agree. I don't like to treat unless I see signs but some fish it might be a good idea to be more proactive.

 

[fishman]

OK well Im of the same opinion in that I dont treat something that isnt there. Im not doing hypo on any of my fish - just leaving them in the QT for 6-7 weeks most of the time. I guess Im just amazed as you know good and well that these LFS have ick throughout their tanks. Why wouldnt a fish come down with it if indeed they are exposed to it?

 

[ellisz]

OK well Im of the same opinion in that I dont treat something that isnt there. Im not doing hypo on any of my fish - just leaving them in the QT for 6-7 weeks most of the time. I guess Im just amazed as you know good and well that these LFS have ick throughout their tanks. Why wouldnt a fish come down with it if indeed they are exposed to it?

I would not say all LFS have ich. Most of the LFS here actually run meds through their FO systems and the coral systems are separate. I even saw a LFS(Pruess Pets) in MI that QT's their new fish before putting them on the floor.

There are cases where ich might have been treated, thought to be gone and the magically appear again a few months later. It was really never gone to begin with.

 

[melosu58]

Why wouldnt a fish come down with it if indeed they are exposed to it?

If their immune system was doing good they might not have it. The parasite would be more prone to attack a fish with a lower immune system or stressed out.