How many years have you seen ICH come and go?

[snorvich]

And further more . . .

Treatments which work:

1. Hyposalinity - Using a refractometer, hold salinity at 11ppt to 12ppt until 4 weeks after the last spot was seen. (Best to use salinity, but if you use specific gravity, that equates to roughly 1.008 to 1.009 sp. gr. units). Raise salinity slowly and observe fish for 4 more weeks. It is difficult to control pH and water quality during treatment, however this is the least stressful treatment for the fish.

2. Copper treatment - Follow medication recommendations. This can be effective in 2 to 4 weeks of treatment. After treatment, remove all copper and observe fish for 4 more weeks. Copper is a poison to the fish and creates some stress.

3.. Transfer method – The fish is moved from tank to tank to separate the fish from the cysts that fall off and the free-swimming stages of the parasite. Two hospital tanks are needed to perform this treatment. The fish is stressed by having to keep moving it between these hospital tanks.

4. These are the ONLY 3 known cures that work almost 100% of the time. Other chemicals will kill the Cryptocaryon irritans parasite, but only in special conditions that are not good for the fish. Some chemicals will only kill some of the organisms, letting the others escape death to go on to multiply and infect.
Observations, Claims, and Common Myths:

1. Some Tangs seem more susceptible. This is true. Their mucous coatings are reduced in thickness and composition.

2. Ich goes away on its own. This is definitely NOT true. While Cryptocaryon irritans is only visible at one stage of its life cycle if it was once seen, then it hasn't gone away -- it's just not visible to the aquarist. Reread the life cycle described above.

3. It goes away with a ‘reef-safe’ remedy. This is not true; we all wish it was. This is one of the biggest and most 'dangerous' of the misrepresentations in the hobby. The aquarist thinks everything is okay when it isn't. What usually has happened is that the parasite has killed the fish it is able to kill and the rest have developed a resistance or immunity. The parasite is still in the aquarium, possibly infecting the gills of the fish where it can’t be seen. About 40% of fish seem able to develop this immunity.

4. It was gone then when a new fish is added, it is there again. This is not true. See 3 above. Cryptocaryon irritans wasn’t really gone or the new fish brought in the disease with it. A new addition to an aquarium can be the stress which triggers the other fish to reduce their defense or immunity, this will allow the parasite to 'bloom' to the point where the infection is now again visible to the aquarist.

5. The fish lived through the last outbreak then died during the second or subsequent outbreak. This can be true. The fish had a resistance or immunity that it lost.

6. It was accurately diagnosed as Cryptocaryon irritans, then never showed up again. It wasn’t ich or the fish quickly developed an immediate immunity or resistance, or the fish is still infected in the gills.

7. Ich can ‘hang around’ almost unnoticed with just a body spot now and then because it often resides just in the gills. This is true.
8. Aquariums always have ich. This is untrue. Cryptocaryon irritans can be kept out of an aquarium. Just quarantine all fish rock, sand, sponges, and filter medium and don’t let non-quarantined livestock get into the aquarium.
9. Fish always have ich. Untrue. In the wild fish often show up to a 30% infection rate (or more) but the wild fish survive minor infections. In the tank the parasite can 'bloom' since In the tank the fish can't get away. The combination of bloom and no escape will overcome the fish. In capture and transportation the fish can share the disease and thus many wild caught marine aquarium fishes do have this parasite, but not all.

10. A fish can't be made to be totally rid of Cryptocaryon irritans. Untrue. All marine fish can be cured and rid of any Cryptocaryon irritans infection.

11. Just feed the fish well and/or feed it garlic and it will be okay. Not true. Nutrition, foods, vitamins, etc. don't cure an infected fish. An infected fish is sick and is being tortured by the itching and discomfort. It might pull through and acquire resistance or immunity (see above) but the fish is being stressed by having to contend with a parasite. Don't let this happen to the fish. Cure it!!

12. A new cure has been discovered. Very unlikely. If the aquarist thinks they have found a new cure, then have it researched and independently tested. It's easy and cheap. If it is as good as the above 3 tried and true methods then the professional veterinarians, private and public aquariums, fish farms, and I will use it. The aquarist needs to keep the perspective of how devastating this parasite is not to just the hobby but to the whole fish farming industry. Any new way of 100% treatment will make headlines!

