# I may have given ick to my main tank



## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

I have a small Taiwan Reef in my 10-gallon quarantine tank that has ick. I bought him on Saturday. I noticed first spots on Wednesday. I am treating with salt/temp.

I am now a bit afraid I contaminated my main tank. I didn't use same nets or anything, but I do put my fingers into the tank when I feed and in all likelihood, at least at one point, I could have put my fingers back into the main tank after feeding the quarantine tank. No one in the main tank has spots. But this morning I saw one of my syno multipunctatus flash twice against the glass. I'd never seen him do that before. I'm now hysterical.

Can anyone talk me off the ledge?
Should I pre-emptively start treating main tank?
Is salt/temp the best way to go with synos or is there a better method???


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Sounds like a bit of paranoia to me! :wink:

I know what you mean. I get itchy when my fish start flashing. :lol:

Just watch the main tank carefully, and be prepared to treat if necessary.

Ich is always in a tank, stressors bring it to your attention.

Just wash your hands when going from one tank to another until you get things under control and disease free.

I've treated synos with Quick Cure (formalin and malachite green) in the past with no ill effects, so should you have to treat, the method is up to you.

Kim


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

Mucho paranoid!

For the past few days, I've been instituting hospital-worthy techniques! But it was that first day or two when i wasn't thinking . . .

I also have a mama lab ready to spit (round 2) and one baby from round one. Would they be affected by Quick Cure?


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I've never used meds on fry...Never less than an inch, anyway, so I can't say for sure.

Kim


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

Well, the little Taiwan Reef died last night so I'm very bummed out. I watched my main tank like a hawk last night. No one has spots, no one is at all looking ill. My red empress flashed once, no one else did. So I'm holding my breath that all is OK . . .


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## rwolff (Mar 13, 2007)

Fish normally flash from time to time when they have an itch (not ich!)..so its not always that flashing indicates that they r ill or anything. Although when noticing them flashing they should be monitored.
like was said...seems more a case of paranoia


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Are you sure it's ich? No cottony appearance to it?

I've never lost a fish to ich, that's why I'm asking. You seem so on top of things, I can't imagine the ich getting that bad before you initiated treatment.

Just make sure it's ich you're up against!

Kim


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

Yes, am sure the Taiwan Reef had ick. He had just arrived in the LFS and they called me knowing I had been looking for one. When I arrived the next day, one of the fish in the tank had ick. I took the Taiwan Reef anyway, knowing he would be in the quarantine tank. I did one dose of the ick medicine I had on hand the first day. He had no spots, ate great and was a fabulous little guy. Four days later, he had spots. Not a lot, but clearly had them. The LFS also told me the whole tank had come down with ick. I dosed first with something (forget what, the fizzy tablet) that turned out to get bad reviews. After 12 hours, I did a water change, put the charcoal back in, turned up the heat slightly and added 1 t of salt per gallon. When I came home from work the next day, he looked stressed but perhaps had fewer spots. I dosed a second 1t of salt per gallon, went to dinner and when I came back he was dead. I may have killed him -- as opposed to ick . . . :-(((


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

With a new fish like that, it's always kind of iffy...He could have been overly stressed from shipping to the LFS.

Hopefully, everyone else will pull through!

Kim


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

I just about went blind this weekend staring at my fish trying to find spots. I didn't find any that I felt confident were really spots. After awhile, every missed scale or reflection of light gave me a heart attack. And do syno's have weird skin when you're staring at it close up! I did buy Quick Cure just in case, but I'm hoping that by now I'm out of the woods. BTW, all the Taiwan Reefs in the LFS died, although none of the other fish in that tank did, so clearly there was an issue with their health.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

The issue may have been more than just ich with the TRs...

Hopefully, you will relax soon! As far as the synos "weird skin" goes, I'm not sure what you mean!

Kim


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

As for the synos, they have skin, sort of like a hairless leopards-spotted chihuaha (sp) or something! I never really stared at them for this long and it's a bit difficult as they're not motionless for any length of time. Sometimes they would stare back. It was all a bit ridiculous!


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Step away from the tank!

You'll be treating the fish for paranoia before the week is up if you don't!

Sounds like your synos are just fine... :wink:

Kim


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