- Location
- Montclair, NJ
I have been asked a lot lately about ich and other parasites and what to do to prevent outbreaks. The easiest thing for me to do was answer all of the questions here in one write-up.
MYTHS!!!!!!
The biggest mistake hobbyist make is thinking they don't have ich or other parasites because they "can't see it". Sight is not a good indicator whether a fish or coral is carrying parasites. I've also heard people say I haven't had ich for years so I do not have it.
Another myth is because the fish was taken from a system with copper it has to be ich free. Unfortunately this is not the case. #1 the copper ratio has to be at a specific level for a certain amount of time to kill off the ich. You can introduce a fish into a system with copper and sell it two days later and it will still be carrying!!! #2 most medications require a fish to be in copper for at least two weeks. Every time a new fish is introduced to the system, the cycle starts over again.
Why are these myths?
Well for many parasites, you only see them when they reach epidemic levels and begin to overwhelm a fish. This could be due to stress of a specific fish or a new host that creates a population boom for the parasites. For anyone who keeps reptiles what I am about to write will sound familiar. Reptiles in the wild carry parasites for their entire life. The parasites are barely noticed by the reptile as there are many sufficient hosts in the wild so there is a balanced equilibrium between the host and the parasite. If you take one of those reptiles and enclose them in a glass box (tank), in time, they will be completely overwhelmed by parasites and begin to weaken as the parasites have only one sufficient host. During that process, either the host (the reptile) dies or the parasite population reaches an equilibrium by die off that sustains their life and no longer overwhelms their host and they live on. Unfortunately, more often than not, the host dies before equilibrium is reached.
Same thing happens in our fish tanks. Keeping to ich, healthy fish will fight ich off and keep the balance in check (Never does it completely disappear on its own). Introduce a fish who is easily stressed or causes stress to another fish already in the tank and boom, the equilibrium is offset and ich begins to populate much faster than the other fish can fight off. Even the healthiest of fish become overwhelmed in these circumstances.
How can parasites like ich be transferred to your tank?
The obvious way is by introducing fish that are carrying it which IMO is almost all fish that have not been treated specifically to rid them of parasites. A not-so obvious way is through water transfer. Water transferred using nets from tanks infected with parasites, water transfer through corals being introduced to the tank or even live rock and sand.
What can you do?
Be careful when you introduce anything to your tank :duh:. Make sure your system is QT'd and that everything you add to it has been QT'd. It sounds a lot easier to do than it is. As many people have cautioned on this board, it is much better to take your time setting up a new marine system. Let the tank run for two months before you introduce fish. QT all fish before you add them to your tank (many methods for this). Dip all of your corals and try not to add any water from another persons system. If you want to add new rock or sand make sure you have it running in a tub for at least six weeks to kill off any fish-hosting parasites.
I know I wrote this quickly but I wanted to throw this out there for people to keep in mind. It benefits us and the fish to be aware. If you have any questions post here and I'll try to respond. I'm sure knowledgeable members and the mods will chime in as well.
Hopefully I answered most of the questions sent my way
MYTHS!!!!!!
The biggest mistake hobbyist make is thinking they don't have ich or other parasites because they "can't see it". Sight is not a good indicator whether a fish or coral is carrying parasites. I've also heard people say I haven't had ich for years so I do not have it.
Another myth is because the fish was taken from a system with copper it has to be ich free. Unfortunately this is not the case. #1 the copper ratio has to be at a specific level for a certain amount of time to kill off the ich. You can introduce a fish into a system with copper and sell it two days later and it will still be carrying!!! #2 most medications require a fish to be in copper for at least two weeks. Every time a new fish is introduced to the system, the cycle starts over again.
Why are these myths?
Well for many parasites, you only see them when they reach epidemic levels and begin to overwhelm a fish. This could be due to stress of a specific fish or a new host that creates a population boom for the parasites. For anyone who keeps reptiles what I am about to write will sound familiar. Reptiles in the wild carry parasites for their entire life. The parasites are barely noticed by the reptile as there are many sufficient hosts in the wild so there is a balanced equilibrium between the host and the parasite. If you take one of those reptiles and enclose them in a glass box (tank), in time, they will be completely overwhelmed by parasites and begin to weaken as the parasites have only one sufficient host. During that process, either the host (the reptile) dies or the parasite population reaches an equilibrium by die off that sustains their life and no longer overwhelms their host and they live on. Unfortunately, more often than not, the host dies before equilibrium is reached.
Same thing happens in our fish tanks. Keeping to ich, healthy fish will fight ich off and keep the balance in check (Never does it completely disappear on its own). Introduce a fish who is easily stressed or causes stress to another fish already in the tank and boom, the equilibrium is offset and ich begins to populate much faster than the other fish can fight off. Even the healthiest of fish become overwhelmed in these circumstances.
How can parasites like ich be transferred to your tank?
The obvious way is by introducing fish that are carrying it which IMO is almost all fish that have not been treated specifically to rid them of parasites. A not-so obvious way is through water transfer. Water transferred using nets from tanks infected with parasites, water transfer through corals being introduced to the tank or even live rock and sand.
What can you do?
Be careful when you introduce anything to your tank :duh:. Make sure your system is QT'd and that everything you add to it has been QT'd. It sounds a lot easier to do than it is. As many people have cautioned on this board, it is much better to take your time setting up a new marine system. Let the tank run for two months before you introduce fish. QT all fish before you add them to your tank (many methods for this). Dip all of your corals and try not to add any water from another persons system. If you want to add new rock or sand make sure you have it running in a tub for at least six weeks to kill off any fish-hosting parasites.
I know I wrote this quickly but I wanted to throw this out there for people to keep in mind. It benefits us and the fish to be aware. If you have any questions post here and I'll try to respond. I'm sure knowledgeable members and the mods will chime in as well.
Hopefully I answered most of the questions sent my way