13. If the ich can't always be detected, then why bother with a quarantine procedure? In the confines of a small quarantine and being there for no less than 6 weeks, the Cryptocaryon irritans parasite will make itself known because the fish is weakened and the fish can't get away from being re-infected by multiplying Cryptocaryon irritans parasites. In other words, the quarantine procedure instigates a 'bloom' of the parasite which will make it visible to the aquarist. When this happens, treatment is appropriate with one of the three proven treatments.

14. All white nodules fall off the fish and move on to the cyst stage. Untrue. It has been discovered that, on very rare occasions (we don't know why) the white nodule will encyst and rupture while still on the fish.

15. UV and/or Ozone kills Cryptocaryon irritans. Ozone doesn't kill all parasites that pass through the unit, nor does the water treated with ozone kill the parasites. UV only kills the parasites that pass through the unit. Since the entire water volume does not pass through the unit, not all ich parasites will pass through the unit, so the UV will not rid an aquarium of Cryptocaryon irritans. A UV can help prevent a 'bloom' of the parasites however, and thus help in its control. UV is not a cure nor a preventative measure for Cryptocaryon irritans. When water is shared by multiple tanks, usage of UV can make spreading this parasite from tank to tank significantly less likely.

16. Spots are Cryptocaryon irritans. Untrue. Probably one of the most problematic causes for rumors and “myth-information” in the hobby is assuming that a spot is Cryptocaryon irritans when it may be another parasites or conditions (e.g., pimple-like reaction to infection) that look like Cryptocaryon irritans. The mis-diagnosis is often the cause for claims of what cured Cryptocaryon irritans, when the fish didn't have Cryptocaryon irritans to start with.

17. My LFS quarantines their fishes for 2 weeks and I only buy them to be sure they are healthy and free of Cryptocaryon irritans. Have you been reading the above? First, 2 weeks is not long enough. Secondly most LFS share water among their fish system tanks so if any new arrivals happened, the clock is effectively reset back to zero.
The truth is out there. . .Trust no one except yourself.

[Palting]

My goodness, Snorvich. That is a ton of information to digest!

Anyway, RBU1, I posted a vote for less than a year. That's about how old my tank is, and that's for 2 episodes several weeks apart before treatment with hypo. All the fish survived the Ich episodes, by the way, with 3 tangs at that time. So, yes, tangs can survive an all out attack, and I hope your's does, too.

Originally Posted by Sk8r

You'd think some might be consumed---but a coral expert informs me they have not found ich in a coral gut (with a microscope, one suspects).

The just 12 hour survival of the swimming form, too, and yet the ability of the parasite to 'lurk' for many months in a tank---might suggest that some stay encysted for an unpredictible length of time, but MUST uncyst within the time we've found adequate---or use up all viability and just die. So perhaps a certain portion of the infestation goes into cysts in the sandbed, the rock, the filter medium, etc, and just parks there for varying lengths of time---but you take all the fish away for 8 weeks and eventually the last encysted, waiting parasite just has to hatch from the cyst and give it a try---and with no fish, 12 hours later, the last little ich parasite runs out of energy and dies.

The uncertainty as to how long Cryptocaryon can stay encysted may explain what happened to RBU1. I wonder if this makes hyposalinity a better choice than copper, since hyposainity targets the cyst, while copper targets the free swimming stage?

Don't want to hijack the thread. Let me know if I'm out of line, RBU1, and I'll cease and desist.

[RBU1]

Palting your not out of line....Post whatever you want.

Yes Snorvich great deal of info there....Thanks.

Fellwo Reefers I just want to let you all know I have a decent understanding of the life cycle and know most of the ins and outs of crypt. That is what makes this even more discouraging.....I have read several articles on treatments but yet I still must have done something wrong...So my point is that crypt must be harder to keep out of the main display then I thought. I am no expert but feel fairly confident I have a good understanding. With that being said.....I have spoken to numberous people who have had crypt in their tanks and have been living with it for years. Even asked a LFS owner that I trust and he has fish get crypt all the time and they seem to fight it off.....He said he has rarely lost a fish to crypt. So I guess I will see but from what I have been told seems like healthy fish can live with and fight off crypt. Time will tell.....

[Palting]

Ich can be and often is challenging, RBU1. But, given what I know of you and your expertise from reading your posts since I came here at RC, I have a feeling you will be posting a thread someday soon, entitled "Living successfully and well with an Ich tank".

[RBU1]

Originally Posted by Palting

Ich can be and often is challenging, RBU1. But, given what I know of you and your expertise from reading your posts since I came here at RC, I have a feeling you will be posting a thread someday soon, entitled "Living successfully and well with an Ich tank".

I hope your right.....

