# How fast is Ich?



## FlyHigh (Nov 15, 2009)

Three Days ago I added some new fish including a Calvus (Black Congo) to my tank. Unfortunately, I'm not set up with a quarantine tank so I had to add the new fish to my show tank. Late last night, I saw what I believe to be 4-5 spots of Ich on the Calvus. It was difficult to be certain because the Calvus' natural coloring is dark with white spots everywhere. Being that this is the first signs of Ich, it's not like the entire fish was covered in it so the few spots that I thought I saw really blended into the fish's natural spots. She's just a juvie so the spots are tiny like Ich is. I have seen Ich before so I'm slightly familiar with it I couldn't be sure, but the Ich spots did look raised compared to the natural spotting. After examining the Calvus this morning, I am absolutely certain that I'm not seeing any spots on him that shouldn't be there. She looks completely normal.

Could this have been Ich? Can the trophont stage appear and fall off in only 1 day in a tank kept at 80 degrees? When trophonts fall off into the water do they do so all at once leaving the fish looking normal or is there a constant visible sign of Ich while some trophonts fall off while others are growing? Most importantly, should I just observe for a while or should I take an immediate course of action like doing the recommended heat/salt treatments.

Here's a Pic to understand what I mean about the fish's natural spots. This is a pic from a few days ago but she looks like this now, no signs of Ich


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

I'd watch all fish closely for the next week or so and take note of their coloring, location of naturally occurring spots, etc, now so you'll recognize something new.

I think ich spots could all fall off at once, at least the ones you can see. They can also hide in the fish's gills. Ich takes a little time to build up in a new tank before you see them on your fish and know without a doubt that it is in fact ich. If you do a lot of water changes and gravel siphonings, which is always a good thing to do, you may knock down the ich numbers in the tank and therefore make it harder to identify them.

I'd have my ich remedy on hand, be it the salt and heat method or one of the many off the shelf remedies and keep an eye on things, which it sounds like you're already doing. Ich is not difficult to get rid of as long as you take action relatively soon after you discover the little creeps.

Robin


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## FlyHigh (Nov 15, 2009)

After a couple of days of observation, I do not see any Ich spots on the Calvus. However, I do see two spots on another fish now that I'm quite certain are Ich spots. I've started to raise the temp from 80 up to 86 and will be increasing aeration. If someone could check my math to make sure I planning the right amount of salt I would appreciate it. For a 100 gallon tank I would use 2 tablespoons for each 5 gallons so that would be 40 tablespoons correct? 40 tablespoons equals 2.5 cups. It just seems like a lot of salt so I want to make sure it's correct. I'll try to post a pic of the fish with the few Ich spots on him.


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## FlyHigh (Nov 15, 2009)

It doesn't look like much because it's only two spots, but it's two spots that weren't there this morning. I saw one spot on my bristle nose pleco yesterday (although that is gone today) but now that's three fish even though the others now look clean. I'd like to be a bit proactive especially since I'll try to do this without meds, just temp and salt.

Note the spot on the nose and the second one is on the dorsal fin:[/img]


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Your math is correct. If you have alot of rocks/decorations in the tank then you probably have less than 100 gallons but 2T per five gallons is the minimum amount of salt you want to use with heat so I think you'll be fine. 
Make sure you dissolve the salt first and add it gradually over 6-8 hours time. Do a partial water change before you add the salt using a good quality dechlorinator and siphon the gravel. And just to make sure: the salt you want to use is sodium chloride, otherwise known as: aquarium salt, kosher salt, pickling salt or table salt without any additives.

Robin


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

You don't actually NEED the salt. Its more to help the fish breathe at such a high temperature. 1TBSP/5G is MORE than enough. 2 is insane IMO.

As mentioned make sure the salt you use has no yellow prussiate of soda. Iodized salt is fine. Take a clump of salt put a few drops of water on it, and smell it. If it smells like anything, it's the prussiate of soda.

Usually it doesn't really matter but if you're going to be using it at a concentration...


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## FlyHigh (Nov 15, 2009)

thank you both. Since it appears to be such a slight outbreak of Ich, maybe I'll just go with the heat treatment for 10 days and greatly increase aeration. I'll watch for a change in my fish's behavior and if there is any labored breathing, then I'll add the salt. I'll post back with an update.


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## FlyHigh (Nov 15, 2009)

It's been 1 week since I started treatment. I have the temp at a steady 88 degrees. I increased aeration and the fish seem to be doing well. In fact, I've never seen them this active. Their appetites seem insatiable and they are behaving like they normally do, only much more animated. I don't think the high temp has bothered them in the least and my yellow labs even spawned during this week. They seem like they've grown noticeably too, must be from the increased metabolism.

As far as the Ich goes, I'm not sure if I'm actually dealing with Ich. I've never seen more then two spots at a time on a fish. I'm pretty sure Ich is defined by large amounts of white spots. This may be a different illness or it may be nothing. Right now, only one fish is showing a spot and it's only one white spot that looks like the spot in the pics I posted above. I've tried to search for other illnesses that may present as one or two white spots but once you type white spots into a search, everything comes back pointing to Ich. If it's not Ich, what can this be? If my fish are otherwise fine and the fish that did show a white spot are no longer doing so, should I just ignore it and let the fish fight this off by themselves? I plan on keeping the temp high for another 3 days just in case it is Ich that just hasn't really spread but I'm looking for other ideas as well.


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## FlyHigh (Nov 15, 2009)

UPDATE:
In case anyone is following this thread or winds up having a similar issue:

It has been 10 days since I raised the temp to 88 degrees and 5 days since the last time I saw a spot. I've slowly reduced the temp back to the tank's normal 80 deg. Hopefully, this will be the end of it and I was able to cure the Ich only using heat and no chemicals. To be fair, I never did see a full on outbreak of Ich where a fish looked like it had been covered in salt. I only saw one or two spots at a time on a fish.

Note- man, my fish seem much more laid back at 80deg. I forgot how peaceful my tank can be. At 88deg, they were all over the place! They sure did seem to grow a lot in that 10 days at 88deg though.


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Glad your fish are doing better and appear to be ich free.

Just a note on use of salt, sodium chloride for treating ich. When you use it in conjunction with raised heat, (80-82), it works by killing the parasite and the raised heat speeds up the parasite's life cycle so that the salt can more quickly get to free-swimming tomonts and thermonts--the stages where the parasite is susceptible to treatment. (Most treatments are not effective during the trophont stage--when you actually see the white spots on the fish.)
When you go with the heat only, 86 and higher, then not only are you speeding up the life cycle of the parasite but the heat itself actually kills it.

Again, glad your fish are doing well. Ich is no fun but the good thing about it is that there are many treatment options, both the more 'natural ones' spoken of here and the meds available at the fish store and if used in time and as directed, ich is easily taken care of.

Robin


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## FlyHigh (Nov 15, 2009)

I was under the impression that the heat doesn't actually "kill" the parasite. I thought that the heat speeds up the parasite's cycle and prevents it from reproducing thereby once the parasite feeds, grows and falls off its host fish, it dies off without being able to reproduce. After a course of 10 days there would be no parasites left in the tank since after the existing parasites have fallen off the fish, no new parasites would be born to continue the cycle. Is that correct or does the high heat actually "kill" the parasite in the tomont and thermont stages? Just want to clarify what hopefully happened in my tank. Also, thanks again for all the help Robin.


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Yes you are right, the (high) heat prevents them from reproducing, which in effect kills the parasite. 
 
Robin


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