# white live or ich



## alexafg (Oct 31, 2011)

hi everyone 
i see so many small white dots in my fishtank and i can see they all walk on the glass.
i wonder r they ich , can ich walk and swimming? i dont have a good camera to take a pic


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Doesn't sound like Ich to me. Maybe baby snails or Daphnia (cliick for info) A picture might help if you can get a good one


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## George (Apr 21, 2010)

They are not ich. you won't be able to see them when they are out of fish body (even the stuff you see on fish body is not ich itself. it's a symptom of ich).


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

they sound like any one of a dozen common 'microcrusteaceans' found in aquaria, if they hug the glass and other surfaces, they're probably copepods or similar. harmless, and good fish food.


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## alexafg (Oct 31, 2011)

so are they good or bad for my tank ? it doesnt seems my hermit crabs eat em or fireshrimp . should i magnet them ?


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

I don't think they are particularly good or bad but may be a sign of overfeeding? Overfeeding is generally speadking bad


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## alexafg (Oct 31, 2011)

how do i kill em ?


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Cut back of feeding and a few water changes should fix that ?


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## Dietmar (Dec 15, 2011)

alexafg said:


> how do i kill em ?


I would leave them. If they were bad, they would be on your fish, and not on the glass. 
Without a pic, I would say they are copepods, harmless algae eaters. If this is true, do what gklaw says, feed less.
Here is a few picks of some good and bad.
Melev's Reef - Visual Identification


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## alexafg (Oct 31, 2011)

yea they looks like copepods , they move so fast and my tank had ich and my last fish died 2 weeks ago


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Thought you are talking about FS with daphnia ... So you are talking about SW  In the absence of predators, copepods will roam free in your tank. Actually benefitial, they will run for cover when you introduce a predator. I even seen them for sale at LFS before


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

the copepods commonly found in aquariums feed on detritus, algae and bacteria, each of which may increase during ich outbreaks (the extra shed dead tissue becomes food for bacteria, and converts into nutrients available for algae, whichin turn provide food for the copepods). Keep up good maintenance, and don't worry about killing the copepods. As the available food decreases, so will their population. In any event, they're harmless.


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## alexafg (Oct 31, 2011)

okay is it safe if i put fish in my tank now ?


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## George (Apr 21, 2010)

alexafg said:


> okay is it safe if i put fish in my tank now ?


Wait for at least 4 week after you last fish died. If it was me, I would wait for 8+ weeks. Trust me, the fish that you want won't go extinction in 8 weeks. They will come regularly. In salt water, patience is a requirement. I had been patiently waiting for one of my dream fish to drop in price and having a healthy specimen for 2 years. Got it last week.
At the mean time, research to see if you need a quarantine tank.


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## alexafg (Oct 31, 2011)

oh ok ill wait for the right time to put fish in


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## CisBackA (Sep 4, 2011)

wake up in the middle of the night and put a flashlight on your tank, and watch the millions of bugs scatter. i wouldnt be worried, and non-hosting ich cant be seen.
and its not really a matter of is it in my tank, but is my fish in bad shape to contract it.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Staring at a empty tank for 8 weeks I think is excessive. Start with something a bit more hardy a cheap like a coral beauty and add one fish every 2 to 3 week and you should be fine.

Assuming pH and filtration is adequate.


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## George (Apr 21, 2010)

gklaw said:


> Staring at a empty tank for 8 weeks I think is excessive. Start with something a bit more hardy a cheap like a coral beauty and add one fish every 2 to 3 week and you should be fine.
> 
> Assuming pH and filtration is adequate.


We are talking about marine ich infested tank here. Studies shown that marine ich in its tomonts stage (the stage where it is not attaching to fish and lying on the substrate and dividing) can last up to 28 days. But there are evidence that some strains of marine ich can be in that stage for 72 days.
Again patience is a requirement in saltwater/reef hobby. Nothing (good) happens fast in saltwater/reef. 
And please don't use any fish to do trial and error. No matter how cheap it is. Make absolutely sure your tank is ready for fish, biologically, chemically and free of parasites.


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