Could Hermit Crabs carry Ich?

[XSiVE]

I've got a Powder Brown / White Faced tang, a GSM clown, and a Coral Beauty. They've all been in the aquarium for about a year now and just last night I noticed that my Tang was covered with Ich spots

The only things Ive done recently were change the aquascaping (drilled some rocks to make a pillar supported by PVC) and added blue leg hermits from the LFS.

Im guessing the answer is yes regarding the hermits... I just didnt expect that I would have to worry about QTing some cleanup crew.. :mad2:

 

[kevin2000]

Ich can hitchhike on just about any surface including a hermit crab shell. However .. its common for fish to develop a certain level of immunity which keeps ich at a low/undetectable level and on occasion fish lose that immunity (sometimes a result of a "stress event" which lowers the overall immune system of the fish) allowing ich populations to grow to detectable levels. In short .. you might have had a low level of ich for a long time .. or maybe you got unlucky and it came in on your hermit.

 

[XSiVE]

hmm, I guess I could have had a very small amount of it and never noticed on the fish...

I've moved all 3 fish to a 10g quarantine tank (sg ~ 1.019 vs DT's 1.025)with no substrate, just a heater and a power head with one of those filter cage things on it with some bio balls inside..

Hopefully within a few days all the ich in the DT will die off from no fish to host onto, and the stuff in the QT will die off after not finding substrate to reproduce in.

Am I right to assume this should work?

 

[wooden_reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10423018#post10423018 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by XSiVE
hmm, I guess I could have had a very small amount of it and never noticed on the fish...

I've moved all 3 fish to a 10g quarantine tank (sg ~ 1.019 vs DT's 1.025)with no substrate, just a heater and a power head with one of those filter cage things on it with some bio balls inside..

Hopefully within a few days all the ich in the DT will die off from no fish to host onto, and the stuff in the QT will die off after not finding substrate to reproduce in.

Am I right to assume this should work?

If an invertebrate tank has NEVER had unquarantined fish in it, and the invertebrates have not been housed with unquarantined fish, then a short period may well be enough.

 

[XSiVE]

I guess Im confused then.. If the parasites only live on the fish for a few days, then go to the substrate to reproduce.. but there is no substrate, they cannot reproduce while in the open water of the QT..

I have to wonder why could the fish not be moved back to the DT after it has cleared up for a few days?

I know I know, don't rush things.. im just a little concerned, especially since my wife is having a baby soon and I'll have to leave the stuff all set up for a few days without me here..

 

[XSiVE]

welp, doesnt much matter for the tang as it succumbed to the ich last night while in QT... Not a very smart parasite if it kills its host.. Hopefully the CB & clown pull through once I start some treatment.

 

[Neptune777]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10423309#post10423309 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by XSiVE
I guess Im confused then.. If the parasites only live on the fish for a few days, then go to the substrate to reproduce.. but there is no substrate, they cannot reproduce while in the open water of the QT..

I have to wonder why could the fish not be moved back to the DT after it has cleared up for a few days?

I know I know, don't rush things.. im just a little concerned, especially since my wife is having a baby soon and I'll have to leave the stuff all set up for a few days without me here..

Substrate is not needed by the parasite to multiply. The cysts simply fall off the host and multiply/replicate and burst open to release hundred of new Ich parasites that will track down fish in your system. The cysts can sit on bare glass (or a hermit crab) and do the same thing......
As far as being a smart parasite and killing your fish you need to remember that this is taking place in a small glass box. Ich would not infest your fish at those numbers in the wild.....your aquarium creates a captive audience for the ich parasite allowing to reach unnatural levels.....
Ideally you should QT everything.....or make sure your LFS does not keep fish in with their inverts, or does not have all their tanks connected to a central sump etc...(there will always be a risk of getting something unless you QT).
You need to keep the fish in QT for 6 weeks with Hyposalinity treatment (6 weeks after the last visible cyst has fallen off your fish).....otherwise you will have ich on your fish that might not be visible yet (what you see is the fish surrounding the parasite with tissue to form a cyst...that is the visible white spec)....Unless this protocol is followed you will continue to fight this parasite until your fish eventually give in.

 

[Aquarist007]

the salinity in your qt should be slowly lowered to .012 to be totally effective.
here is a good article on the life cycle of ich----it helps you understand the treatment:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php

 

[kevin2000]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10423309#post10423309 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by XSiVE
I have to wonder why could the fish not be moved back to the DT after it has cleared up for a few days?

Because ich is so small you can't see them until they often get to an advance stage .. and because they don't all leave the fish at the same time.

 

[XSiVE]

Thanks for the clarification guys.. :thumbsup: I read up on the lifecycle of Ich but apparently I misunderstood some points, like I thought it really needed a substrate to multiply.

I'll start the 4-6 week Hyposalinity treatment on the QT when I get home.. I guess in that amount of time any parasites that are left in my DT will have tried to find a fish with no success(since there are none in there) and died off... and I suppose this will give me more opportunity to work on the DT by experimenting with some low to no photo periods to get rid of some algae and exess nutrients.

 

[Aquarist007]

there are somethings(as controversial as they are) that you can do on a regular basis to help fish through their ich infestations---you can help them with the disease but not prevent them from gettting it:
soak food in garlic guard
supplement with vitamens and fats
feed a variety of guality fish food.
These things help increase the immunity systems of the fish which could help when they do get a disease like ich

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10425435#post10425435 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
there are somethings(as controversial as they are) that you can do on a regular basis to help fish through their ich infestations---you can help them with the disease but not prevent them from gettting it:
soak food in garlic guard
supplement with vitamens and fats
feed a variety of guality fish food.
These things help increase the immunity systems of the fish which could help when they do get a disease like ich

you also get the benifit of healthy active and colourful fish to watch.

 

[Neptune777]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10425435#post10425435 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
there are somethings(as controversial as they are) that you can do on a regular basis to help fish through their ich infestations---you can help them with the disease but not prevent them from gettting it:
soak food in garlic guard
supplement with vitamens and fats
feed a variety of guality fish food.
These things help increase the immunity systems of the fish which could help when they do get a disease like ich

Everyone needs to keep in mind that Ich is a parasite, not a disease. Either it lives in your system or not. It cannot manifest itself when fish are stressed unless you have had it all along. While all of these remedies won't hurt your fish they won't rid them of Ich either.

 

[Aquarist007]

thanks for clarification neptune777 but I really tried to stay clear of that myth when I posted this time(old dogs can learn new stuff)

i realize I should not have used the word disease but I did state that there was no way of preventing-----
sorry I just want to reinsure you that I am learning my lessons here