ich question

[twelvejewelz]

if there is no ich bacteria present in your tank and there never was is it still possible to get it. i hear all of these people say there fish got ich and wonder can they just get it out of nowhere does the bacteria just grow out of thin air? or if its not present you can never get it?i really dont get it

 

[jnc914]

Ich is not a bacteria, it is a parasite with a very specific life cycle. Just because a fish may look clean of parasites doesn't mean ich is not present in their gills. If you QT properly and administer copper or hypo salinity prior to putting a fish into your display you should never have to worry about ich. If you don't Qt and just dump new fish into your display you are introducing possible pathogens along with parasites to your display. You may not see a parasitic outbreak until fish are stressed and/or are not healthy, or poor water quality/parameters could cause a sudden outbreak.