POLL: Is your tank ich free or do you live w/ ich and reduce stressors?

Is your tank ICH free or do you live w/ ich and reduce stressors?


  • Total voters
    25
  • Poll closed .

neptune

Non-member
Would like to understand:

A. how many people ensure that their display tank is ich free by QT and Treatment of all new fish. Leaving DT fallow for 10 weeks after an ich outbreak?

B. How many people just ensure tank parameters are good, feed with vitamins, and manage stress in the tank to help the fish fight off ich?

Neptune
 
I know I have Ich in my tank. I choose to make "Living Situation" in the tank favorable for my animals to fight and keep Ich abay... I run a 40W Aqua UV 24/7 since I had a horrible Ich outbreak a last year (lost all fish but one) and along with good pratices and husbandry I have seen Ich come and go on my Blue Hippo (only) twice since. It seemed to happen when I upgraded my tank, and when I introduced a new fish to the tank.

Higor
 
Ich free tank here.:)
No new fish in over 5 years now, and have never seen any signs of the parasite in this tank.
 
It would help if you said what you do then :)

I chose B, even though it is really neither. I QT all fish but do not prophylactically treat all fish for Ich. So I am somewhere in the middle.

I add fish that is already QT (by fellow reefers or by retailer)
 
I add fish that is already QT (by fellow reefers or by retailer)

QT, but do they prophylactically treat for Ich? If not, then you are in the same boat I am in (which is just fine IMO). In which case you would be option B.
 
Yes exactly the type of answers I wanted to see... I had been living w/ ich for 10 years in my DT and managing it... mostly. It seems new fish to the tank have the hardest time. But am thinking of as painful as it letting my DT be w/ out fish for 10 weeks... while I QT my only existing 3 fish for 10 week in hopes of having a completely ich free environment. Wondering if that is even possible with adding Inverts.. and coral?

Keep the answers coming please!

Neptune
 
IMO a big complicating factor to this discussion is that someone who has a very healthy, low stress tank may well have a very minimal infection and never see it. If you never see it, you have no way of knowing for sure it's NOT there.

On the other hand you have someone like me who went through the full treatment long ago, and who preventitively treats all new fish, but not corals or inverts. I never see any signs of ick, and I'd describe my system is healthy and low stress, but I have no way of knowing that I didn't bring something in that was stuck to a coral or snail - unless I have an outbreak and an infection does become apparent.

In the end, the only people who really know %100 are the ones who have an active infection, and then they know that they DO have it.

I'm pretty confident that my system is clean, but I can't prove it :(
 
My tank has gone through the stress of losing power for 3 days twice.
Only ran heater and a Ph through the outage.(Temp dropped below 70 deg.)

And the complete loss of all SPS due to a heater breaking.

Stress and no Ich. It's clean.

I will say I've seen tangs in a tank with no signs of having Ich break out,but can still tell something is wrong with the tank.
Sunken bellies and sickly looking fish. Ich still beats the crap out of the fish even when it's not present every day.
 
I'm in pretty much the same boat. I've had long power outages, I've neglected the tank at times, had overheating issues due to AC cutting out in the summer, but no amount of stress has brought on an ick outbreak. That leaves me feeling pretty confident that my system is clean, but I still can't prove it.
 
I'm in pretty much the same boat. I've had long power outages, I've neglected the tank at times, had overheating issues due to AC cutting out in the summer, but no amount of stress has brought on an ick outbreak. That leaves me feeling pretty confident that my system is clean, but I still can't prove it.

I guess same for me. I don't QT (and I realize the risks I am running), but I do spend time watching fish in an LFS before I buy.
I had a stressed new fish show signs of ICH shortly after introducing to the display a couple years back, but within 2 or 3 days it was gone, fish was healthy. Fish are like the Scott's lawn commercials... FEED IT!
 
