Also on a side note, your bacteria in your main tank are going to die off somewhat as you stated that you removed all your fish. Be careful to add them back to your main tank slowly so you don't get a large ammonia spike.
Help me identify these things....
- Thread starter Khlash
- Start date
Then explain this to me Aqua, having a tank that was set up for 2 years, no new fish for a year and no Ich problems period, then why when a sudden change in water temp would you start to see Ich? No new fish to bring it in, so that blows that out of the water. Ich is always there in a dormant stage untill it can take a foothold. Just because you treat for the parasitic stage of the organism does not mean you eliminate it. You may knock down that life stage but there are others still in the tank, by knocking down that one parasitic stage you let the fish recover and the ich goes back to a dormant stage. Just because a fish is healthy doesn't mean it isn't stressed, which is one trigger you neglected to mention because it didn't suit your arguement. A healthy fish that is stressed will become prone to diseases and parasites just as easily as a sick one. Healthy unstressed fish are VERY highly unlikely to get Ich because they can fight it off even if it is not in a dormant stage. Its the same type of arguement that a healthy unstressed fish that ends up with an injury will heal with no problems, while one that is stressed or has health issues will not be able to fight off the bacteria or fungal organisms trying to attack that open wound.
Just like the fungi and bacteria, Ich is always present. The same goes with most water born parasites. Just becase you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. There is not a clear cut and dry case with most of these things, they have many different life stages and can survive very well, Ich is one of those things and it will be there regaurdless.
Just like the fungi and bacteria, Ich is always present. The same goes with most water born parasites. Just becase you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. There is not a clear cut and dry case with most of these things, they have many different life stages and can survive very well, Ich is one of those things and it will be there regaurdless.
If your argument were true NakatuTseng, wouldn't the fish always get ich again after the parasitic stage is eliminated, due to the added stress of salt or medication? I agree that stressed fish are also more vulnerable to the disease.....I didn't fail to mention it because it "didn't suit my argument", but because I figured it was understood by most that stressed fish are more vulnerable to disease.
Your argument makes no sense to me. Why would ich remain dormant after treatment when there are hosts present? Salt and medications don't improve the health of the fish except for the fact that they kill the parasites.
Your argument makes no sense to me. Why would ich remain dormant after treatment when there are hosts present? Salt and medications don't improve the health of the fish except for the fact that they kill the parasites.
Suib clinical infestions of ich are not always noticed, with resistive or hardy fish especially those who have had repeat infections, ich will not manifest itself as a large outbreak. but it is there attacking your fish. then you add a stress factor and you get an outbreak after two years of being blind to ich's existance. The myth is continued because no one wants to admit they missed something for two years.
But the fact remains. Ich is not always in your tank, it can be killed, it has no dormant stage, and the chance of it coming into you tank via water supplies is so astronomical it should not be considered a possibility. The only host that ich uses are fish. If it doesn't have a host it dies out in a very short time. If you kill it and you don't re-introduce it via fish then you will not ever have another ich outbreak in a tank.
If you have an ich outbreak, ich was there on your fish the whole time going through the three stages of the life cycle repeatedly.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39759
Dave
But the fact remains. Ich is not always in your tank, it can be killed, it has no dormant stage, and the chance of it coming into you tank via water supplies is so astronomical it should not be considered a possibility. The only host that ich uses are fish. If it doesn't have a host it dies out in a very short time. If you kill it and you don't re-introduce it via fish then you will not ever have another ich outbreak in a tank.
If you have an ich outbreak, ich was there on your fish the whole time going through the three stages of the life cycle repeatedly.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39759
Dave
In reading over this info, it seems my response may not have been totally accurate. I should have said "healthy fish can get ich too, but sick or stressed fish are more prone to visible infection."