[spamreefnew]

my clowns had ich a few years ago after introducing a chromis with ich on him to the system.. All I did was feed the clowns homemade food with tons of garlic and I also ran my diatom filter once a week for a month. The white spots have been gone for 2 years now and I have just added a yellow tang one month ago and no white spots on the tang as of now. I dont know if the Ich is gone,,just in hiding,or what is going on,,but my fish are healthy,,fat and breeding,,,,so????,,,hope this helps

[James404]

RBU1 so If I read it right you did no treatment on the tang for ich while in QT? I am of the opinion that every new fish should be viewed as having crypt and should be treated with either hypo or copper. If you treated every other fish before and let the tank go fallow for 10 weeks than I think its safe to say the one fish you didnt treat and came down with crypt would be your culprit.

It really doesn't make sense to me to leave a tank fallow, treat every fish for crypt and then going forward not treat newcomers, only to watch them for 8 weeks.

[Sk8r]

I never treat a well fish. After all the years I've been at this, I'm also a pretty skilled observer, and even if ich is in the gills, you can generally spot it, if you know what healthy breathing looks like for that species. If you're seeing gill tissue as the fish breathes, that's reason enough to treat. A magnifying glass is not a bad thing to own. When in doubt, shine a light on it and look closely. And don't have any sponges or sand or rock in your qt, and change the filter medium (I use a wad of poly pillow stuffing, which costs a fraction of what filter floss does, wrapped around a teaspoon of carbon) ---daily change and toss.

I'm also not a great believer in copper: it depresses appetite, and is a poison. Hypo takes a refractometer, yes, but rather than having to buy 3 fish before you get one that lives, it is a really good purchase to have in hand.

[Sk8r]

I never treat a well fish. Four weeks of close observation is time enough for the parasite to manifest quite clearly.

After all the years I've been at this, I'm also a pretty skilled observer, and even if ich is in the gills, you can generally spot it, if you know what healthy breathing looks like for that species. If you're seeing gill tissue as the fish breathes, that's reason enough to treat. A magnifying glass is not a bad thing to own. When in doubt, shine a light on it and look closely. And don't have any sponges or sand or rock in your qt, and change the filter medium (I use a wad of poly pillow stuffing, which costs a fraction of what filter floss does, wrapped around a teaspoon of carbon) ---daily change and toss. The encysted parasite can lodge in these places and lurk for the next fish. Which is another reason a qt tank and everything in it should be cleaned and dried between uses.

I'm also not a great believer in copper: it depresses appetite, and is a poison. Hypo takes a refractometer, yes, but rather than having to buy 3 fish before you get one that lives, it is a really good purchase to have in hand.

[RBU1]

Originally Posted by James404

RBU1 so If I read it right you did no treatment on the tang for ich while in QT? I am of the opinion that every new fish should be viewed as having crypt and should be treated with either hypo or copper. If you treated every other fish before and let the tank go fallow for 10 weeks than I think its safe to say the one fish you didnt treat and came down with crypt would be your culprit.

It really doesn't make sense to me to leave a tank fallow, treat every fish for crypt and then going forward not treat newcomers, only to watch them for 8 weeks.

Thanks for your opinion....

It has been my expierience that copper kills fish very easy.....I lost several while trying to perform a copper treatment. It was my idea to just monitor this fish for 8 weeks instead of risking death by copper....

All the other fish in the main tank did go thru copper but maybe the level was not correct. So to say I introduced it with the last fish is not true and impossible to confirm.

I got tired of killing fish with copper that I choose to not use it going forward. I will still QT for and extended period but will not treat unless I have to.

[steelerfan1]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

I never treat a well fish. Four weeks of close observation is time enough for the parasite to manifest quite clearly.

After all the years I've been at this, I'm also a pretty skilled observer, and even if ich is in the gills, you can generally spot it, if you know what healthy breathing looks like for that species.

hi sk8r,

what if you aren't a pro and just starting off and really don't know what you are looking at/for?

it is easy to read a book on something, but until you are actually doing it, to me it's not the same.

that's why, again that i would hate to just keep my fish in a QT system for 8 weeks adn being a newbie miss something and let him go into the DT.

[RBU1]

Not to discount anything anyone says, but I feel there are no experts when it comes to this hobby. There are people that speak from expirience but experts I feel do not exist. Now don't get me wrong you have people that have a great understanding of this hobby, but for someone to say they can tell by looking that a fish has crypt in their gills I would be a little skeptical. The only true way to tell is with a gill scrapping.

