# Ick again so soon???



## tinarose9124 (Jun 14, 2013)

Need some help... this is tje second time I have had ick in a month mabey two month span. The only thing that has changed is I have gotten a blue ram, nine neon tetras and two cleaner snails. I'm concerned that another ick teratment might kill off any of my fish but I know I have to do it. I'm not home right now or I would give my tank readings but I have two cory catfish, four kuhli loaches, nine neon tetras, to cleaner snail and one guppy. The tank is a tall fifteen gallon, I have already started increasing the heat and did a half treatment for the scaless fish last night. The ram and the tetras are the only ones showing a couple spots. Could there be a reason I got ick again so soon, or is there anything else I could do?


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## graybot (Apr 24, 2011)

You added fish, right? Were they quarantined for at least one week and observed before adding them to the tank? If not, there's your source. I assume all fish coming from a LFS have ich or parasites, because they usually do.

If you are concerned about the treatment use heat only for a week or two and see if there is any change. Then consider salt or medication if no inprovement is seen. Sounds like you caught it early, so you don't need to worry much if you begin treatment soon.


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

tinarose9124 said:


> Need some help... this is tje second time I have had ick in a month mabey two month span. The only thing that has changed is I have gotten a blue ram, nine neon tetras and two cleaner snails. I'm concerned that another ick teratment might kill off any of my fish but I know I have to do it. I'm not home right now or I would give my tank readings but I have two cory catfish, four kuhli loaches, nine neon tetras, to cleaner snail and one guppy. The tank is a tall fifteen gallon, I have already started increasing the heat and did a half treatment for the scaless fish last night. The ram and the tetras are the only ones showing a couple spots. Could there be a reason I got ick again so soon, or is there anything else I could do?


New fish get stressed-out when they're transported and acclimated to a new environment...especially when they still haven't gotten used to their current new environment at the pet store. And just like people, stress taxes their immune system and leaves them vulnerable to disease. Poor water quality makes everything worse...not saying you have poor water quality...just sayin. Your tank _does_ contain ICH though, lurking in a benign state...likely via an immune chronic carrier showing no symptoms...waiting...and waiting...for the presence of a host that's too weak to fight it off. When that host presents itself, the ICH attacks and resumes it's life cycle in a more visible state.

Stressed but essentially healthy fish can sometimes beat the ICH without intervention. But not always. You may very well lose some of the recently recovered fish this go-around...even with heat and medicinal treatment, and some of the new fish too. In the future, after your fish survive a bout of disease, give them a couple months to fully recover before adding more fish to the tank. That way, if you have to treat the new fish with a harsh chemical, the old fish will be more tolerant of the process. This is especially a good idea when you're keeping fish without scales. Or better yet, learn about the benefits of using a separate quarantine tank with new fish.

I'm sorry you're dealing with ICH. That stuff absolutely sux. Have you considered getting an inexpensive UV sterilizer? IMO, that's the only way to go in situations such as this...that, and increasing the water temp. Salt maybe...generally not with cories though.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I won't argure that you have ich in your tank,but I will say you either didn't cure it or you brought fresh new ich into your tank.
There is NO dormant state of ich.It either lives or dies.If it lives you should not go more than 4-5 days with out seeing it on a host.It can not survive longer than that with out hosting.It does leave the fish go into substrate and then multiply(not go dormant) itno thousands who are in search of a host,if they don't find one they will die.
I would medicate (I always do).
Ich | The Skeptical Aquarist


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

coralbandit said:


> I won't argur that you have ich in your tank,but I will say you either didn't cure it or you brought fresh new ich into your tank.
> There is NO dormant state of ich.It either lives or dies.If it lives you should not go more than 4-5 days with out seein it on a host.It can not survive longer than that with out hosting.It does leave the fish go into substrate and then multiply(not go dormant) ito thousands who are in search of a host,if they don't find one they will die.
> I would medicate (I always do).
> Ich | The Skeptical Aquarist


You're right...I used the word dormant which is technically wrong. I changed it. Thanks!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

So did I read that you have in a 15g:
1 - Blue Ram
9 - Neon Tetras
4 - Khuli Loaches
2 - Cory Cats
1 - Guppy?

Seems to me the source of ich is more than likely from stress caused by an overstocked tank. Pretty badly, IMO.

If you want to keep a small tank, or any tank for that matter, you should only go for about a 75-80% stocking. For you, that would stop you at about the 9 Neons. If you want wall-to-wall fish, problems like this will become routine for you. You will continue to have it, have fish die, buy more fish, more die, until one day you'll stop buying them and you'll only have about 1/2 of what you have now. And the thing you come to realize is how well they are now doing and you're starting to enjoy keeping them again, etc, etc....it is the vicious cycle of being new at keeping fish, and then you buy more, and so on, and so on.... Sorry, many have been where you are. 

I always medicate for ich also. Quick Cure usually has it all gone by the 2nd or 3rd application.


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