confirmed ICH

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Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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puffpaddy
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confirmed ICH

Post by puffpaddy »

Well the title is exactly what it says. Noticed it today when I came home from school. And before anyone gets on my back, I did have Benji in a QT tank but the Ammonia lvls got way to high and no matter what I did the Ammonia wouldnt go down. I got some filter media from my 80gallon, sponge filter is going to go in the 30gallon on the HOB intake. AC biomax rocks from my 80 gallon are going to go in the HOB filter with carbon and a sponge. Tomorrow or the next day (due to my work and school sched) I'm going to take Douglas (butterfly) and Benji out and put them in the 30gal QT. I'm also going to go look t a 180 gallon tomorrow and if everything works out I'm going to buy it and keep the fish in the 30 until I have the 180 setup.

Benji is still eating, swimming around with no sign of being exhausted. As I type this the lights are off and he is cruizzzzzzin the tank. I mentioned his poop being milky white in my own thread in the Marine Puffer section. I guess that just means he's trying to get rid of it...

I'm not posting to ask what I should do. I already have a good idea what to do to treat this, thanks to many hours of research. But I'm always open to different ways of doing things.. I'm going to to a FW dip with the butterfly for a total of 3 FW dips once a day for 3 days. That should do a lot of work on the Ich that is infesting him.

In my 80 gallon:
Ammonia-0.0
Nitrite-0.0
Nitrate- <0.05
Ph-8.2-8.4
SG-1.020
one stars and stripes and one kleins butterfly
Feeding- every day at noon except sunday
been set-up since Late July

Here is a better shot of what the powerhead did. I'm not sure if I should treat it or not...
Image

And a shot of the first signs. Along with a better shot of the powerhead wound, now that I see it up close.
Image
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trekenk
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Re: confirmed ICH

Post by trekenk »

Freshwater dips with help the ich that is on the fish BUT.....Ich is still in your tank.

Ich has a multi-stage lifecycle. What you see on your fish is only one stage. When the spots (cysts) on the fish burst, more parasites are released into the water. You can remove the current parasites with a freshwater dip, but if you put the fish back into the tank, it will get reinfected.

From our library
library/hospital/swich/
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puffpaddy
Figure 8 Puffer
Posts: 142
Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2011 1:27 pm
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My Puffers: RIP-Puffy(GSP)
10gal Snail tank.
Location (country): Dana Point CA

Re: confirmed ICH

Post by puffpaddy »

I don't plan on putting them back in the display until I have my 180 set up. There isn't going to be anything in my 80 gallon except LR. Thanks for putting me in the right direction though! I've read that article many times. I plan on going with the hypo-salinity method though. I hate to take him out of the bigger tank and put him in a small one! He is finally out and about (usually he is sitting on a rock when I wake up) and exploring the entire tank... Bahhhhhhhh-humbug
Last edited by puffpaddy on Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: confirmed ICH

Post by Pufferpunk »

I do not see Crypt (Ich is a FW parasite), on this fish.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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puffpaddy
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Re: confirmed ICH

Post by puffpaddy »

Pufferpunk wrote:I do not see Crypt (Ich is a FW parasite), on this fish.

So those white spots, they aren't the signs of ich, or crypt? I'm confused also because the library says. "how to treat saltwater Ich".
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Pufferpunk
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Re: confirmed ICH

Post by Pufferpunk »

Sand? You should be seeing it on his fins, too.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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puffpaddy
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Re: confirmed ICH

Post by puffpaddy »

Look at the second picture of the fin on his back. There are white spots for sure.
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puffpaddy
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Re: confirmed ICH

Post by puffpaddy »

I noticed spots on his body too (different from the spots he has). But I just fed him and he ate better than he has since I've had him. I've never seen him so eager to eat!
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Dadof4
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Re: confirmed ICH

Post by Dadof4 »

The white spots on the fins are not Crypt/Ich. If you look closely they are in lines across the fin, these are like where spines would be if they were on the body.

Marine Ich is an infestation of Cryptocaryon irritans and Fresh water Ich is an infestation of Ichthyophthirius multifilis. Both are protazonas that have the same effect on fish. Treatment is similar but inverse for both. On Marine Ich you need to bring the SG of the tank down for the life cycle of the parasite and for freshwater Ich you need to add table salt or aquarium salt to bring up the hardness of the water, or the osmolarity.

If you do need to treat, and it doesn't look like it from the pictures, you will need to slowly bring your SG down in a hospital tank. Follow the hyposalinity section of the article.
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Re: confirmed ICH

Post by Pufferpunk »

If I were you, I'd try vitamin C dosing 1st, at a level of 50ppm: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13501
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

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puffpaddy
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Re: confirmed ICH

Post by puffpaddy »

Just came home from work, the spots have moved to his eyes, gills and fins. If it's not Marine ich idk what it could be. He came out from hiding to greet me at the glass when I turned his lights off. And now he is out and about in the tank swimming around. I'm nervous, all you guys are telling me it is not anything to worry about. But it looks like someone took a salt shaker and seasoned him...

Thanks for all of the help everyone, I really do appreciate it! And I'm not trying to say anyone is wrong, I'm just scared and don't wanna lose another puff :(
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trekenk
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Re: confirmed ICH

Post by trekenk »

puffypaddy it is hard to go by pictures. If you are seeing what looks like grains of salt all over his body than do treat for ich as in the library artical.
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Pufferpunk
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suvattii
burrfish
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Re: confirmed ICH

Post by Pufferpunk »

+1 but I'd also add the VC to the treatment.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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puffpaddy
Figure 8 Puffer
Posts: 142
Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2011 1:27 pm
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My Puffers: RIP-Puffy(GSP)
10gal Snail tank.
Location (country): Dana Point CA

Re: confirmed ICH

Post by puffpaddy »

Moved him to the QT about an hour ago. He is hanging out on the bottom. I teased him with some shrimp and he is still eager to eat, so that's good. I am planning on doing the hypo, and I didn't do the FW dip after further researching it. How does VC act as a treatment for ICH? Does it just add something to the water to help his immune system? I read on a reef forum that curing Marine Ich with VC is successful as using garlic as a treatment...
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Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32987
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Greenville, SC
Contact:
Contact Pufferpunk

Re: confirmed ICH

Post by Pufferpunk »

Yes, it boosts their immune system & helps aid in collagen production.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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