[RBU1]

If I were buying $50.00 dollar fish I would treat them in copper all the time.....When you are getting 3,4,5 or more hundred dollar fish....AND you have not had good success rate with copper you would feel differently steelerfan.....

[steelerfan1]

Originally Posted by RBU1

If I were buying $50.00 dollar fish I would treat them in copper all the time.....When you are getting 3,4,5 or more hundred dollar fish....AND you have not had good success rate with copper you would feel differently steelerfan.....

hi rbu1,

again, i am just trying to get a grasp on the hobby and to do the right thing for the livestock i am gonna keep, and to be honest i really don't know what that is yet.

it almost seems you're danged if you do, danged if you don't type of thing.

if i had a bad success rate with copper i think i would stop that treatment and try hypo and hope that worked.

again bud, not trying to take over your thread or anything.

i just am trying to see if i can find a system that i want to try.

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by James404

I am of the opinion that every new fish should be viewed as having crypt and should be treated with either hypo or copper.

Well, how would you prevent oodinium (which wipes out tanks and is not affected by copper or hyposalinity) or brooklynella (which is not affected by copper or hyposalinity)? Assuming cryptocaryon irritans is the only problem you may encounter is a bit optimistic. But each to their own; quarantine always seems to provoke heated discussions.

[Noobeef]

To snorvich,

I don’t want to argue with you as it seems your knowledge on the subject is vast. I just want to get some clarity on some of the comments that are contrary to what I’ve read from other articles that seem quite reputable. The main parts being that the parasite latches on to the gills where you can’t see it and lies “dormant” (for lack of a better word) until a weak fish comes along and can take over its entire body. A lot of what I’ve read says if you keep your fish’s immune system strong and you keep the water pristine (so not to cause stress), the fish may not be affected by ich present in the tank and the parasite will eventually be eradicated in your tank because it will be unable to complete its lifecycle due to not finding a host.

Like I said, I’m not looking to start a debate, just some clarification. I’ve read a lot of stories like spamreefnew’s story - “my clowns had ich a few years ago after introducing a chromis with ich on him to the system.. All I did was feed the clowns homemade food with tons of garlic and I also ran my diatom filter once a week for a month. The white spots have been gone for 2 years now and I have just added a yellow tang one month ago and no white spots on the tang as of now. I dont know if the Ich is gone,,just in hiding,or what is going on,,but my fish are healthy,,fat and breeding,,,,so????,,,hope this helps ”

It seems that if all your fish are healthy with no white spots for 3 months or so, your tank is probably clear. I’m not sure how the parasite would be able to continually infect the fish just in the gills and never anywhere else.

[snorvich]

First, I am not trying to convince the original poster or you, Noobeef. I use quarantine to:

1. Build up the fish in isolation from competitors for food and tank space

2. I never treat a fish in quarantine; I always quarantine one fish at a time

3. Six weeks is always enough to see that a fish has a problem

4. I diagnose the problem in quarantine

5. I always treat in a separate hospital tank

And I disagree that there are no experts. I am experienced (20+ years) but there are many I look to as experts.

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

. . . edited . . .

but you take all the fish away for 8 weeks and eventually the last encysted, waiting parasite just has to hatch from the cyst and give it a try---and with no fish, 12 hours later, the last little ich parasite runs out of energy and dies.

Assuming a fallow tank, raising the temperature will decrease the amount of time the "little encysted parasite" can defer hatching. But this raising of temperature will decrease oxygen in the water which would not be good for a fish with ich in its gills.

[steelerfan1]

Originally Posted by snorvich

First, I am not trying to convince the original poster or you, Noobeef. I use quarantine to:

1. Build up the fish in isolation from competitors for food and tank space

2. I never treat a fish in quarantine; I always quarantine one fish at a time

3. Six weeks is always enough to see that a fish has a problem

4. I diagnose the problem in quarantine

5. I always treat in a separate hospital tank

And I disagree that there are no experts. I am experienced (20+ years) but there are many I look to as experts.

so in your opinion snorvich, you will be able to see anything bad come up in the 6 weeks in the QT, be it ich, velvet, brook, etc?

there is no way after that 6 weeks that you could have missed something?

and as a new guy starting out, how can i be sure in my judgement.

in the perfect world i really don't want to treat with meds unless i really have to, but to be honest i am really not confident in my ability and afraid i will miss something which in turn due to my error could wipe my whole tank out.

also, i thought the velvet was to be treated with copper?

what would you treat it with?

