Ich came back in hypo?

Lotus99 · 10/19/2007, 08:09 PM

I have two flasher wrasses in a 15g QT.

I got them about 2 weeks ago. A few days after getting them, I saw what I thought was ich. I began hypo, which has been at 1.009 for 10 days now. There were no ich spots about two days after hypo was down to 1.009.

This week, I had some small ammonia spikes (up to 0.25ppm), and did water changes to get rid of the ammonia. As of now, it looks like ammonia is back to zero. The pH is within normal range (about 8.1 to 8.2). Salinity has been kept between 1.009 and 1.010 (with evaporation it has fluctuated slightly).

This evening, I see spots on the fish!

Is it possible for ich to come back after 10 days of hypo? Or, am I dealing with velvet, or something else? The spots are very small and white. No patches, just spots.

Any suggestions?

sugartooth · 10/20/2007, 08:37 AM

Could the spots you see just be more pronounced now, always were there but didn't see them until now? I think velvet is not cured through hypo, but not sure (I haven't dealt with velvet before).

Also, if some spots look like they in are inside the fins and not on the surface, could be lymph and it's viral. (sometimes they look like supersized ich on the surface of the body too)

If it's the lymph, then you just need to keep the water quality high and good nutrition with least amount of stress you can provide and it should go away.

kevin2000 · 10/20/2007, 03:57 PM

My 02

If your sure you have keep salinity levels constant during your QT then perhaps you have a saline resistant variety of ich .. doesn't happen often but it does happen. I suggest you slowly raise your salinity and change treatments to copper ... which is effective against ich and velvet (amylo).

Lotus99 · 10/20/2007, 06:53 PM

I was thinking that might be the best course of action.

I've been checking salinity daily, and it hasn't been above 1.010 for 10 days.

I'll see if I can find a copper test.

At what salinity do you think it would be safe to start adding copper, or should I get it all the way to something like 1.021? I run my main tank at 1.025, but AFAIK, a fish only tank would be OK at 1.021 or so. I know I shouldn't raise salinity too fast, but I think getting the copper started as soon as possible would be best.

Lotus99 · 11/11/2007, 12:35 AM

Here's an update.

I started raising the salinity, and then got some Organi Cure. It's a treatment supposedly with copper and formalin. It doesn't work. It even seemed to skew my copper test. I treated for about two weeks, and the spots kept coming back. Extremely frustrating.

I lost one of the wrasses.

I have now switched to Coppersafe. At least it measures on my copper test kit, so I can monitor that. A few days into the treatment, the spots are going away. In a few days I'll know if they're coming back again.

We also added a UV filter to the QT. I know it's supposedly of little use, but this has been going on way too long, and I don't think it will cause any harm.

Now, I'm hoping I can cure this guy.

I haven't seen any symptoms to indicate it's anyting other than ich or velvet. None of the spots have ever been patches, no other symptoms.

10/19/2007, 08:09 PM	#1
Lotus99 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 1,398	Ich came back in hypo? I have two flasher wrasses in a 15g QT. I got them about 2 weeks ago. A few days after getting them, I saw what I thought was ich. I began hypo, which has been at 1.009 for 10 days now. There were no ich spots about two days after hypo was down to 1.009. This week, I had some small ammonia spikes (up to 0.25ppm), and did water changes to get rid of the ammonia. As of now, it looks like ammonia is back to zero. The pH is within normal range (about 8.1 to 8.2). Salinity has been kept between 1.009 and 1.010 (with evaporation it has fluctuated slightly). This evening, I see spots on the fish! Is it possible for ich to come back after 10 days of hypo? Or, am I dealing with velvet, or something else? The spots are very small and white. No patches, just spots. Any suggestions? __________________ "So long, and thanks for all the fish" Current Tank Info: 125g reef, gobies, cardinals, softies and LPS; 36g Neo Nano tank; 10+ FW tanks

10/20/2007, 06:53 PM	#4
Lotus99 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 1,398	I was thinking that might be the best course of action. I've been checking salinity daily, and it hasn't been above 1.010 for 10 days. I'll see if I can find a copper test. At what salinity do you think it would be safe to start adding copper, or should I get it all the way to something like 1.021? I run my main tank at 1.025, but AFAIK, a fish only tank would be OK at 1.021 or so. I know I shouldn't raise salinity too fast, but I think getting the copper started as soon as possible would be best. __________________ "So long, and thanks for all the fish" Current Tank Info: 125g reef, gobies, cardinals, softies and LPS; 36g Neo Nano tank; 10+ FW tanks

11/11/2007, 12:35 AM	#5
Lotus99 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 1,398	Here's an update. I started raising the salinity, and then got some Organi Cure. It's a treatment supposedly with copper and formalin. It doesn't work. It even seemed to skew my copper test. I treated for about two weeks, and the spots kept coming back. Extremely frustrating. I lost one of the wrasses. I have now switched to Coppersafe. At least it measures on my copper test kit, so I can monitor that. A few days into the treatment, the spots are going away. In a few days I'll know if they're coming back again. We also added a UV filter to the QT. I know it's supposedly of little use, but this has been going on way too long, and I don't think it will cause any harm. Now, I'm hoping I can cure this guy. I haven't seen any symptoms to indicate it's anyting other than ich or velvet. None of the spots have ever been patches, no other symptoms. __________________ "So long, and thanks for all the fish" Current Tank Info: 125g reef, gobies, cardinals, softies and LPS; 36g Neo Nano tank; 10+ FW tanks

10/20/2007, 08:37 AM	#2
sugartooth Reef bully Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: IL Posts: 2,832	Could the spots you see just be more pronounced now, always were there but didn't see them until now? I think velvet is not cured through hypo, but not sure (I haven't dealt with velvet before). Also, if some spots look like they in are inside the fins and not on the surface, could be lymph and it's viral. (sometimes they look like supersized ich on the surface of the body too) If it's the lymph, then you just need to keep the water quality high and good nutrition with least amount of stress you can provide and it should go away.

10/20/2007, 03:57 PM	#3
kevin2000 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,805	My 02 If your sure you have keep salinity levels constant during your QT then perhaps you have a saline resistant variety of ich .. doesn't happen often but it does happen. I suggest you slowly raise your salinity and change treatments to copper ... which is effective against ich and velvet (amylo).