I guess same for me. I don't QT (and I realize the risks I am running), but I do spend time watching fish in an LFS before I buy.
I had a stressed new fish show signs of ICH shortly after introducing to the display a couple years back, but within 2 or 3 days it was gone, fish was healthy. Fish are like the Scott's lawn commercials... FEED IT!

But in that case you do know it was introduced to your system. There is uncertainty for both of us, but without taking steps to eradicate it after introduction it's pretty safe to assume it IS present.
 
My question: So just QT a fish isn't enough if you want an rich free tank? you have to prophylactically treat for it? would you do this even if the fish isn't showing signs of rich while in QT or do you out them in, wait to see if there is an rich outbreak and then treat? my tank will be new and I plan to QT each fish for 2 weeks before entering my DT.
 
You only know it's clean if you treat. Ick definately can survive without showing symptoms.

It's all about the odds. How much of a gambler are you?
 
Props to u guys who have an Ich free tank. As far as I'm concerned, it's a losing battle. Not saying it's impossible to have an Ich free tank, but most tanks that are thought to be clean probably have it. I have given up on that a while ago.

Unless u are quarantining EVERYTHING! I mean rock, fish, coral, inverts, sand, corals....Everything that goes in to ur tank there is no guarantees what so ever.

For crying out loud, even the life span of this devilish Parasite has been argued. Some say there are different strands with different life cycles... all of a sudden, 10-12 weeks with out a host for this thing might not be enough anymore!

Not saying people shouldn't quarantine. There is more to that then just Ich.

But for me it's not worth it. Like I said before, I'm not a poster child when it comes to following procedures. And not the caution type by far, but I'm done trying to eradicate Ich. A few preventive measures and good practices have worked better than anything else in my case...

This argument will never cease, just like LEDs Vs. Metal Halides!!! :D:p


Higor

Sent from my Galaxy S4
 
I'm a firm believer that cryptocaryon (crypt) is in every tank. Ich is a freshwater parasite though it is sometimes called marine ich desiese. Crypt is always going to be there providing it has a host. Unless you have a fallow tank or a strict invert and coral only tank crypt(ich) is going to be present. The trick is you can go years or forever without seeing it as long as stress levels and fish health are at optimum levels. I'm talking about long term stress not a single stress act or a single power outage. That's only for a moment.

For instance when you add a new fish, that is continuous stress until it is aclimented to the tank over time. This adjustment period can cause the stress factor to allow fish to put their guard down and allow the parasite to take over.

When a fish is stressed, the slime coating that protects it from things like this is reduced making it vulnerable. I bet you I can go to any of your tanks that are claimed to be "ich" free and add a stress factor that is steady over time and you will we an ich out break which is also another cause for instant death syndrome.

Just my 2 cents.

:)
 
Yes marine ich is cryptocaryn irritans very few if any call it crypt. Or that's what we call it. It may be difficult to get an ich free tank it is not impossible and if it is not there then no stressful event can make it appear.
 
I'm a firm believer that cryptocaryon (crypt) is in every tank. Ich is a freshwater parasite though it is sometimes called marine ich desiese. Crypt is always going to be there providing it has a host. Unless you have a fallow tank or a strict invert and coral only tank crypt(ich) is going to be present. The trick is you can go years or forever without seeing it as long as stress levels and fish health are at optimum levels. I'm talking about long term stress not a single stress act or a single power outage. That's only for a moment.

For instance when you add a new fish, that is continuous stress until it is aclimented to the tank over time. This adjustment period can cause the stress factor to allow fish to put their guard down and allow the parasite to take over.

When a fish is stressed, the slime coating that protects it from things like this is reduced making it vulnerable. I bet you I can go to any of your tanks that are claimed to be "ich" free and add a stress factor that is steady over time and you will we an ich out break which is also another cause for instant death syndrome.

Just my 2 cents.

:)

If ick is not in the system in the first place it is impossible to have an outbreak regardless of any stressor. "ick is in every tank" is simply not true.
 
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