[Noobeef]

Originally Posted by snorvich

First, I am not trying to convince the original poster or you, Noobeef. I use quarantine to:

1. Build up the fish in isolation from competitors for food and tank space

2. I never treat a fish in quarantine; I always quarantine one fish at a time

3. Six weeks is always enough to see that a fish has a problem

4. I diagnose the problem in quarantine

5. I always treat in a separate hospital tank

And I disagree that there are no experts. I am experienced (20+ years) but there are many I look to as experts.

I'm not arguing against the positives of QTing. I do it myself. I just saw some of the general comments and was comparing them to other people's experiences. I don't have a side.

[snorvich]

What is Oodinium (often called velvet)?

Velvet or Coral Fish Disease is caused from an infestation of the dinoflagellate Amyloodinium ocellatum. This organism is parasitic on fish at one stage in its life cycle. The total life cycle for this parasite approximates 3 weeks; but for total safety after a tank is infected two life cycles should be waited (six weeks)
Due to the fact that this organism is able to reproduce so rapidly, when an Oodinum outbreak occurs in an aquarium and it is not immediately diagnosed and treated, in a closed saltwater system it can reach overwhelming and disastrous numbers in a very short period of time. This parasite is one of the most common causes of a tank wipeout, or an abrupt loss of all the fish in a saltwater aquarium.

The Life Cycle of Amyloodinium ocellatum
• Free-swimming cells called dinospores are released from a mature cyst and go in search of a host fish. Typically these cells can survive seven to eight days without a host, but in lower tank temperatures at around 75-80 degrees, some strains may last up to 30+ days.
• Once a host is found, typically heading for the soft tissue inside the gills first, the dinospores lose their swimming capabilities and become non-motile parasitic trophozoites. At this stage they turn parasitic, as each attaches to the host fish by sending out a filament for feeding.
• After deriving nutrition for 3 days to a week the trophozoites become mature and drop off into the substrate, may remain hidden in the mucus membrane, or sometimes be deeply embedded in the tissue of a host fish, where at this point each forms a type of hard shell covering.
• Inside each encrusted cyst the cells, now called tomonts, reproduce internally by non-sexual division. Upon reaching maturity in about five days, each cyst ruptures and releases hundreds of new free-swimming dinospores to start the cycle all over again, but in much large numbers.

Symptoms
Most similarly symptomatic to Brooklynella, Oodinium organisms primarily attack the gills first. At the onset of this infestation fish often scrape up against objects in the aquarium, lethargy sets in, and rapid respiration develops, which is the result of excess mucus in the gills due to the invasion of the parasites. This is typically noticed as fish staying at the surface of the water, or remaining in a position where a steady flow of water is present in the aquarium such as near overflows or powerheads.
As the disease progresses outwards from the gills, the cysts then become visible on the fins and body. Although these cysts may appear as tiny white dots the size of a grain of salt, like the first sign of Saltwater Ich or White Spot Disease, what sets Oodinium apart from other parasites is that at this point the fish have the appearance of being coated with what looks like a whitish or tan to golden colored, velvet-like film, thus the name Velvet Disease.
Now in the advanced stage of the disease the production of gill and body mucus increases, the fish becomes listless, refuses to eat, and it's not unusual for a secondary infection to develop. For fish that reach this end stage of the disease, it's typically too late. They usually do not respond to treatment, and most often will die.

Most Effective Treatments for Oodinium
• Remove all fish from the main aquarium, give them a freshwater dip or bath ideally followed by a formalin bath, and then place them into a QT with vigorous aeration provided. To address complications from secondary infections, also treat the fish with an appropriate antibiotic or anti-bacterial medication. Continue treating the fish in the QT until the ich appears to be gone, and then keep treating for another week after that.
• Unfortunately, Oodinium can withstand a broad salinity range (from 3 to 45 ppt) so Hyposalinity is not an effective treatment.

Preventing Reinfection
Reinfection will occur no matter how effectively the fish have been treated if the organisms are not eradicated from the main aquarium. Because they require a fish host to survive, this can be accomplished by keeping the tank devoid of any fish for at least six weeks. For fish-only aquariums the tank temperature can be elevated to 85 to 90 degrees to speed up the life cycle of the organisms, which will help to eliminate all cysts and dinospores in three weeks.

[James404]

Originally Posted by snorvich

Well, how would you prevent oodinium (which wipes out tanks and is not affected by copper or hyposalinity) or brooklynella (which is not affected by copper or hyposalinity)? Assuming cryptocaryon irritans is the only problem you may encounter is a bit optimistic. But each to their own; quarantine always seems to provoke heated discussions.

