How long can Ich live?

[Mamajin]

:dance2:

ICH cannot live without a host for more than 3 or 4 days (ICH laying dormant is a wives tale/myth). Plants and inverts can carry the fee-living parasite (which is why you QT them before they go into the main display tank) while remaining immune to infection.

If you QT properly (including inverts and plants) and do not cross contaminate by using filter media and/or equipment between tanks, then the chances of infecting your main display tank drop significantly.

Fish that can tolerate heat and salt; 90F will not only speed up the life cycle of the parasite it will also kill it. Salt has many benefits during treatment (reduces stress and provides electrolytes which improve gill functionality among many other things).

Temperature manipulation is also an effective way to control "Ich" in home aquariums. This technique is often not practical for commercial fish farms, but is advantageous for the hobbyist because expensive products do not have to be purchased and it is safer for some of the delicate species that are popular in community tanks. Water temperature can be gradually raised to 90°F, maintained there for 24 hours, and then gradually dropped to 70°F for 48 hours. The infective juveniles (tomites) will be killed while the water temperature is at 90°. When the temperature is dropped, the adult organisms will fall off the fish and begin to reproduce. As the young begin to emerge 48 hours later, the temperature is again raised to 90°F, causing them to die. Repeating this process continuously (24 hours at 90° F followed by 48 hours at 70° F) for two weeks should control the disease. Cleaning the tank every second day will help remove cysts before they rupture and thereby help to prevent completion of the life cycle. If you decide to use temperature to control "Ich" in your home aquarium, be sure that the type of fish in your tank can tolerate the temperature extremes involved.

Ruth Francis-Floyd, IFAS Extension veterinarian, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, and Peggy Reed, biological scientist, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences; Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa006

During times of stress or when fish are diseased, their gills may not function efficiently. As a result, fish can experience osmotic shock, by which electrolytes are lost through the gills, impairing the fish's ability to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Freshwater aquarium salt contains beneficial electrolytes that replenish the electrolytes lost during these times of stress or disease, resulting in improved gill functioning. For this application, add one tablespoon of salt for every 5 gallons of water.

Doctors Foster & Smith: About | Salt Benefits in Freshwater Aquariums