How many QT new or sick fish for ich?

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Yeah this was the kind of stuff I was interested in.

It really is just curiousity for me. I have found whats working for me and will keeping doing what Im doing but I find it an interesting topic.

I used to stress so much about trying to make sure my tanks were ich free, pull the fish out and QT them, hypo, copper whatever. I lost a lot of fish. I stopped with all that and accepted the fact that my tanks will have ich and focused instead on keeping the fish happy and not one fish has died in that time.

I am by no means saying everyone should have that attitude or that QT is a waste of time but thats just whats working for me.

I do freshwater dips on some fish that are prone to flukes and if I find flukes, I do QT until they are gone. I have had very bad luck dealing with flukes. I find ich a lot more manageable...

[Patrice]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

I also kind of wonder how the myth that a fallow tank with have no ich after 6-8 weeks??? I did a search on google scholar a while back and there was a study where ich lived for almost 3 months without a host and then they stopped the study. They don't even know how long that strain was going to make it with NO FISH. So treating for 8 weeks and then putting the fish back in the tank may not do a thing. It will get the numbers of ich way down but not necessarily eliminate it.

Quarantine can only help. That I am sure. However, what GreenSpottedPuffer said about QT time is interesting. For how long do you QT your fish? If what he said is right, my QT give me nothing.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Patrice

Quarantine can only help. That I am sure. However, what GreenSpottedPuffer said about QT time is interesting. For how long do you QT your fish? If what he said is right, my QT give me nothing.

Well QT always does something and always helps. My belief is that it gives the fish a chance to get strong and healthy enough not keep ich away.

The point was that if you do a quick search with google scholar, you can find all kinds of studies where ich lived without a host for longer than 6 weeks...in one it was almost 3 months and then they stopped the experiment. So I was saying in that case, your tank may still not be ich free even after going through all the pain of QT for 8 weeks. I hear it quite often..."I had my tank fishless for 8 weeks and I still get ich"...thats because ich can live longer without a host. I am not sure where the 8 week thing came from. I assume most will die after 6-8 weeks without a host.

[my2rotties]

How do we know it does not live inside a fish's stomach much like a tapeworm? Could ick be ingested and lie dormant inside the host to be expelled in feces. I did some research and found nothing to confirm or dismiss the theory. Maybe they attach to food when they are mobile and just wait it out inside the fish. I could explain why it seems to show up for no reason at all sometimes. There are many insect larvae or eggs that can stay dormant for years or decades and appear when conditions are just right.

I'm just grasping at straws and thinking aloud I suppose.

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

Actually something else that has been kind of brought up is quarantine tanks and hospital tanks--different things. My QT tank (rubbermaid) is full of LR, macro algae, crabs, ect. My hospital tank is a different rubbermaid that stays dry in case I need it.

I use 40G rubbermaids since I find them a bit easier to have around than a 40G tank and IMO a 10G is WAY too small to QT most any fish.

I also keep a sponge in my DT sump that can be used in the hospital tank as a filter if needed. If you do this though, make sure you "rinse" out the sponge every now and then (I do it every water change) to make sure it doesn't accumulate detritus and large amounts of bacteria that will lead to high nitrates. You just need it to have enough bacteria to keep a hospital tank cycled...although most meds will kill the filter anyways

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

Well QT always does something and always helps. My belief is that it gives the fish a chance to get strong and healthy enough not keep ich away.

The point was that if you do a quick search with google scholar, you can find all kinds of studies where ich lived without a host for longer than 6 weeks...in one it was almost 3 months and then they stopped the experiment. So I was saying in that case, your tank may still not be ich free even after going through all the pain of QT for 8 weeks. I hear it quite often..."I had my tank fishless for 8 weeks and I still get ich"...thats because ich can live longer without a host. I am not sure where the 8 week thing came from. I assume most will die after 6-8 weeks without a host.

[Slick Fork]

Could you please point us to where you found the article stating Ich can live without a host for 3 months? Here is what I base my quarantine practices on

http://atj.net.au/marineaquaria/marineich.html

I like this site because it cites SCIENTIFIC studies from multiple sources. I don't mean to be rude, but "I read somewhere..." just doesn't cut it. Without backup in the form of sources/research, all it is is an opinion. I googled Marine Ich and couldn't find a single site agreeing with your 3 month hypothesis.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Slick Fork

Could you please point us to where you found the article stating Ich can live without a host for 3 months? Here is what I base my quarantine practices on

http://atj.net.au/marineaquaria/marineich.html

I like this site because it cites SCIENTIFIC studies from multiple sources. I don't mean to be rude, but "I read somewhere..." just doesn't cut it. Without backup in the form of sources/research, all it is is an opinion. I googled Marine Ich and couldn't find a single site agreeing with your 3 month hypothesis.

Are you on google scholar? I am not going to go back through the studies I looked at but if you go on RC and ask you will find someone I am sure who can point you to the exact one.

"I don't mean to be rude" but Take it or leave it...I don't care if it cuts it or not for you. Its a study that I believe was done a few years back and that was on of the findings. Think whatever you may, doesn't matter to me.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Slick Fork

Could you please point us to where you found the article stating Ich can live without a host for 3 months? Here is what I base my quarantine practices on

http://atj.net.au/marineaquaria/marineich.html

I like this site because it cites SCIENTIFIC studies from multiple sources. I don't mean to be rude, but "I read somewhere..." just doesn't cut it. Without backup in the form of sources/research, all it is is an opinion. I googled Marine Ich and couldn't find a single site agreeing with your 3 month hypothesis.

FWIW, most of this is from the mid 90's. Many new strains of ich have been found since then. And no, I am not going to find you a link to prove that. You can do a search