How long is safe after a bout of Ich??? Strange situation…

[Magnum Man]

So I got Ich in a tank that I was growing giant duckweed in, to feed some of my breeding Tilapia… thought it would be good at reconditioning the female between batches of fry… the tank looks Ich free for the last 2 weeks, after 2 doses of Ich meds, and some aquarium salt… last couple water changes have just be regular water, but the heat is still mid 80’s… I’m surprised the giant duckweed continued to grow though the outbreak… any guess’s as to how long I should wait without signs of Ich, before the duckweed would be safe to feed???

 

[Colin_T]

2 weeks without fish should be sufficient for white spot parasites to die off completely.

They usually take 2-3 days to hatch out of their cysts before becoming free swimming. And they normally they die within 48 hours (at 24C ) if they don't find a host. In cooler conditions this can take a few days to a week or more longer. However, if the water temperature is 80F, then 2 weeks should be ample.

If your really concerned, leave it for another week or 2 but it should be fine now.

And salt doesn't do anything to treat white spot. The parasite live in fresh, brackish and salt water.

 

[GaryE]

Salt irritates the skin of a fish, so it produces extra slime as a defence, and that inconveniences the parasite. It makes it hard for Ich to latch on. In the water column, it does nothing to Ich, as @Colin_T pointed out.

 

[Magnum Man]

Thank you guys... I'm actually surprised the treatments didn't slow down or kill off the Giant Duckweed... it yellowed a little, but didn't seem to slow it down much... just for safety sake I have some in another tank, I think I'll use up 1st... so that will give the plants exposed to Ich a couple extra weeks