Hypothetical scenario

[sssnake]

Just trying to get a grasp of this ich thing. Picture this:

TANK A:
Brand new tank straight from the manufacturer. Tank is thoroughly cleaned to a sterile (if you may) condition. The tank is then filled with water (RO/DI). Nothing is placed in the tank in terms of sand or rock. Bare bottom! Powerheads are placed in, heater and filter. All equipment entering the tank water is brand spanking new! Tank fully cycles with let's say a damsel. The damsel is removed and the tank is left fish-less for as long as it takes ich to die (disappear completely) ... say, I don't know, 2 months. No host...no ich, right?

TANK B:
Fully established tank running for 5 years. From this tank we remove a completely healthy fish, never had any issue with any disease especially ich. We place this fish in TANK A.

Is it possible for this healthy fish to get ich, and if yes, where did the ich come from?

[inwall75]

Originally Posted by sssnake

Just trying to get a grasp of this ich thing. Picture this:

TANK A:
Brand new tank straight from the manufacturer. Tank is thoroughly cleaned to a sterile (if you may) condition. The tank is then filled with water (RO/DI). Nothing is placed in the tank in terms of sand or rock. Bare bottom! Powerheads are placed in, heater and filter. All equipment entering the tank water is brand spanking new! Tank fully cycles with let's say a damsel. The damsel is removed and the tank is left fish-less for as long as it takes ich to die (disappear completely) ... say, I don't know, 2 months. No host...no ich, right?

TANK B:
Fully established tank running for 5 years. From this tank we remove a completely healthy fish, never had any issue with any disease especially ich. We place this fish in TANK A.

Is it possible for this healthy fish to get ich, and if yes, where did the ich come from?

Yes.
The fish from tank B.

[sssnake]

Thanks Curt.

You mean the parasite has been living on/in the fish for all this time and only showed itself now?

[inwall75]

MANY tanks have Ich but their fish are being fed well and aren't stressed so you don't think they are fighting off Ich but they are. (Most humans are fighting off something 24/7 too....we just don't know it).

Want to see how easy this can get out of control? Here's another scenario.

Tank A has no Ich. It can be proven scientifically even. You buy a fish that was not only quarantined with hyposalinity, it's also been treated with copper. No Ich on the fish either....it can be proven scientifically.

One of your buddies is running out of room in his reef tank and asks you if you would like his Zoanthid rock because they've run out of room in their tank and they bought a new coral. You obviously say yes.

Did you just introduce Ich into your tank? Possibly. They have a lifecycle and they don't always live on fish. They could easily arrive on that zoanthid rock.

CLICK FOR BIGGER PICTURE

[djnzlab1]

HI,
I bought my first tang, he looked very healthy no eveifence of ICK, he stayed in isolationtank for a while and stil managed to intraduce ICk to my system.
Some experts feel that healthy fish can develope a immunity to ich, and otheres are more suseptable, in my case tangs and coral beauty angels.
What worked for me was that Kordon ICh attack treatment it mostly organic and seems to improve the health of the fish and inverts without poisioning your corals with copper ., I did loose a couple fish but 90% made it and seem ick free todate.
Doug
PS it really churns up the skimmers I tried to turn them off a couple hours a day, and it would still fill up with smelly skim daily. This treatment is very slow to show effect mine took easily amonth to irradicate ick most like due to that life cycle thing I believe it kills the free swimming larva, may be useful for that dreaded clown fish disease.

Kordon Ich Attack Disease Inhibitor - 16oz (Saltwater Aquarium Supplies > Medications > Parasites )


my expert PHD at the LPS uses it in his large scale systems that have numerous tanks running off shared sumps, this breaks the cycle, without killing the bacteria , inverts, corals.

[sssnake]

Thanks.

Ok....let's take it a step further. Forget the rock from the buddy. You put nothing else in the tank...nothing. Will this fish be prone to Ich?

[inwall75]

Originally Posted by sssnake

Thanks.

Ok....let's take it a step further. Forget the rock from the buddy. You put nothing else in the tank...nothing. Will this fish be prone to Ich?

Certain species of fish are more prone to Ich than others. However, if a fish from Tank B was guaranteed to not have Ich and you did not add any LR, sand, anything to Tank A, it will not get Ich. The only way it could get Ich is if it is later introduced to the system.

As an example....you aren't going to get Malaria unless you get stung by a mosquito that carries that virus.

[sssnake]

That's what I figured......thanks again Curt.

[Tangster]

I think ich should be called Elvis its everywhere.. I still say its always present in every system.. I have had tanks to run yrs nothing add only thing was corals where punned and trimmed and after 4 or 5 yrs since the last new anything was added Baam It was ich on several of the fish..

I just turned the heat up to 80-82 and added several air stones to the sump and it was gone in a few days and not seen again until last October my son called to say it was back! that was 3 yrs after the last out break. same cure worked again..

Stress was the only cause then also He went away for the weekend and let the A/C on 78F ): tank got to oxygen depleted I think.. To me ich is like a cold stress and lowered immune system and we get a cold and fish get a Elvis.. Oh I mean Ich.

[sssnake]

Originally Posted by Tangster

.. I still say its always present in every system..

Would Ich be present in this specific scenario, and if so, HOW??