Does ich come and go?

[ReefKing101]

I just noticed when I woke up today my clown was even more covered in ich since yesterday. Within an hour he was down to 2 spots though. Still not sure if I need to QT him though. His clown pair doesn’t have a single spot though?

 

[andrewey]

I would google "ich lifecycle" or read the following post. Unfortunately it's not that ich is coming and going so much as you are seeing the feeding cycle of the parasite before it drops off the fish.

Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans)

Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) What You Need To Know: * Mild fish parasite which is often managed by using a UV Sterilizer, Ozone, Diatom Filter, Oxydator, herbal remedies, enhanced nutrition, etc. etc. * Can be treated in a quarantine tank using Hyposalinity, Chloroquine, Copper or...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Billldg]

Ick go's thru cycles, but it is always there. In order to get rid of the from your DT you will need to QT all of the fish in your DT and leave it fallow for 76 days. I say just leave it fallow for 90 days. Our tanks are not big enough for it to naturally die like the ocean and thus we have to take action once its in the tank.

 

[ReefKing101]

Ick go's thru cycles, but it is always there. In order to get rid of the from your DT you will need to QT all of the fish in your DT and leave it fallow for 76 days. I say just leave it fallow for 90 days. Our tanks are not big enough for it to naturally die like the ocean and thus we have to take action once its in the tank.

im almost wondering if it’s justs sand attached to the fish? It’s acting normal and I haven’t seen it scratching itself on rocks etc. but this morning it was fairly covered and not more than an hour later 90% were gone. I’m setting up a QT tank now so I will get them both in soon I think. Just don’t want to beQT them unless it’s absolutely Nesissary

 

[andrewey]

I would read the article I posted. For starters, it's almost never sand Not all spots are ich- some are more benign (e.g. Lymphocystis ) and some are far far worse (e.g. velvet, which can kill the entire tank in short order). 10 minutes of reading will save you a world of trouble, especially the True/False section at the bottom!

 

[Billldg]

im almost wondering if it’s justs sand attached to the fish? It’s acting normal and I haven’t seen it scratching itself on rocks etc. but this morning it was fairly covered and not more than an hour later 90% were gone. I’m setting up a QT tank now so I will get them both in soon I think. Just don’t want to beQT them unless it’s absolutely Nesissary

Good idea, you don't want to QT them unless its necessary. Remember though, clownfish have a think slime coat which is why Ick effects them less, I would keep a close eye on them and monitor them. So far as I know, Ick doesn't come and go like that, it will leave temporary scars as it falls off. If it flares up I would take some pics so people can ID it.

 

[Eddie7144]

I would imagine that you're seeing the life cycle of ich. Clowns are rather resistant to ich more so than other fish. I've been in the hobby for 21 years and I've never had ich. I imagen the health of the fish plays a big part of it.

 

[Squidward]

It depends on what size tank you have and what other fish you have or may want in the future to determine if you should get rid of ich or do ich management. I personally hate ich management.

 

[ReefKing101]

It depends on what size tank you have and what other fish you have or may want in the future to determine if you should get rid of ich or do ich management. I personally hate ich management.

Yeah i thought about if i wanted to add fish in the future and the chance of them getting the ich and maybe dieing with it. Not keen on that so im currently QT my 2 clowns and fallow my main tank. Such a shame its only 2 months old!! So strange as well, when i added the clown to QT tank all the white spots disappeared