ich problems roar

Discussion in 'Diseases' started by molldollaqurist, Aug 5, 2009.

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  1. coral reefer

    coral reefer Giant Squid

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    Are you using the copper in the tank with live aragonite sand? Aragonite absorbs the copper thus reducing the amount that is available in the tank!!!!!
    Ich also remains in the tank for a period of a month or so escalating into the various stages of the ich cycle.
    Ich appears as small white sugar sized spots...then they fall from the fish and a false sense of relief is instilled in the aquarist. This is short lived though, as in a matter of a few hours, the ich cysts that fell off and took up residence in the sand have advanced to the swimming stage and doubled or tripled in number creating a much greater risk to your fish.
    The best time to rid ich is during the time frame that the ich parasites have fallen off in the cyst phase.
    Garlic, vitamin c and reduced salinity can help to keep the natural defenses of the fish up.
     
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  3. molldollaqurist

    molldollaqurist Plankton

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    Well I am going to remove the fish and treat them all in quarantine tanks for 2 weeks then keep them in the tanks for another 5 weeks. Is that enough time for the ich to die off in the main tank. Out of curiosity how long does ich take to kill off a fish.
     
  4. iLLwiLL

    iLLwiLL Sailfin Tang

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    Depends on the overall health of the fish to begin with really. Once it gets real bad in the lungs is when it becomes a real problem.

    ~Will.
     
  5. coral reefer

    coral reefer Giant Squid

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    Each fish is different with many variables effecting how long a fish can survive and the degree to which the fish can handle the ich parasite and medication being administered.
    Wild or captive caught, species of fish, size of the fish and number of fish all can influence the timeframe and intensity of the parasite.