can ich travel on LR?

[reavely]

I went to the LFS today and saw a really nice piece of rock, as I was about to get it weighed and purchase it, I noticed the tank below it had two tangs that were covered in ich cysts (this tank and three others, including the one the rock came from, are on a single sump system). Horrified, and being in the 4th week of ridding my DT of ich, I didn't buy the rock because I was afraid that it would reintroduce ich into my now (hopefully) ich free DT. CAN ich travel on LR? how could I make sure (regardless of who I am buying from) that LR isn't bringing nasties into my DT? I can't put it in the QT since I've used copper there. Any suggestions?
ON another note, the Xenia in my DT is thriving and has branched out and attached itself to an adjacent rock. The stem leading to this new atttachment from the old base seems to be thinning out. Will the new branch attachment sever itself from the original base? If I wanted to spread the Xenia around my tank, how do I separate the two attachments - the LFS guy said to "just separate them with a razor" OUCH! is that the way it's done? if so is there anything I should give the poor wounds to help them heal?

 

[michaeltx]

I would say that it is a possibility ich has 3 different stages of life larval-free floating- and what we see on the fish. I would assume that in one of the first 2 stages that it can stay on or in the rock for a while but I dont know for sure.
if its a rock that you want then you can get it and put it in a 5 gallon bucket with heat and PH for a few days ( not sure of the cycle of ich though) until you know that it is clean and then place in the tank.
but this is just a guess though I really dont know but wouldnt take the chance myself if it has the possibility of ich traveling into your system.
than again this may be way off base ;-Þ
IMO
Mike

 

[wrassecal]

It is my understanding that ich must have a fish to host. That is why it is recommended to keep your tank fishless for 30 days minimum after an ich outbreak. You might want to post your question in the disease forum as well. Beth and TerryB are absolute geniuses when it comes to ich. HTH

 

[dreeves]

If you purchased the rock which was exposed to the parasite in the drop off stage, or in the free floating stage within a given time, you certainly could introduce it into your tank from the rock.
A host is simply a portion of the Cryptocaryon life cycle. The remaining 2 stages (as mentioned above) are where the concern would be.

 

[krishj39]

dreeves is correct. It is possible for LR to carry ich into the tank. The reason we are supposed to keep the tank fish free for 30 days after an ich outbreak is because that's how long it takes for the ich to die off in the sand and rocks. So, if the rock was recently exposed to ich, it almost certainly still carries some of it alive.

 

[wrassecal]

That certainly makes sense and and also makes me wonder about buying live rock. LFS's usually have tanks plumbed together, so we could conceivably at any given time pick a piece that was carrying ich. I have never thought to ask about that kind of thing and I usually pick my lr from tanks that have fish.