If so, going back to my case, Id like to be assured that theyre dead before adding a fish to the main system. If no meds, what would you think about 1) no substrate in the hospital thank (there is none currently), 2) running a small UV sterilizer or Ive also read where people have used germicidal lamps instead of the regular light bulbs, and 3) with frequent (daily or every couple of days) water changes from the main tank to try to capture the Ick while theyre in their non-swimming phase? Thanks! J.D. Hill Ready to Call it Quits (10/31/04) Hi….I said 155 gals., not right, 55 gals is my tank. I’ll keep an eye on Swampthing