Ick treatment time

[russells55]

Hi all

I know this topic is talked to death. Any maybe this is a stupid question but I don’t understand why ich treatment is 14 days 1 month 90 days etc.

If I have a new fish that has ick
I put it in a quarantine tank for let’s say 3 days , bare bottom , not rocks etc.
Then treat with copper. Do a few water changes. Then net the fish to a bucket. Net again from bucket to the home / display tank.

How is ick surviving?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

How is ick surviving?

I'd imagine that - much like velvet - it's because of ich's life cycle (being vulnerable to copper exposure during some life stages but not others), but @Jay Hemdal probably knows for sure.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi all

I know this topic is talked to death. Any maybe this is a stupid question but I don’t understand why ich treatment is 14 days 1 month 90 days etc.

If I have a new fish that has ick
I put it in a quarantine tank for let’s say 3 days , bare bottom , not rocks etc.
Then treat with copper. Do a few water changes. Then net the fish to a bucket. Net again from bucket to the home / display tank.

How is ick surviving?

The life cycle of ich is not cut and dry, there is a lot of timing variation. Also, the safe chelated copper products take three days or so to work.

There is the tank transfer method, TTM where you sort of “outrun” ich and its life cycle by moving fish from one tank to a new sterile one three times at just the right interval. That does work in many cases, but it has drawbacks.

30 days of coppersafe or copper power works well, close to 100% of the time, so it’s what I generally suggest for folks.

Jay