? about ick cycle and resistent fish

[baxterdawg]

Here is my issue and question.

I have a tank that houses a powder brown tang and 2 hippo tang, along with a flame angel, 2 false percs, a sixline, and a female anthias. I had QT everything, until I got lazy and put a male anthias in the display because I thought it looked healthy and saw no apparent issues.

So of course he got bullied by the angel, which stressed him until he got sick and died. Now, up til this time, the tank was set up for 2 years and the tangs were in the tank for alittle more than 1 yr. Never had any sign of illness. within about a month or so of the anthias death, the tangs started to get a mild case of ick or what looked like ick. this went on for about 8-9 months. It would come and go on the tangs, but never on any of the other fish.

Now the tangs have been out of the tank for about 2 months, but have not been able to get the angel or the anthias out.

This leads me to my question, does anyone have any experience with a disease issue that resolved itself once the "sensitive" fish were removed from the tank? Is it possible that the parasite can eventually be eliminated from the tank by not having a host that is as easily infected, such as with a tang? In my case, where fish that don't display any external infection when exposed under the same conditions, appear to be better able to resist or fight off the infection.

I realize that the gills are the primary site of infection, so it is impossible to know if an infection exists in the absense of an external parasite. Just make an assessment as to if I am going to have to go through the effort of getting a trap and removing the other fish, or can give the parasite some time to eliminate itself in the presence of infection hardy fish.

Thanks,

 

[RBU1]

From my past readings about the ich topic you must have the tank empty of all fish for 8 weeks to rid the tank of ich. Ich has to complete its life cycle and die off before you can place fish back in the tank. By leaving some fish in the tank ich has a host and will remain in that tank.

I have a fairly large tank that contains a yellow, sailfin, hippo and purple tang along with several other fish. My tank has ich in it because every so often I will notice a flair up on a few fish. My thought is a well fed healthy fish will be able to fight off the ich. Now this is just my opinion and my expieriences so far. My large tank has been up for about a year. When I added the purpple tang to the tank about 3 months ago it became covered in ich. I keep feeding seaweed soaked in vitamins along with the food that I make containing several vitamins and garlic within a couple weeks the fish cleared up and has been great since.

I have been in this hobby for 5 years. When I set up my 75 gallon tank I put every fish in a QT. Maintaining a QT is not easy and the water quality needs to be monitored daily for PH. After almost losing and losing several fish in QT I no longer do it. I wish you the best.