hot water and ick

[jeff]

are there any thoughts on doing a water change using water strait out of the heater. Of course there will a cooling off period( in a bucket). but will the temp have already killed off the ick.

[Complexity]

This isn't making a whole lot of sense. The ich is in the aquarium water, not the tap water.

I take it you're fighting ich in the tank? What are the tank's specs and the ich symptoms?

[CichlidFan]

Use a good heater, a good 200 or better yet, 300 watt heater, and and some aquarium salt to your tank....use maybe two scoops of salt if you have a scoop....

Raise the temp to about 82....slowly.....

There are several articles on the box here on combating the ICK disease, you may want to look for them...

CF

[imagirlgeek]

What fish do you have? That will also be a factor on how you treat ich.

[jeff]

I thought ick was in the tap water

[mark razmandi]

na man, ich is a parasite that develops in your tank....dont worry about it in the tap

[imagirlgeek]

Ich is a parasite that all fish carry. It presents when stress reduces a fish's ability to keep it at bay. Which is why it more often becomes a problem when a fish is moved, or there are dramatic temperature fluctuations.

It's just like people and the germs we carry. We don't present with symptoms unless our resistance is lowered for some reason...or the germ is greater than what our resistance to it can handle. :)

[Complexity]

Ich (which is commonly misspelled as "ick") is an abbreviation for the Protozoan Parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. It is an external parasite that attaches to the skin and gills of the fish which looks like tiny pieces of salt on the fish. This gives it its other common name of White Spot.

Checking around, I found this webpage which offers a clear and concise introduction to Ich. I think you will find it interesting. It offers some good pictures of fish infected with Ich which may help you with diagnosis if you ever have the need.

http://www.pond-life.me.uk/fishhealth/ichthyophthirius.php

[jeff]

So if a fish showes sym. Of ich, the others should be ok cause they already have it and just have a better immune sys. Right.
Sorry bout the caps

[jeff]

i have had ich in the past and had to remove that fish. usually due to deat but thanks for the web page

[mark razmandi]

So if a fish showes sym. Of ich, the others should be ok cause they already have it and just have a better immune sys. Right.
Sorry bout the caps

nope, ich is super contagious and the whole tank should be treated ASAP

[OrandaMan]

Actually, it can indeed spread because the ich gains strength (for lack of a better way of putting it) when it gets a foothold on a stressed fish.

[Complexity]

Here's another excellent webpage about Ich. It's a bit more technical than the first one I posted, but the information is easy to understand given the way it was written. It includes not only a good description of what Ich is and it's life-cycle, but it offers excellent information on how to best treat ich. This one is worth bookmarking for later reference.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FA006

[imagirlgeek]

So if a fish showes sym. Of ich, the others should be ok cause they already have it and just have a better immune sys. Right.
Sorry bout the caps

Not necessarily. It's always better to remove the fish that has ich, OR treat the entire tank. Once ich is able to rear it's ugly head, it multiplies fairly quickly. Kind of like spreading a cold around to your family members.

[Complexity]

So if a fish showes sym. Of ich, the others should be ok cause they already have it and just have a better immune sys. Right.
Sorry bout the caps

No, other fish in the tank are at risk. Keep in mind that Ich is a parasite, not a virus.

If Ich is in the tank, it it not a fish problem, but a tank-wide problem. The ich is in the water, the substrate, the filter, on the nets, everywhere. Remove an infected fish, and the ich is still in the tank to infect more fish.

Like all animals, a fish with a compromised immune system (such as due to stress or poor health) can succumb to Ich more easily than a fish with a healthy immune system. However, that does not mean that Ich cannot attack a healthy fish. It can. And it will. And if nothing is done, the Ich will multiply to the point that it will overwhelm the fish, compromise its immune system, and eventually kill the fish.

Ich is almost always fatal if left untreated.

The good news is that Ich is very treatable, especially if treated when it is first seen in the tank.

If you have problems with Ich, be sure to ask for help. Many people here can offer very specific treatment information for your particular tank and fish. There are a number of ways to go about treating a tank with Ich, and there are a number of things that can be done to help prevent Ich from getting into the tank to start with.

Are you having a problem with Ich in your tank right now?