How many QT new or sick fish for ich?

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Over the years I have tried it all...QT everything that goes in the tank from corals to fish to LR...still would get ich. I have tried QTing nothing...of course I got ich. I have tried only QTing new fish for a week to make sure they don't have anything too nasty but if its just a bit of ich, then let them into the display to fight it off...this has worked the best along with heavy feedings three times a day with many vitamins and garlic.

I have found QT to sometimes be way more stressful than letting fish fight off ich. Actually I have had ich in my tanks for a few years now but only ever lost a fish in QT and never in the display. Every fish I have left to fight off ich has made it. So I am wondering what most people are doing? I ask people all the time at my LFS and most say the same thing...no matter what they do, their fish show signs of ich once a month or once a year or today someone told me that after never adding anything new to the tank for two years, ich all of a sudden showed up which I guess means its been there in some form for a while. Just not seen.

As for QTing sick fish, I have stopped unless the ich is out of control. If it does get bad then I do hypo for 2 weeks and put them back to fight the rest off. Hypo has failed me way too many times even when going as low as 1.008 SG for 8 weeks! So I only like hypo to let the fish get "ahead" of the parasites but never again as a long term treatment.

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.

I think a lot of people just don't want to admit they let their fish live with ich but in many cases (like mine) other than a few spots every few months, you would never know they have it...no flashing, itching, gasping, ect.

Strong fish, good diet and great water quality=No dead fish IMO.


Whats your opinon/practice when it comes to dealing with ich? I am not looking for advice...just very curious.