How long does it take ich to infect a fish once it is added to the aquarium?

peterdance56 · 02/14/2013, 04:41 PM

Just curious on how quick would spots be showing up on a fish once it is added to an aquarium? any answers would be great! Thank you.

reef_keeper · 02/14/2013, 04:51 PM

If your fish doesn't like its new home I say it could be pretty fast, I'm guessing you just added a fish? Did you quarantine?

peterdance56 · 02/14/2013, 04:55 PM

unfortuneatly not at the moment the qt i use is not running right now so i am just trusting my lfs but hes only been in for 3 days and i dont know if its ich really i did just stir up some sand before theres only maybe 5 or 6 little specles on like the back end of the body

peterdance56 · 02/14/2013, 05:12 PM

How would I be able to tell if the fish is not happy?

reef_keeper · 02/14/2013, 05:17 PM

Keep an eye on it. What fish is it? I made the mistake not quarantining my yellow clown goby I got from a LFS and the tiny little fish infected my whole system with ich. If you decide that it is ich indeed what you have there is a sticky about treating it. I would HIGHLY recommend you get that QT going.

peterdance56 · 02/14/2013, 05:23 PM

it is a bi-color angelfish. I had ich over the summer and everything had died off. The tank sat with no fish in it from october to right around christmas. I got a chromis and let him sit for a month he didnt show any signs of ich then i got a pair of clownfish and they have been fine. i added this fish on monday so im just in shock if he has been infected already he seems fine hes swimming a lot eating fine and grazing the rocks like crazy but thoat doesnt really mean much.

reef_keeper · 02/14/2013, 05:35 PM

Chromis and clowns are very very hardy. With my ich outbreak my clowns didn't show any sign of ich but it covered my tang. Since it has only been 3 days your fish could just be stressed and still adapting to its new inviorment. Feed Mysis and other frozen meaty foods to help build its immune system, that will help the fish to fight the ich

peterdance56 · 02/14/2013, 05:36 PM

okay thats what i feed anyways like i said i hope its just some sand i stirred up before and got caught in his scales

reef_keeper · 02/14/2013, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peterdance56

okay thats what i feed anyways like i said i hope its just some sand i stirred up before and got caught in his scales

This does happen sometimes....Keep us updated

wooden_reefer · 02/15/2013, 01:46 PM

Just know the lifecycle of ich. The key facts are that at one stage it leaves the host willingly, and then later gets out X100 or 1000s.

Plus a tank is a closed system.

So there is your answer.

You may or may not see ich and then explosion.

jamesbaur13 · 02/15/2013, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peterdance56

Just curious on how quick would spots be showing up on a fish once it is added to an aquarium? any answers would be great! Thank you.

Ich is very small and not visible to the naked eye. The spots you can see come as a result of a secondary infection. This leaves 1 of 2 possibilities... either your display still had ich, or that fish had ich and the stress from the introduction to the new tank lowered it's immune system, resulting in the now visible ich spots.

I hope it is just dust from sand, but if it's not then you are left with 3 options.

-Pull all the fish from the display tank and place them in a quarantine and treat for ich. Your display has to sit empty of fish for 10+ weeks to starve the parasites in the display tank.

-Leave the fish in the display tank and monitor them. Feed heavy and soak all foods in selcon. If ich spots start to elevate, add garlic to food. If spots elevate from there add metro+ to their food.

-Remove the sand from the display tank and go bare bottom. Add flow if you have dead spots in the tank. Add a properly sized UV sterilizer with proper flow rate to kill protozoans.

The first option is the only one that will completely cure your fish. The latter 2 are means to minimize outbreaks and boost your fishes defenses.

If it is ich, it is unlikely that pulling just the new fish will do any good... it's very likely it's already in the display.

MrTuskfish · 02/15/2013, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reef_keeper

Chromis and clowns are very very hardy. With my ich outbreak my clowns didn't show any sign of ich but it covered my tang. Since it has only been 3 days your fish could just be stressed and still adapting to its new inviorment. Feed Mysis and other frozen meaty foods to help build its immune system, that will help the fish to fight the ich

A band-aid approach, at best.

02/14/2013, 04:41 PM	#1
peterdance56 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 13	How long does it take ich to infect a fish once it is added to the aquarium? Just curious on how quick would spots be showing up on a fish once it is added to an aquarium? any answers would be great! Thank you.

02/14/2013, 04:51 PM	#2
reef_keeper Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 292	If your fish doesn't like its new home I say it could be pretty fast, I'm guessing you just added a fish? Did you quarantine?

02/14/2013, 04:55 PM	#3
peterdance56 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 13	unfortuneatly not at the moment the qt i use is not running right now so i am just trusting my lfs but hes only been in for 3 days and i dont know if its ich really i did just stir up some sand before theres only maybe 5 or 6 little specles on like the back end of the body

02/14/2013, 05:12 PM	#4
peterdance56 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 13	How would I be able to tell if the fish is not happy?

02/14/2013, 05:17 PM	#5
reef_keeper Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 292	Keep an eye on it. What fish is it? I made the mistake not quarantining my yellow clown goby I got from a LFS and the tiny little fish infected my whole system with ich. If you decide that it is ich indeed what you have there is a sticky about treating it. I would HIGHLY recommend you get that QT going.

02/14/2013, 05:23 PM	#6
peterdance56 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 13	it is a bi-color angelfish. I had ich over the summer and everything had died off. The tank sat with no fish in it from october to right around christmas. I got a chromis and let him sit for a month he didnt show any signs of ich then i got a pair of clownfish and they have been fine. i added this fish on monday so im just in shock if he has been infected already he seems fine hes swimming a lot eating fine and grazing the rocks like crazy but thoat doesnt really mean much.

02/14/2013, 05:35 PM	#7
reef_keeper Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 292	Chromis and clowns are very very hardy. With my ich outbreak my clowns didn't show any sign of ich but it covered my tang. Since it has only been 3 days your fish could just be stressed and still adapting to its new inviorment. Feed Mysis and other frozen meaty foods to help build its immune system, that will help the fish to fight the ich

02/14/2013, 05:36 PM	#8
peterdance56 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 13	okay thats what i feed anyways like i said i hope its just some sand i stirred up before and got caught in his scales

02/15/2013, 01:46 PM	#10
wooden_reefer Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 4,670	Just know the lifecycle of ich. The key facts are that at one stage it leaves the host willingly, and then later gets out X100 or 1000s. Plus a tank is a closed system. So there is your answer. You may or may not see ich and then explosion.