ICH! Water changes before new dosage?

[cromag27]

I have never seen proof in almost 2 decades in the industry, of inverts being effected by crypto. there may be a small, tiny chance the protomont stage is attached to someone else's frag plug or something. and introducing that to your tank could be an issue. but again, small chance.

Best practice is still not to add anything to your tank during the fallow period. this could be precautionary and advised out of paranoia, however.

[ajmckay]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/11/mini

 

 

Cryptocaryon irritans is commonly referred to as “ich” or “white spot” by marine aquarists. Cryptocaryon irritans is a ciliated protozoan parasite of marine teleost fish in tropical and temperate waters. This pathogen is an obligate parasite of marine fish (Iwama, Pickering, Sumpter & Shreck, 1997. Dickerson & Dawe, 1994). This means that it feeds exclusively on fish and cannot complete its life cycle unless this food source is available within its environment. The theront stage of this parasite will not survive for more than a day or two without a host fish.

 

 

 

 

Yeah so I would trust published, peer reviewed, and referenced material over a forum post.

 

To gain good insight to these types of threads you really need to understand the difference between the good intentioned but unsupported comments and more accurate information. It's not always easy though so please ask for references if you don't fully understand or agree with a comment. There are a lot of people who have experience with cryptocaryon irritans, however, not everyone deals with it the same or under the same conditions. So just know that before acting on any advice - your situation is probably different.

 

Plenty of people have treated with melafix or kick-ich or whatever and have had success in keeping the fish alive. I don't know why exactly, but I'm guessing that it has more to do with providing a temporary relief for the fish which then builds up a slight resistance (NOT immunity) to the parasite. In that case you're risking a re-infestation in the event of a significant stress or another livestock addition. I know of no studies which have proven that off the shelf "ICH" medications actually kill the parasite entirely except for possibly copper-based medications.

 

So as for your case I think that you're definitely best off eradicating the parasite completely if you have the means to do so, as long as you choose an effective treatment for the fish. Because it would suck to re-introduce the parasite at a later date.

 

Now on the other hand if the fish are acting normally and only just starting to show symptoms you could entertain the idea of using a known less effective (but also less stressful to the fish) treatment while understanding fully the limitations and future precautions you may need to take. So while copper meds and hyposalinity are the most proven methods - and certainly most appropriate for severe cases, they're not the only methods that can be used if you have a less severe infestation. About the only thing that I would say is a bad idea every time is to not do anything. My observation is that when nothing is done the fish usually die. Maintaining good water quality, feeding proper foods often, and reducing aggression and the effects of overstocking are usually the first things that should be done with a well conceived treatment plan the next step.

 

Good luck keep us updated.