Who lives with ich in their system

[ThRoewer]

...
My personal theory is thus: ich comes in various strains and I believe mine is on the milder end. Further, I have read that a single ich strain will eventually burn itself out in the absence of reinforcements. I do run a UV on my tank, and while it is foolish to believe the device will eradicate ich, I do think it is reasonable to assume it reduces parasite pressure somewhat.

My theory rather is that if the fish's immune system is strong enough it can block the parasites from feeding too much and doing too much damage. As a result of that the resulting tomonts will be smaller and the ich strain(s) in the tank get weaker. At some point, if all fish have sufficient immunity or resistance the ich strains may just fade away.
Though, if you keep just one weak fish (usually the tangs) in the tank, ich can maintain a low level presence indefinitely.

This is one of the reasons why I stay clear of all tangs.

 

[ca1ore]

Pretty sure that is why ich is dormant in ur tank. They r happy and fat; ich has no chance

Oh I completely agree. Just like a bacterial infection, I'd imagine there's an 'opportunistic' element to an ich outbreak. But it's not just that, because I've had otherwise healthy fish get major infections in the past. Trying to figure out why then but not now is probably an exercise in futility because there are so many different factors. But my pet theory is as good an explanation as I can come up with ...... so I'm sticking with it . Well, at least until a better one comes along.

 

[malacoda]

I'm debating if I let my new tank run fallow for a while and then put the fish through TTM before adding them to the tank
The catch is that the current tanks are the sump and the refugium for the new tank so it isn't really a straight forward thing.

The biggest issue is the fallow period, or rather how long it would need to be making the whole thing worth the effort.
I know that the usual mantra here is 72 days. Though the study this is based on is rather sketchy and quite limited in its scope.....

Based on all this and the fact that the fish are doing fine as of now I wonder if it makes even sense to make the effort to eradicate ich from the system and put all fish at risk by through the stress of TTM or other clean-up methods.
I'm still debating it, but doing it would also mean that everyn new has to go through a stringent clean-up process which is quite an effort.

Thanks for this! I'm struggling with a similar debate right now -- and your insights/experiences have provided me with some more food for thought...

Only difference is that I'm debating the whole fallow/TTM combo approach for my very first tank -- a 25g that will only have 3 or 4 fish (a goby, blenny, pink-streaked wrasse, and a yellowstriped cardinal).

I'm going to start the tank with live rock from TBS and was pretty dead-set in my plans to keep it fallow (ghost feeding) for 75 days, then each fish through TTM then QT before it's added in order to make sure the tank is ich-free right from the start.

But then 2 things dawned on my earlier today (and sparked the 'fallow experiences' search that lead me to this thread...

• My whole goal is to have a low-stress 'dirty' tank - e.g. minor hitchhikers, a bit of macro, not qute 100% crystal clear water will all be welcome in the DT
• The equipment, space, and time burden will be immense (especially for a 25g with just 4 fish) -- even after keeping the DT fallow and doing TTM for each 4 fish (1 by 1 as they're added), ANYTIME even a snail, shrimp, or coral frag is added throughout the years ahead, every single one will have to go through TTM to ensure it is not a 'carrier'

Really has me debating, if the whole process would really be worth it -- especially if the fish can be just as fat, happy, and healthy if they are kept in a comfortable, low-stress environment after going through a simple, standard, low-stress, non-medication-unless-needed (except perhaps prazipro), 4-6 week QT.

If only that fortune teller down the road would've sold me her crystal ball...

 

[ThRoewer]

If you are just starting I would recommend to keep ich out off the tank with going fallow (ghost feeding isn't required) and then all fish through TTM. Especially if you only plan for 4 fish and no corals or shrimp. Inverts like snails and hermits need to be added before the fallow period starts.

It's the corals that made me wonder if it's worth the trouble but after a bit of research I think I found a way to get my new tank ich free without separating the tanks.
All I need to do is preventing tomonts to enter the new tank and encyst there, which is pretty easy since they are "big" and only active for a short time (less than 8h).
So all I need is to do is pump the water entering the new tan through a 50 micron filter. For added security I will also let the pump only run during the light period.

This way I can keep the tanks connected and move all corals and inverts to the new tank while the fish stay for the fallow period where they are. I only need to break the connection when I start treating the fish.

This may not be the 100% method some prefer but it's better than nothing and I feel it is safe enough. Even if one straggler survives its chances for long term survival are low as single strain ich has shown to die out within a year.

 

[Spar]

• The equipment, space, and time burden will be immense (especially for a 25g with just 4 fish) -- even after keeping the DT fallow and doing TTM for each 4 fish (1 by 1 as they're added), ANYTIME even a snail, shrimp, or coral frag is added throughout the years ahead, every single one will have to go through TTM to ensure it is not a 'carrier'
  

.

Just a reminder that TTM only works on fish, not inverts etc. Each of these would have to go through fallow instead.

I have followed all if this for 5 years and although i would rather not do this, it really hasn't been that bad. I just keep a separate fully running tank.

 

[laga77]

As I have stated in other threads. When you feed marine fish foods they were never intended to eat, like any terrestrial plant, or any highly processed food, their health will suffer. I do not believe that a natural diet is a miracle cure, but it is the best preventive measure that can be taken for the health of the fish. Along with good water conditions. Before you buy the can of pellets that have been sitting a shelf for the past year. Read the list of ingredients. Marine fish should not eat cornstarch and flour, and alfalfa, which is in a lot of pellet and flake foods. Stick with what they eat in nature and your odds of having healthy fish will increase.

 

[Bmwm235i]

I had ich and lost 2 fish. I decided to treat them with copper in qt. I let dt sit for 75 days, went 2 rounds of copper in qt. The garlic and Dr. G food I just didn't want the hassle... I didn't want to manage ich I wanted it out. I believe I'm 99.9% ich free.

 

[Drblakjak55]

Any data about ultraviolet light and prevention of ick outbreaks?

 

[ThRoewer]

Any data about ultraviolet light and prevention of ick outbreaks?

Yes, it won't work unless you spend a pretty penny on a huge pump and an even more massive UV system. And even that will just keep it in check but not prevent it.

UV is only useful to limit the spread of diseases in multi tank systems like you find at wholesalers or stores.