The old ICK factor...

[Nams13]

Hey there!

So after 8 mnths Ick has finally gotten a hold of my clown (about 5cm), Bonti. Quarantined him and am using a treatment. The water is very lightly salted and I have added 50% of the treatment on Saterday and did a 50% water change again on Wednesday with another drop of treatment (the med said 5 days).

He's been hiding in his favourite little log ornament as usual, but when he comes out, he scratches himself madly for a bit then swims back in! Also haven't really seen him eat since, but otherwise he looks fine. I can't see very well, but it looks like there are a few spots on his tail still... Water at 29'C, very well aerated.

I'm planning to do another water change on Sunday with another drop of med. Am I doing ok so far? Should I be doing something else? Adding a bit more salt?

Much appreciated!

[Diana]

Many more water changes.
Ich falls to the bottom of the tank to reproduce. By vacuuming the floor of the tank daily or every other day you are removing a very large % of the Ich organisms before they can send out the babies that infest the fish.
I would go bare bottom in the hospital tank so you can do a better job of removing the Ich organisms.

Continue treatment for at least 3 days beyond the day you saw the last spot on the fish.

Ultra Violet is a great Ich treatment.

[Nams13]

Thanx for the info! I have no form of substrate in the tank. I've thought of more water changes, but the medication says add 50%, then again after 5 days and not to overdose. The hospital tank is only 12L so I add only 1 drop - must I then add the medication again if I change the water? Won't I be overdosing then?

Bonti seems quite stressed - just put some bloodworms in and no interest Just comes out to scratch himself.

[Diana]

If you remove 50% of the water, then re-dose with just 50% of the medicine.

Ich can be beaten with simply water changes and no medicine, in a bare bottom tank, with daily vacuuming. In that small a tank it might be easier to remove the fish and simply dump the water out and refill with new water.

[chefkeith]

I don't agree that ich can beaten in a bare bottom tank with just daily vacuuming.

Ich in the gills doesn't necessarily ever leave the gills.

In theory, the ich spot falls off the fish and drops to the bottom of the tank.

In reality, the ich spot falls of the body because the mucus production from the fish helps expel the ich parasite. If ich is in the gills, it doesn't necessarily get expelled. It can stay in the gills and reproduce there indefinitely.