~~~ICH NEVER left my tank~~~

[Jay1513]

I had ich a few months ago & killed 3 of my fish except for my Clarkii and Starry Blenny.

I left the tank alone for 3 months without adding new fish but also left the Clarkii and Blenny in there.

I've added a small Clown Tang on Saturday after 3 weeks of QT.

Yesterday I've noticed that CT now has ich.

What's going on? I'm kind of confused because the Blenny & the Clarkii are doing well - eating, fat, healthy and no ich.

I guess ICH NEVER left my tank???

 

[Mrscribbled]

You left 2 fish in the tank thats whats wrong, even though the fish seemed fine they were still a host for the ich and allowing it to carry on its life cycle. Unless you remove ALL fish for twelve weeks you'll always have ich.


Posted from ReefCentral.com App for Android

 

[HumbleFish]

you left 2 fish in the tank thats whats wrong, even though the fish seemed fine they were still a host for the ich and allowing it to carry on its life cycle. Unless you remove all fish for twelve weeks you'll always have ich.

+1

 

[roenicknewf]

Wow 12 weeks now ...
I thought it was 8 -9 weeks ..Anyway ,,,your right about the fish being left in ..That was what let the ich continue to survive

 

[Breadman03]

Wow 12 weeks now ...
I thought it was 8 -9 weeks ..Anyway ,,,your right about the fish being left in ..That was what let the ich continue to survive

I forget the exact numbers, but 8-9 weeks is like 90% effective and 12 weeks is 99% effective. It is at the far end of the bell curve.

 

[MedRed]

Fallow means fallow. No fish at all for at least 8 weeks, even if the remaining fish show no signs of disease.

 

[HumbleFish]

From this sticky:

These percentages are known as the "empirical rule". What this means for Cryptocaryon irritans is that leaving a tank fallow for 3 weeks will give you a 68% chance that you have eradicated the parasite, leaving a tank fallow for 6 weeks will give you a 95% chance of eradication, but if you want 99.7% chance, you will leave the tank fallow for 9 weeks. That is the reason you see different numbers being used on Reef Central and in the literature.

 

[Jay1513]

Huh - So fish can host ich without getting sick?

 

[HumbleFish]

Huh - So fish can host ich without getting sick?

Yes. Their immune system can mask visible symptoms. Or the parasites will invade the gills, instead of under the skin. You won't see any "white specks" if that happens.

 

[MrTuskfish]

All it takes to going is one ich parasite in any of its life modes. You may not even have any free-swimming ich, but have a hundred cysts, waiting to raise ioo's of its offspring anywhere form 3-10 (just examples) down the road.

 

[Breadman03]

Thanks for getting the link, HumbleFish.

 

[sleepydoc]

Huh - So fish can host ich without getting sick?

This is also why we quarantine 'healthy looking' fish and many advocate prophylactic treatment. Ich and many other diseases can be present without overt symptoms, especially if the fish is otherwise healthy.

 

[EllieSuz]

I applaud you for having a quarantine tank, but three weeks is too short a time to observe a fish before it moves to the Display tank. I've QT'd for six weeks successfully, but in the future I'll do it for eight to ten, just to be sure.

 

[MrTuskfish]

I applaud you for having a quarantine tank, but three weeks is too short a time to observe a fish before it moves to the Display tank. I've QT'd for six weeks successfully, but in the future I'll do it for eight to ten, just to be sure.

+1; what the hell, I'm I'm a great mood today, make it +2

And forget the stuff you hear/read about a QT being "stressful" for the fish. A good QT is probably be the least stressful place fish the fish will see. Nothing trying to eat him, no bullies, food competitors, general mayhem or TV reality shows.