Wow, there sure are a lot of good ole hobby related wives tales running in this topic.
First, I would not consider the so-called maintenance method as an ich treatment. Basically, in this situation, the very best you can hope for is keeping the parasite in relative check; meaning that, while the parasite is present and infecting fish, it doesn't overwhelm the fish. All fish introduced in to such a tank, will inevitably contract the parasite. Any small incident in the tank, such as temperature variation, drop in pH, laxity in water quality, etc., etc., will, more likely than not, result in an all-out ich infestation, and, since the fish are already weakened due to "being maintained with ich," they will very likely succumb in a nasty and devasting way.
QT is stressful and worse then the disease? WOW. I haven't heard that one in a good long while. The point to a QT is to use it before your fish ever get into your display tank. For the most part, you can avoid all parasitic infestations by quarantining first. Avoiding parasitic infestations is most of the battle when it comes to fish diseases. Anything else, such as bacterial and viral infections, can best be handled through good tank and fish husbandry.
Raising the water temperature does nothing to treat ich. Nothing. In order to eradicate ich via raising water temperature, the hobbyist would have to raise it enough to kill off everything in the tank. Raising the temp (without killing the fish or the parasite) will accelerate the life cycle of ich, making the actual treatment a possibility a bit sooner, and relieving your fish of attached parasites a bit sooner. This never works without adequate ich treatment, such as hyposalinity or copper. Raising temp can also create other problems, such as those already mentioned in this topic.
While everyone is entitled to their opinion, and are free to share their opinion here at SWF.com, don’t be shocked when others, who know what they are talking about, refute that opinion. Hobbyists who come to this forum with fish disease problems are usually in crisis mode with their fish tanks and diseased fish. They want and need to get viable answers and solutions. Just like I know you want to get that kind of help when you are dealing with a hobby crisis that you can’t handle on your own. So, if you give bad advice, you may find someone who will correct you. My hope is that all of that exchange will occur in a courteous and respectful manner. We are here to share and learn from each other. That exchange among follow hobbyists is one of the best aspects of this hobby.
In this situation, it is easy enough to set up a cheap QT using a rectangular Rubbermaid to the size you need which you can get from Home Depot. Since it’s “crisis” uncycled QT, your only viable option is hyposalinity. Expect to spend a lot of time taking care of the QT. In my view, reef tanks MUST have QT’s to support it. Otherwise, you will inevitably have to deal with this kind of scenario. You can bite the bullet and deal with this nightmare as I suggested, or you can let fate take its course.
