Life Cycle of Ich

killagoby

killagoby

New member
If the life cycle of ice is aprox 30 days then why let a DT run fallow for 10 weeks. Is this overkill, or is there really evidence of ich lasting the full 73 days?

Does anyone have experience letting a tank run fallow for let's say 6 weeks with success?
 
There was a study (Colorni and Burgess, 1997) that observed the parasite staying encysted for 72 days. Now, that was one particular strain. It's possible there are other strains that can remain encysted for even longer, but none has been observed in a controlled setting.

Whether it is overkill, or if 6 weeks is long enough depends on your level of risk aversion.
 
I was going to wait 8, but I'm wondering how the TTM works in only 10 days if the lifecycle is 30. There's got to be some left in the tank I would assume right?
 
No, TTM prevents cyst formation and more importantly, infective stages altogether. The fish is moved every three days, which is the minimum period for tomont (encysted stage) development and release (excystment). In other words, there are no infective stages present after the first transfer. The subsequent transfers ensure all feeding stages (trophonts) have dropped off the fish. Understanding the life cycle of the parasite will clarify why TTM is so effective.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa164
 
I do the 78 days. Once fish are in the qt and you wait 8 weeks, it's not worth the hassle of rushing them back into the dt tank imo. Rather do overkill than have to qt again. Qt is not easy on fish or us.
 
Yeah. I've been reading a lot on it. I had a full tank breakout that killed everything. The 1st time in 20 years of doing saltwater fish

I'm at 4 weeks fallow now. I'm just trying to wrap my head around how total TTM time is 5 weeks with the observation period, vs letting a tank sit fallow (completely empty) for 10 weeks. That's double the time vs. a method where the fish seem more at risk of keeping the disease
 
killagoby said:
... I had a full tank breakout that killed everything. ...
Click to expand...

Every time I read something like this I start wondering if it was really ich.
It just doesn't match my experience with ich. I had outbreaks where some fish got so seriously sick that I had to treat them, while other fish in the same tank never had a single spot or showed any symptoms or signs of discomfort.
More often the fish actually got the infection under control without intervention.

At least half of the fish that make it through the supply chain have had contact with ich before and developed some level of immunity to it. Others have so much resistance that they won't get sick unless the water quality or other condition in their tank is absolutely abysmal.

So either all your fish where species that are easily stressed and highly susceptible to ich or you had another, more deadly parasite in your tank.
 
You need to learn the life cycle of this animal. The above links from Chris & Steve will give you the answers to your question.
 
ThRoewer said:
Every time I read something like this I start wondering if it was really ich.
It just doesn't match my experience with ich. I had outbreaks where some fish got so seriously sick that I had to treat them, while other fish in the same tank never had a single spot or showed any symptoms or signs of discomfort.
More often the fish actually got the infection under control without intervention.

At least half of the fish that make it through the supply chain have had contact with ich before and developed some level of immunity to it. Others have so much resistance that they won't get sick unless the water quality or other condition in their tank is absolutely abysmal.

So either all your fish where species that are easily stressed and highly susceptible to ich or you had another, more deadly parasite in your tank.
Click to expand...

It started with spots for the 1st few weeks, then the fish got pale in color and they were dead the next day. Any thoughts? Velvet?
 
killagoby said:
Yeah. I've been reading a lot on it. I had a full tank breakout that killed everything. The 1st time in 20 years of doing saltwater fish

I'm at 4 weeks fallow now. I'm just trying to wrap my head around how total TTM time is 5 weeks with the observation period, vs letting a tank sit fallow (completely empty) for 10 weeks. That's double the time vs. a method where the fish seem more at risk of keeping the disease
Click to expand...

Well, keep in mind that you are thoroughly disinfecting the tanks where ich would encyst after each transfer. That is the stage you try to outlast in the DT by leaving it fallow, but in TTM you kill it through desiccation or bleach, or whatever.

One way to shorten the waiting in your DT is that you could do TTM with your fish, while you break down the DT and bleach/dry everything and then set it up again and let it cycle.

You may have seen folks here recommend that very thing to others because it would be a faster process. It all depends on what you have in your tank and what you are willing to do.
 
krullshards said:
Well, keep in mind that you are thoroughly disinfecting the tanks where ich would encyst after each transfer. That is the stage you try to outlast in the DT by leaving it fallow, but in TTM you kill it through desiccation or bleach, or whatever.

One way to shorten the waiting in your DT is that you could do TTM with your fish, while you break down the DT and bleach/dry everything and then set it up again and let it cycle.

You may have seen folks here recommend that very thing to others because it would be a faster process. It all depends on what you have in your tank and what you are willing to do.
Click to expand...

Good advice.
 
krullshards said:
Well, keep in mind that you are thoroughly disinfecting the tanks where ich would encyst after each transfer. That is the stage you try to outlast in the DT by leaving it fallow, but in TTM you kill it through desiccation or bleach, or whatever.

One way to shorten the waiting in your DT is that you could do TTM with your fish, while you break down the DT and bleach/dry everything and then set it up again and let it cycle.

You may have seen folks here recommend that very thing to others because it would be a faster process. It all depends on what you have in your tank and what you are willing to do.
Click to expand...

I've got inverts and a RBTA. I'll just wait it out at this point but thanks
 
This weekend will make 6 weeks fallow for me. I'm so tempted to put the fish back in the display but I'm trying to hold out. I had a lot of fish deaths occur pretty rapidly so I'm thinking it was Brooklynella or Velvet, but it would be nice to eliminate any possibly of Crypto in my tank as well.
 
microlady said:
This weekend will make 6 weeks fallow for me. I'm so tempted to put the fish back in the display but I'm trying to hold out. I had a lot of fish deaths occur pretty rapidly so I'm thinking it was Brooklynella or Velvet, but it would be nice to eliminate any possibly of Crypto in my tank as well.
Click to expand...

I'm waiting at least 8 or 9. It's not worth starting the cycle over again
 
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