Diagnosing Ich

[sacrifice333]

Some of the signs of infection with Cryptocaryon irritans are rubbing or scratching against decorations or substrate (this behavior is also known as glancing or flashing), breathing problems, an increased mucous layer, loss of appetite, abnormal swimming behavior, frayed fins, cloudy eyes, and, of course, the telltale white spots.

In your two part article on Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.htmv) you mention the above signs of infection. I have not noticed any of the mentioned symptoms except for the [i]telltale white spots[i], my question is simple; do fish normally have more than one of the typical Marine Ich symptons at once?

[Steven Pro]

Simply, infected fish can display multiple symptoms, but they don't always have to. The white spots are characteristic and usually the give away that you are dealing with Marine Ich.

[sacrifice333]

Question Two: If my fish do infact get cured, will Marine Ich re-occur in my main tank at some point? How long is the cycle? If I quarantine for one month without any sign of Ich, does that mean that it is also gone from my tank?

[Steven Pro]

If you remove all the fish from your display and keep them out for 4-6 weeks, all the parasites in the display will die. Then if you only introduce clean fish, your display will be Ich-free.

[sacrifice333]

Okay... Question Three... Right now I do not see any Ich on my clownfish or my Lemonpeel Angel, only on my Purple Tang and Blue Tang, the crowned king of Ich.

Do I have to remove the fish that do not appear to have Ich?

(Sorry... newbie here... ;))

[Steven Pro]

Yes, you have to remove all the fish to be sure.

[shannonbarry]

in the above example of fish that do display signs of Ich and those that do not. Does each fish need to be housed individualy or can you place seamingly unaffected fish in one tank and affected fish in another and begin treatment while the parasites in the display tank die?

[TerryB]

Nathan,
The clinical symptoms of ich are progressive. At first all you may see are a few white spots. Scratching and excessive mucus production often comes later. Many of the symptoms are actually caused by the subsequent secondary bacterial infections that accompany parasitic infection. Cloudy eyes, lack of appetite, frayed fins, labored breathing, etc, usually don't occur until the infection has been complicated with a secondary invader such as an opportunistic bacteria. As the number of wounds increase the fish also begins to have trouble with respiration and maintaining osmotic balance.
BTW, you can treat all the exposed fish together.
Terry B