If I did come across velvet or brook I would treat accordingly with Freshwater or Formalin dips. I personally prefer to treat crypt with hypo. Not sure where I said it was the only problem I could encounter. But honestly with the commonallity of crypt in the aquarium trade I prefer to treat prophylactically.

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by Noobeef

I don't have a side.

Actually, neither do I.

I can present my perspective based on what I do. Each aquarists has to do it their way for better or for worse.

[steelerfan1]

wow,

thanks snorvich.

i guess i should disregard this from live aquari then huh?

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/g...ral_pagesid=83

Originally Posted by snorvich

What is Oodinium (often called velvet)?

Velvet or Coral Fish Disease is caused from an infestation of the dinoflagellate Amyloodinium ocellatum. This organism is parasitic on fish at one stage in its life cycle. The total life cycle for this parasite approximates 3 weeks; but for total safety after a tank is infected two life cycles should be waited (six weeks)
Due to the fact that this organism is able to reproduce so rapidly, when an Oodinum outbreak occurs in an aquarium and it is not immediately diagnosed and treated, in a closed saltwater system it can reach overwhelming and disastrous numbers in a very short period of time. This parasite is one of the most common causes of a tank wipeout, or an abrupt loss of all the fish in a saltwater aquarium.

The Life Cycle of Amyloodinium ocellatum
• Free-swimming cells called dinospores are released from a mature cyst and go in search of a host fish. Typically these cells can survive seven to eight days without a host, but in lower tank temperatures at around 75-80 degrees, some strains may last up to 30+ days.
• Once a host is found, typically heading for the soft tissue inside the gills first, the dinospores lose their swimming capabilities and become non-motile parasitic trophozoites. At this stage they turn parasitic, as each attaches to the host fish by sending out a filament for feeding.
• After deriving nutrition for 3 days to a week the trophozoites become mature and drop off into the substrate, may remain hidden in the mucus membrane, or sometimes be deeply embedded in the tissue of a host fish, where at this point each forms a type of hard shell covering.
• Inside each encrusted cyst the cells, now called tomonts, reproduce internally by non-sexual division. Upon reaching maturity in about five days, each cyst ruptures and releases hundreds of new free-swimming dinospores to start the cycle all over again, but in much large numbers.

Symptoms
Most similarly symptomatic to Brooklynella, Oodinium organisms primarily attack the gills first. At the onset of this infestation fish often scrape up against objects in the aquarium, lethargy sets in, and rapid respiration develops, which is the result of excess mucus in the gills due to the invasion of the parasites. This is typically noticed as fish staying at the surface of the water, or remaining in a position where a steady flow of water is present in the aquarium such as near overflows or powerheads.
As the disease progresses outwards from the gills, the cysts then become visible on the fins and body. Although these cysts may appear as tiny white dots the size of a grain of salt, like the first sign of Saltwater Ich or White Spot Disease, what sets Oodinium apart from other parasites is that at this point the fish have the appearance of being coated with what looks like a whitish or tan to golden colored, velvet-like film, thus the name Velvet Disease.
Now in the advanced stage of the disease the production of gill and body mucus increases, the fish becomes listless, refuses to eat, and it's not unusual for a secondary infection to develop. For fish that reach this end stage of the disease, it's typically too late. They usually do not respond to treatment, and most often will die.

Most Effective Treatments for Oodinium
• Remove all fish from the main aquarium, give them a freshwater dip or bath ideally followed by a formalin bath, and then place them into a QT with vigorous aeration provided. To address complications from secondary infections, also treat the fish with an appropriate antibiotic or anti-bacterial medication. Continue treating the fish in the QT until the ich appears to be gone, and then keep treating for another week after that.
• Unfortunately, Oodinium can withstand a broad salinity range (from 3 to 45 ppt) so Hyposalinity is not an effective treatment.

Preventing Reinfection
Reinfection will occur no matter how effectively the fish have been treated if the organisms are not eradicated from the main aquarium. Because they require a fish host to survive, this can be accomplished by keeping the tank devoid of any fish for at least six weeks. For fish-only aquariums the tank temperature can be elevated to 85 to 90 degrees to speed up the life cycle of the organisms, which will help to eliminate all cysts and dinospores in three weeks.

[LIONFISH5740]

I bought a baby hippo tang from my FS with a bad case of ick and dropped it straight in my reef tank. Not even a week later it was fine with no re-occurrence what so ever. I give the vit. C the credit but haven't worried about a sick fish for over 10 years.