Does Ich stay dormant?

[migston]

Just a question. Suppose you've got fish that appear to be ich free for over 4-6 weeks. Is there still a chance that the fish could possibly be carriers for ich? Like say that during those first few weeks they were stressed very little and happy which didn't allow the parasite to take over. Would there be any chance of the parasite showing itself if they got stressed at a later time or is it completely gone?
As in, if they don't attack in the first month or so, are you all clear?
I ask because I didn't quarantine the first fish I placed in the tank. All appear to be doing fine and eating well at the two and a half week mark. I plan to quarantine any new additions, but I would feel dumb to eradicate ich via QT and hyposalinity on the new fish if my old fish are somehow still carrying it. Thanks!

 

[migston]

Doh! I meant to post this in the disease forum. I had been looking through posts by doing a search on ich and assumed that the thread I was reading was in said forum. Mods feel free to move it if need be.

 

[alison]

:happyfish Hi, there is SOOO much debate about that question. I've read both ways. I personally believe the opinion that you can mostly eradicate ick. I myself went through a crapy ordeal about 4 months ago. I stupidly didn't qt 1 small butterfly fish before I introduced the fish to my fish only 60 gal. Within 2 weeks all the fish got ick, and were 100% ick free for 2 years prior to that. So then I let the main tank run fallow, and set up an extra qt tank below the main one and ran with the fish in qt for 8 weeks. I since then have not had one problem. The butterfly perished about 2 weeks after I got him from the ick. By the way, he didn't have any visible ick on him when I bought him, but in the early stages you can't tell.
If I were you, I would qt the new fish now, before it looks like it has ick. You could be fine, but the way most lfs stores do their filtration is an open setup that one filter filters all the tanks so if one fish has it most get it too. Once a fish with ick has it, within a week it will show, and within about another week the systs on the body will hatch, and release into the water column, and attach to anything hard, glass, rock, fish, crushed coral, etc.. You probably can still prevent an outbreak now if you qt NOW. Take it from me, you don't want to go through what I went through. Good luck, and I hope and pray you don't get ick, but prepare., ali

 

[migston]

I haven't bought any new fish and don't plan to for another few weeks. Are you advising that I move my current inhabitants in the main tank to a QT? I'm setting one up now for the future additions but would it really be necessary for my current fish who appear to be healthy?
I'm thinking I'll just keep a close eye on my current fish and if they show signs of ich then I'll move them, do hypo and all that good stuff and leave the main tank without fish for six weeks. But is it worth it to stress them out by moving them?
Back to the main question though. Suppose four weeks come and go and my fish show no signs of ich. Am I in the clear or could it possibly pop up down the road due to say the stress of adding new (QTed) fish?

 

[alison]

:happyfish Sorry I thought you said you just got a new fish you didn't qt. Ya, leave em in the tank, and set up a qt when you before you get another, to minimize the risk of ick in the future.
I don't think you are ever in the clear 100%. You just minimize the risk with a qt., ali

 

[migston]

Originally posted by alison
I don't think you are ever in the clear 100%. You just minimize the risk with a qt., ali
So this hobby is basically about success through constant paranoia I guess? LOL
Thanks for the input.