How Contageous Is Ich?

[doktor doris]

Hullo,

I have become rather concerned.

I had an Ich issue in one of my tanks, as I don't know how easy it is to spread I bought new nets for all my other tanks and now only use the original nets in the Ich tank. I have not used filter media from that tank to seed new tanks, I also use a new bucket for all my other tanks, so I thought I had ensured that nothing could contaminate my other tanks, I also treated all my tanks at the same time, just in case. Oh and I really scrub my hands after being in the Ich tank before I place them in my other tanks.

But, the tank which had the problems stilll has a tetra with the spots, I dont know if after treatment the spots remain, but as I sais I have been awfully fastidious about tank hygeine, or so I thought!

I just realised that when setting up the air curtain for the back of my cichlid tank, whilst I was tight as a drum, Iam afraid, I pinched a little bit of air hose from a lenght of hose which had been in the affected tank.

Could I have spread it in this manner?

thanks everybody

doris

(now when my cichlids flick I panic!)

 

[Bignose]

It is not impossible that you have spread ich. Probably not super likely, but not impossible. It is best to assume that everything that was in that tank is infected until you have finished a complete treatment and no new symptoms have appeared for quite a long time -- 6 weeks is about the number I'd feel safe with. It is probably not worth treating the other tank, but I would watch its inhabitants carefully and have the necessary medicine on hand. If you see any of them scratching, I'd start treatment before you see a white spot.

If you have to use something from the infected tank (filter or stones or fake plant or something) take it out of the tank and let it completely dry. Ich cannot survive being completely dried out.

I'd strongly urge you to read through this link: [URL="http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml"]http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml[/URL] it is by far the best collection of ich information I have seen on the Internet. Lots of excellent information there.

 

[doktor doris]

It is not impossible that you have spread ich. Probably not super likely, but not impossible. It is best to assume that everything that was in that tank is infected until you have finished a complete treatment and no new symptoms have appeared for quite a long time -- 6 weeks is about the number I'd feel safe with. It is probably not worth treating the other tank, but I would watch its inhabitants carefully and have the necessary medicine on hand. If you see any of them scratching, I'd start treatment before you see a white spot.

If you have to use something from the infected tank (filter or stones or fake plant or something) take it out of the tank and let it completely dry. Ich cannot survive being completely dried out.

I'd strongly urge you to read through this link: <a href="http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml" target="_blank">http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml</a> it is by far the best collection of ich information I have seen on the Internet. Lots of excellent information there.

Brilliant info.

Thank you ever so much mate.

doris