Ick

[fishermann]

Many tanks run very happly with the parisite in them. I would bet alot, that way more tanks have it in them then are free of it. If your tank is in good shape and the fish are not sick from something else, you won't see an issue with ich. John

 

[steve-s]

Ok I have a question. If a tank has ick will it continue to spread until all fish are dead or can some fish survive for years after with no ill effect.:?:

As stated fish can develop a limited immunity but do not think the fish is impervious to it, quite the opposite. There is no telling what fish species will or won't. Some are more resistant but that's it. Even the healthiest well fed, stress free system can end up with a tank full of dead fish from C. irritans just the same as one that is not.

Immunity usually only lasts until something in the tank changes. Whether that be a temp drop, new addition (fish or otherwise), poor/fluctuating water quality, the wrong types of foods and so on. As for years, no that would not be true. The parasite itself can only replicate up to about 11 or so months. New strains would need to be continually introduced and I would be pretty confident the fish would lose.

 

[Paul B]

Steve, that is true about limited immunity and no fish is really 100% immune. I also know it is believed that they can only replicate so many times.
I can only go by my tank but I know there is always ich in there. I use NSW in the summer and I add fish, inverts etc. all the time. Some I give away when they get to large and some I take from the LFS with some malady to see if I can cure it then I may return it to the store.
I never advise people to do this, it is a recipe for disaster. My tank is used for experiments and if it gets ich than it gets it. For me it is all a learning experience and I don't get bent out of shape if something happens. I ran this tank for many years as a display tank like everyone else and it ran beautifully. Now I am at the point in my life where I take more chances and I just to experiment with new treatments, foods, rocks etc. Thats why I feed bananas mixed with plaster of paris to my moorish Idol and collect New York seaweed, sponge, amphipods, worms, snails etc.
Ich will wipe out most tanks in no time and quarintining is the best way to go. It is a pain but it works. If there is no ich in your tank, it can't infect the fish. Even if you quarintine you should strive to keep your fish in breeding condition. That is not as easy as it sounds. Fish are rarely in that condition in a tank. Besides proper water conditions (which will never be as good as the sea) we should investigate what our fish eat in the sea. They don't just eat mysis (they never eat mysis) they need a variety of fresh foods and not just fish fillets. They need to eat entire fish, heads and all which is the diet of most fish. They need seaweed, spinach is not seaweed, they need plankton, flake food with shrimp added is not plankton. All of these foods can be purchased frozen and they need a variety of these foods. If you can't get the proper food for a certain fish, get a different fish.
Fish in breeding condition will be more "immune" from ich and anything else.
Have a great day.
Paul