Ich Question

[cbb61032002]

Greetings,

I had a clownfish and an Algae Blenny that I treated with cupramine for ich. Treated for 3 weeks and then observed for 2 or 3 weeks without signs of reinfection. Added the two fish to the display tank where they live happily for a week or so. Then my wife and I notice a white spot on the clown. We remove him immediately and put him in a quarantine tank. We notice a different white spot the next day in quarantine. Is there any chance we removed him in time to spare infection to the other fish or was it likely in his gills and spreading before we noticed the spot? I guess the next steps wouldn't change either way but I was hoping not to have to remove all the fish to treat them. Any thoughts?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

That really can't be answered - too many variables - what stage was the ich trophont in, etc. That said the contact time was certainly long enough to infect your DT. Infections are not 100% guaranteed to happen, so you you should be prepared to move the fish and retreat, but hold off until you have positive confirmation of ich returning.

For future reference, my quarantine protocol is 30 days copper, 2 weeks prazi (3 doses) and then 2 weeks of observation - and even then, things sometimes slip through! If I have fish that break with ich, I wait a full 45 days after the symptoms went away before I consider moving them to a DT.

Jay

 

[Hugh Mann]

Is it possible ich was already in your display tank? Cross contamination is a pretty easy mistake to make (guilty) unless you're following biohazard level protocols almost. Only takes a single droplet of water to carry over. Already established fish could be healthy enough to stave off infection, but a newly introduced fish fresh out of copper may have its immune system lowered enough to be susceptible.

Typically though, as soon as you see spots, it's already too late and the infection is in the tank.

 

[cbb61032002]

Thanks guys!