As a biologist I'll try my best to put this myth to rest. ICH is NOT always in a tank. The reason that myth exists is much in part due to medications that claim to cure ich in two days. What they do is kill off most of the parasites and allow the fish's immune systems to deal with most of the new parasites giving us an asymptomatic ich infection which with sudden stress can turn into a major outbreak. Ich parasites produce up to 2,000 new baby ich swarmers which is why it seems so virulent. With proper treatment, you can completely erradicate the parasite from a tank and never have to deal with ich again unless you re-introduce it by not quarantining fish or live plants. I always treat for at least 4 days after that last symptom disappears (not onlyl visible spots but flashing also). In all my tanks, ich is a thing of the past because I use a 30 day quarantine on all living things before they enter my tank to knock out this parasite since it seems to love living on fish in my LFS.
goldfish with ich.
- Thread starter tha cichlid man
- Start date
I will also go on the record to back up rrkss and mvigor. The myth is rampant. and the myth is easily disproven. Ich cannot live without a host, it cannot go dormant, it cannot spontaneaously generate in a tank. If ich is killed properly, and not re-introduced by the hobbyist via an outside source (must be a fish, or a rapid passive vector). then it is gone forever. This is one of the primary myths that spawned the ich article on this forum. A simple understanding of the ich life cycle will shed the myth once and for all.
There are plenty of books and articles published without proper research and knowledge, and without peer review or verification. One does not need to be a biologist to get the straightforward facts about this parasite, and understand the difference between truth and myth. The internet makes that information available to everyone. Do some searching and look for information to prove/Disprove the myth. You;ll find proper scientific studies with proper testing and peer review that repeatedly state how ich really lives. and you'll also find a bunch of stubborn folks sitting on the myth with no facts to back them up and no studies or testing to verify their beliefs.
Dave
There are plenty of books and articles published without proper research and knowledge, and without peer review or verification. One does not need to be a biologist to get the straightforward facts about this parasite, and understand the difference between truth and myth. The internet makes that information available to everyone. Do some searching and look for information to prove/Disprove the myth. You;ll find proper scientific studies with proper testing and peer review that repeatedly state how ich really lives. and you'll also find a bunch of stubborn folks sitting on the myth with no facts to back them up and no studies or testing to verify their beliefs.
Dave
sounds like i've succumbed to the myth myself. my dad used to have a saying .. "you're never as positive as when you're wrong".. seems he was right, thanks for the info. dan
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Thank for the good info everyone i'm going with the 2 teaspoon per gal within a couple of days & keeping the bath up for 10+ days. :thm:
I guess I spoke too soon with my comment about the 70s and 80s above. I just searched at Amazon.com and found a book published in 2001 by David E. Boruchowitz that includes the bit I show in the attached graphic.
It's a sidebar picture caption saying "Black mollies are prone to ich, especially if the water gets too cold."
Just one example of why everyone believes misinformation. If a published author doesn't know any better, that's too bad.
It's a sidebar picture caption saying "Black mollies are prone to ich, especially if the water gets too cold."
Just one example of why everyone believes misinformation. If a published author doesn't know any better, that's too bad.
Most ich parasites are vulnerable at this salt concentration but I would reccomend that you go with 3 teaspoons per gallon if your fish can tolerate it. I've successfully cured my goldfish (fantails: ryukins) at this concetration without them even showing stress from.tha cichlid man said:
Your reply implies that perhaps you find it sufficient to get the ICH off the fish but leave some in the tank?
Usually when people say that it's also when they stop treating, so I apologize if you did continue to treat for 7-14 days.KingOfTheDeep said:
Roan
we treated it for 15 days, then did a water change, i've dealt with ICH in the past, i know how it all works , lolRoan Art said:
mvigor, please, dont put words in my mouth, ok?
