An Ich/quarantine Question

silverrabbit · Mar 3, 2009

Hello. This isn't about a tropical fish, but I thought i'd ask in here anyway, seeing as i'm sure the treatment for ich is the same for cold or tropical water :unsure:

Basically today I have found the goldfish of my dreams - the cartoon-eyed celestial :hyper:

The problem is that he looked HEAVILY ich infested (all over his tail, working its way up his body), and so I didn't buy him. Now I can't stop thinking about him (yes, yes I am that crazy) and I want to help him. I have a free quarantine tank.

My question is, how long should I quarantine and treat him before it's safe for him to join my other fancy goldies? And what is the best Ich treatment in your opinion?

Thanks in advance

matchstickman47 · Mar 3, 2009

quarantine him until 2 weeks after he recovers make sure hes proper and healthy then wait 2 weeks then plonk im in wiv em

silverrabbit · Mar 3, 2009

Thanks, but does treatment differ if the ich has been allowed to spread so much? All the others in his tank were free of white spots, so I dunno what's going on there.

He just didn't look very well, and I think the ich has caused him to lose a fair bit of his weight - he looked skinny for a celestial, from what i've seen from pics of others anyway.

Should I add salt to his tank for stress?

rdd1952 · Mar 3, 2009

The treatment would be the same. Ich has a life cycle (3 stages) so you have to get through it. The higher the temperature, the faster that cycle run through as their life spans are shorter at higher temps.

Here is a pretty good article from Dr. Foster & Smith's site that explains the cycle. Because of the life cycle, once you start treating, it usually takes 2 weeks at elevated temperatures to be sure you have fully irradicated the disease. Even then, to be on the safe side, it doesn't hurt to leave them quarantined another 2 weeks to make sure they are safe.

Bignose · Mar 3, 2009

Just a ponderance -- if you purchase a fish from an LFS that had a disease, you are basically telling them that there is a market for diseased fish, giving the store owner no real incentive to ensure they bring in healthy fish or no incentive to attempt to cure fish that come in diseased. I just think it has the potential to send the wrong message. By not purchasing the sick fish, you send the message that there is no market for a sick fish, and that there is only customers for healthy fish.

Why not talk to the owner and tell him "that fish is sold, the instant it is cured of ich"? Heck, even offer to pay for it (with, of course, the idea that if the fish doesn't make it that you either get your money back or can apply the money to anything else you want), but do insist that it is healthy before you take it home. The pet store should be selling only healthy fish -- it is their responsibility to do their best to ensure the fish is healthy when presented for sale. It is not your responsibility.

At the very least, there's no way I would buy that fish unless the LFS threw in a free bottle of ich medication.

I know that 1 person isn't going to make a huge difference, but it is just something to think about...