Can Parasites go away naturally?

[Dawlfandav]

My kole tang that has been healthy for the year that I have had it seems to have parasites on his dorsal fin. Ive checked all paramaters and all check good. Is there a chance they could go away by themselves? I added a magenta dottyback a couple of weeks ago. The tang has not been eating or grazing for the last couple of days. Just before I decided to post this he did come out and start grazing off the glass once again. The parasite white dots on him just seemed to appear today. It is a 55 gal reef tank.

1 kole tang (about 4in long)
1 false percula
3 green chromis
1 magenta dottyback

1 hammer coral
1 torch
alot of pulsing xzenia
1 toadstool leather
1 sun coral
1 rock with 5 bullseye mushrooms

1 skunk cleaner shrimp
1 pepermint shrimp
1 emerald crab
a dozen or so of blue legged hermits
7 mexican turbo snails

50 lbs or so of live rock
3in deep live sand bed
240w of power compacts

never had any problems since i set up the tank about 14 months ago.

 

[naesco]

Soak some nori in garlic extract and affix the nori to a small stone near where she hides. Ditto for some food for the dottyback. Fed only garlic soaked food for 10 days or so.
Good Luck

 

[Super Len]

If the question is "Can fish heal on their own," the answer is yes. These include most common parasitic infections. Fish health isn't all that disimiliar from our health: provide them a low stress environment and healthy diet and they'll have stronger immunity against illness.

 

[chris_h]

I once had a hippo tang in a ten gallon tank. It got ick badly. I put in a cleaner shrimp and it got better with no medications. So your shrimp may do the job. I think that the small tank size was the key to the shrimp curing mine. After it was cured it lived in the ten gallon for 3 years before it was moved to a 30 gallon.

 

[Roach]

Garlic can really do the trick if you have some. I have been using it for awhile now and have been virtually pest free.

 

[Terry B]

That is a pretty broad question. The answer depends on a lot of factors. First what type of parasite? The overall health and condition of the fish is a factor. Perfectly healthy fish can get infected with ich or other parasites. The three major factors are: health of the fish, water quality and density or population level of the pathogen. If the water conditions are good, the fish is otherwise in good health and the density of parasites is low then sometimes the fish can recover on thier own. Sometimes the recovery is only temporary because the infection has just become latent. Sometimes the parasite has actually died out in the system. Stress is a factor, but even the healthiest fish kept in the best conditions can become overwhelmed if there are a sufficient number of parasites in the system. Are you asking specifically about Cryptocaryon irritans (ich) or parasites in general. Some are more Virulent than others. Immune function does not play as large a role when talking about external obligate parasites.
Terry B

 

[davelin315]

Parasites can and will go away on their own, but they will not be eradicated on their own. A healthy fish in optimal conditions can kick the parasites and maintain a healthy system on its own, just as in nature. Many fish come with parasites already, and (there is a lot of argument over this) I would hazard a guess that every single fish you have had has been exposed to a parasite and has some living in it when you buy it. By maintaining a good system, you allow your fish to maintain control over their own bodies, versus losing the battle to parasites where they become visible.

In response to the garlic soaked food remedy, I am not a fan. It has been promoted on this board by tons (I mean tons of people - haven't seen a negative yet besides my own opinion) of people. After looking into it, I decided to try it for a pacific blue tang that got ich, and the results have been horrific in my tank. Water parameters are the same as always (the ich I attribute to adding some new ones after losing one and the stress of creating a pecking order) and have not declined, but since the addition of garlic I have noticed the following problems: 1. long tentacle anemone seems to have lost its nematocysts and it's foot is no longer gripping anything and it rolls around every night on the bottom when it shrinks down for the night; 2. all polyps recede when garlic soaked food is introduced into the system, and some take several days to come back, this seems to only affect the soft corals, not the sps or lps; 3. clams mantles become shriveled and do not extend for a couple of days, and 2 have died; 4. fire shrimp hide and don't come out for several days; 5. severe cloudiness in my tank the day following garlic introduction. The most frustrating part of the garlic is that my water is still in tip top condition, but apparently, the affects of garlic on slime coats has become a stressor that was not present before. It is very frustrating to see a great tridacnid clam slowly wither away and die, even more so when it happens to 2, especially when they were very unusual specimens the likes of which I have yet to see online or in stores since these (an electric green and another intricately patterned white blue purple grey), and realize that the cause of death is a supposedly invertebrate safe ich cure. I will never again add garlic to my tank or garlic soaked food, and I am still watching some unfortunate side effects on my inhabitants today, although most everything else has recovered. By the way, the ich is going away on its own, and when I was feeding the garlic food, I noticed no regression of ich.

 

[Terry B]

Dave,
Do I understand you correctly that you put garlic in the water? If so that is the problem. Garlic should only be added to the food.
I do not disagree that most fish have parasites. This is NOT to say that most fish come with ich. What most fish do have is some type of internal worm. In the case of worms you are right. If the fish are kept in good conditions and fed properly the worms usually are not a problem. In the case of ich it usually does become a problem when the fish have it as you are experiencing now..
Terry B

 

[Iron]

could be the type of garlic also?? Otherwise I would belive there would be alot more negative responce like yours??

 

[Dawlfandav]

well since I have posted this the tang has seemed to recovered nicely. He is now eating again and swimming regularly. I am wondering if the problem was a peice of shrimp pellet maybe getting lodged in his throat. My wife had to have a red serpent star and I sometimes drop it a shrimp pellet to two. The tang sometimes pecks at them. Could one have got lodged in his throat until it broke down? This may have been why he was stressing. All my fish have always been healthy and never had any problems. I only have a few fish. But never had one act or look like he did. Im just glad he is looking fine again and doing well. He was my second fish and would have been missed it he didnt make it. thanks for all the info.

 

[CrGiants]

When I first began this hobby, I had a similar occurrence. The problem seemed to go away, but it only appeared that way. The parasites dropped off and into the substrate, multiplied and reappeared, but this time effecting more than just the original fish. It keeps doing this until the parasites are treated with medication or until the fish all die.

Unfortunately, I lost two fish before I realized what was going on. I'm not saying this will happen in your tank, but keep a very close eye on the situation.