General ich question from a tankless lurker

[bentwookie]

There seem to be a fair number of ich posts going by and it got me thinking. Even after an appropriate quarantine period, are fish always fighting a low level infection of ich?

To put it another way. If I stick to a strict quarantine regement, are the chances of an outbreak only "greatly reduced" or is it nearly impossible?

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

The purpose of q/t is to catch it where it can be treated. You see, ich isn't the only pathogen that's coming along for the ride, lots of things are. What pushes an animal over the edge? STRESS. Provide the best conditions: NSW (near sea water) quality, room to swim, don't place overly aggressive fish with animals that are easily intimidated, allow PLENTY of room, EXCELLENT nutrition, along with other needs and the fish will be able to do what it does naturally--fight off all the infections agents that it comes into contact with. In other words, it is DAMN near impossible to eliminate all pathogens, but it's ALWAYS possible to keep just about any suitable specimen in fine fettle. Make sense?

 

[john f]

You can eliminate the ich pathogen (cryptocaryon) by QT under hyposalinity (14ppt) for 3-4 weeks.

Then the fish will never introduce Ich to your reef tank.

I always treat every new fish like it has crypto..........and the hyposalinity in actually easier on the fish while it acclimates to captivity.


John

 

[mountainbiker619]

Then the fish will never introduce Ich to your reef tank

I disagree. Ick is always present, just like cold bugs and such are always present in us. A key to Ick in fish and colds/flu's in us is stress. During normal everyday life, our body and the fishs body can fight off and defend for itself. But introduce that fish into a other than normal enviroment (bad water quality, being picked on by another fish) and more than likely the fish will no longer be able to fight off the little ick virus's like thingies inside of it.

 

[EmilyB]

Optimum water quality and nutritional feeding are the answer for ick in the long run imo.

 

[Terry B]

Mountainbiker said:
"I disagree. Ick is always present, just like cold bugs and such are always present in us."

Don’t take this personally, but this is just the sort of misinformation that causes people to lose fish to disease. Ich has been scientifically established as an obligate parasite. It is NOT always present and does not behave like a virus or bacteria. It does not spontaneously appear and must be introduced into the aquarium or system. I can use the Dickerson and Dawe report, Wedemeyer and others as support for what I am saying. Just look them up in the scientific journals. I can give you a long list of reports from the scientific journals to inform yourself with if you are interested in reading them.
Ich is not a virus at all. It is a small creature classified as a parasite. Stress is a factor, but it is NOT a prerequisite to infection with this parasite. They use perfectly healthy fish that are not unduly stressed in scientific trials when they study the life cycle, treatments, etc., of this pest.

What you are saying here is just pure myth, contrary to all scientific evidence. The hobby would be better off if this myth would just die out.
Terry B

 

[Anonymous]

Mountainbiker619,

What Terry said.
Are angelfish always present in your system? Why? Ich is no different. Do not introduce it, and you will not have it in your display. Kill it, and it will be gone. I certianly don't have it in any of my systems. I can stress my fish all I want, drop the temp down to 60 degrees (happened during a move) - no ich. Why? It's not there!
DO NOT equate an obligate protozoan in a closed marine system with human maladies. You are WAY off base.

It astonishes me that such myths are still being presented as truths by certain individuals.


Jim

 

[fishfanatic2]

I assume all those posts have been written by me. :lol: :wink: