Ich treatment and fry

[Frode]

Hi,
I recently had a ich outbreak in my established 55. I have been treating for the last week or so using interpet anti white spot +. I have been using half doses as I have a pleco and a number of otocinclus aswell as shrimp. The ich is slowly becoming less and less noticeable however I have today noticed that my apistos have wrigglers (photo attached *hopefully*). The tank is due another dosage tomorrow, would the medication have any ill effect on the fry ( more than the shrimp??). Ty in advance

 

[skjl47]

I have been using half doses as I have a pleco and a number of otocinclus aswell as shrimp.

Hello; Not sure you have any good options with regard to fry as I have never had an ich outbreak with fry. Fry are many times more delicate than older fish. Maybe someone else has experience.

I mainly am writing with regard to the notion of a half dose of medication. I do not think this is a good practice. I am not familiar with the particular medication but feel it does not matter. The folks who make the med have come up with a suggested dose they feel will be effective.

Doing a half dose can/may have some negative results. First being that it likely will not be effective against the ich. Next is that it might allow the ich to become resistant to the med at even the regular dose.
Perhaps the last possible outcome is the half dose will be enough to do harm to the pleco ,ottos and shrimp anyway.

I am curious to learn if the ich outbreak is the result of adding new fish with out any quarantine time in another tank?

Good luck anyway.

 

[Frode]

Hello; Not sure you have any good options with regard to fry as I have never had an ich outbreak with fry. Fry are many times more delicate than older fish. Maybe someone else has experience.

I mainly am writing with regard to the notion of a half dose of medication. I do not think this is a good practice. I am not familiar with the particular medication but feel it does not matter. The folks who make the med have come up with a suggested dose they feel will be effective.

Doing a half dose can/may have some negative results. First being that it likely will not be effective against the ich. Next is that it might allow the ich to become resistant to the med at even the regular dose.
Perhaps the last possible outcome is the half dose will be enough to do harm to the pleco ,ottos and shrimp anyway.

I am curious to learn if the ich outbreak is the result of adding new fish with out any quarantine time in another tank?

Good luck anyway.

Thanks for the response,
I had never thought of it in that way! I had been worried about losing my little leopard frog plec if I dosed too much.

Regarding your quarantine question, the fish that are in the tank have been in there for a number of months. The apistos are the most recent addition. They were quarantined in a 15 gallon for 4-5 weeks. I noticed that one of my tetras had some white spot after a water change (roughly 3 weeks after the apistos were added). I haven't been able to pin down the cause as to why it happened. My other tanks are doing fine so I do not believe it was a water quality issue. Perhaps the fish was being picked on and became stressed?

I had planned to move my apistos back into the tank I had used for quarantine once the n. Anomala I have in there have served their time. I am now stuck in a tight spot tho as I do not wish to introduce the new fish into an infected tank, and transfer the apistos that could be carrying ich into their breeding tank.

If anyone has any thing to add it would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[skjl47]

Regarding your quarantine question, the fish that are in the tank have been in there for a number of months. The apistos are the most recent addition. They were quarantined in a 15 gallon for 4-5 weeks.

Hello; I had a secondary reason for asking about the QT. In another thread about ich recently a member stated that the only way ich can get into a tank is from an infected individual. Basically that the parasite has no other way to show up. I have wondered about this. Yours is the first case where it is not clear how the parasite was introduced.
I hope this does not sidetrack your problem. Thanks for the well written answer.

 

[duanes]

Agree a haf dose can be more problematic, and while some people may consider 4 or 5 weeks an adequate quarantine, I do not.
I usually do 2 to 3 months, because it may take that long for almost any disease to become visible.
I have a professional aquatic zoo keeper friend that won't quarantine any new fish for less than 6 months.
Certain Ick protozoa are programmed to stay dormant for long periods, or until conditions are perfect for their survival (higher temp, perfect alkalinity, could be many factors), and then appear and infect.
All it takes is one sleeper like that.
I believe you may have to bite the bullet and treat fun dose, and expect some loss, before the disease becomes epidemic. Better to lose a couple, than the entire population of the tank.
As said above the fry can be especially susceptible, and if they all become infected, the disease can overcome the entire tank. Each ick spot, can erupt into up to 100 new ick, unless there is a proper dose already in the tank.

 

[Frode]

Agree a haf dose can be more problematic, and while some people may consider 4 or 5 weeks an adequate quarantine, I do not.
I usually do 2 to 3 months, because it may take that long for almost any disease to become visible.
I have a professional aquatic zoo keeper friend that won't quarantine any new fish for less than 6 months.
Certain Ick protozoa are programmed to stay dormant for long periods, or until conditions are perfect for their survival (higher temp, perfect alkalinity, could be many factors), and then appear and infect.
All it takes is one sleeper like that.
I believe you may have to bite the bullet and treat fun dose, and expect some loss, before the disease becomes epidemic. Better to lose a couple, than the entire population of the tank.
As said above the fry can be especially susceptible, and if they all become infected, the disease can overcome the entire tank. Each ick spot, can erupt into up to 100 new ick, unless there is a proper dose already in the tank.

Thanks for your response,
I feared that may be the case. I will use a full dose today and hope for the best. The fry were more of a happy accident to be honest. I have plans to breed them in the future but my 55 is not set up to that end. I won't be upset to lose them, but will do my best to raise them if I can.

I did not realise that the quarantine period I used was insufficient (there are so many conflicting opinions). I appreciate your advice and will definitely be quarantining for longer from now on!

I'm still not convinced that the itch came with the apistos though, they don't have any spots, it's only one or two of my tetras and a neon rasbora that are showing. Is it possible the apistos brought the ich but were not affected by it?

Thanks again