How long do ich spots stay on fish?

[tom91970]

I had a fish start displaying ich around January 23rd. On January 27th I began using API Quick Cure and have used it every day since.

At this point no other fish have shown any signs if ich. It has been 19 days and the same fish has the same little white spots that look like little clusters of salt.

Do those little spots just fade away eventually, or what?

 

[bigfoot150]

Well those little white spots are actually small little insects that have burrowed into your fish's scales. Think of them as being fish ticks. Good news is that their life cycles are very short. When you see them they are actually in one of 4 stages. More info can be found here: Ich

So to answer your question, after 19days of no appearances you should be well into the clear. At this point i would do some light water changes so everything can get back to normal in your tank.

 

[homebunnyj]

Actually, what he said was the fish STILL HAS spots 19 days later, not that it hasn't had spots for 19 days.

Are you sure you're using the med at the recommended dosage? And are you running your filters without carbon, since carbon takes out the meds? The ich should be gone by now. If you are, I think what I'd do is change out the water and run carbon to clear out the med, then try the heat and salt method. I'm sure you'll get some more feedback on this. Good luck.

 

[fish_chic]

you know i have an angel that has had spots on his back fin for a while and i used meds thinking it was ick (the spots look like little grains of salt and i ran filters without carbn) and nothing worked. none of my other fish have ever gotten anything. and i haven't used any meds for about a couple of weeks he seems fine and the spots have stayed the same (meaning no more of them and they haven't gotten bigger) so i don't know what hes got. i would like to know bc by the sounds of it yours and my situations seem the same.

 

[bigfoot150]

Actually, what he said was the fish STILL HAS spots 19 days later, not that it hasn't had spots for 19 days.

Doh! You are right. Well that link still has good info on Ich and if only one fish has it then you are doing good.

 

[tom91970]

Actually, what he said was the fish STILL HAS spots 19 days later, not that it hasn't had spots for 19 days.

Are you sure you're using the med at the recommended dosage? And are you running your filters without carbon, since carbon takes out the meds? The ich should be gone by now. If you are, I think what I'd do is change out the water and run carbon to clear out the med, then try the heat and salt method. I'm sure you'll get some more feedback on this. Good luck.

Yep, I'm using the recommended dosage and I removed the carbon before starting the treatment. I have been doing 25-50% water changes every other day, sometimes every day.

I also tried the heat method by turning the temp up to 85F but this seemed to stress the fish, so I turned it back down to 80F.

 

[tom91970]

Actually, what he said was the fish STILL HAS spots 19 days later, not that it hasn't had spots for 19 days.

Are you sure you're using the med at the recommended dosage? And are you running your filters without carbon, since carbon takes out the meds? The ich should be gone by now. If you are, I think what I'd do is change out the water and run carbon to clear out the med, then try the heat and salt method. I'm sure you'll get some more feedback on this. Good luck.

Yep, I'm using the recommended dosage and I removed the carbon before starting the treatment. I have been doing 25-50% water changes every other day, sometimes every day.

I also tried the heat method by turning the temp up to 85F but this seemed to stress the fish, so I turned it back down to 80F.

 

[Purple]

After your water changes - have you re-dosed the tank ? (having thrown out half the meds with the water)

Although if it was "raging" ich - I'm not sure your fish would have survived 19 days

 

[tom91970]

Yes...I normally change the water around 7 pm and medicate a few hours later.

 

[Toam]

if you raise the temperature of the tank slowly, the stress on your fish should be minimal. The reason for the heat method, is that it speeds up the cycle of ich, since several of ich's stages it is immune to meds or anything, so by speeding up the cycle, your getting the ich exposed to the meds quicker, ich can lie dormant for a very long time, depending on temp. You say your tank is standard at 80, and your fish has had spots for 19 days, at 80 fahr, ich has apprx. a 7-10 life cycle. Are you sure it's not a fresher outbreak on him? also, what kind of fish are in your tank? And finally, there is also freshwater salt that you can add, it helps the fish breathe in the warmer enviroment, and would lessen the stress during a heat raise. I've personally never used meds to remove ich, just 85 fahrenheit, and salt, and it's always worked for me with no losses the last couple of outbreaks I had, around 7 months ago.