Long Horn has ich ....help!!!!! He's so sad

My new long horn cow fish has developed whT appears to be ich. He has very small white fleck spots on his fins. With in the last hour he sunk to the bottom of the tank and is just sitting there. He did not eat this am as he's usually the first in line. Help! Should I do a 3 min. RO dip???
Sandy
Sandybastian@me.com

 

How big is your tank? What are your parameters? How long has the tank been running? What other fish do you have in there?

 

First off please delete your email address from the post..very bad because now it is out in public forums where anyone has the ability to get to it.

Also, please provide your tank readings i.e. sg, ph, nitrates/nitrates etc.. What else do you have in your tank? Also a picture would help too.

 

Please do not consider any dips for this fish. A dip will stress the fish and will not kill the parasites, since they are really only vulnerable to being killed effectively in their free-swimming stage. A dip will only stress the fish, and it will re-catch the parasite in your tank.

If if does not look like it is doing well, set up a small quarantine tank for it, keep the water parameters good, and treat with a copper-based medication for 2-3 weeks. After that, remove the copper from the water (water changes), and keep the fish in quarantine for a few more weeks to make sure it is eating and looks like it is re-gaining strength. It may re-catch the parasite from your tank at a later date, but by then it should be strong enough to recover from it.