What is Ich?
- Thread starter laxzach
- Start date
fishieness
Active Member
ick is a type of external parasite. It is an invert, that during times of weakened immune systems, are able to latch onto fish and suck their blood much like a tick or a flea would. As the fish's slime coat diminishes, they are able to attach between scales. Once they get larger, they will drop off and reproduce, forming many many more. This cycle repeats until either all the ich is dead (by means of hyposalinity or copper treatments) or it has killed all the fish. yes, they do kill the fish since their numbers get so great. it will look like tiny salt crystals on your fish.
promisetbg
Active Member
Actually as well as what you said...there is another paradox to cryptocaryon irritans{ich}Ich really does not want to kill it's host{fish}..it needs it to survive. It can often go unnoticed in a system, as it will get on the fish and off without much harm to the fish.This is why you hear people say"but I have'nt added anything to the tank in a year!".It's when a stressor becomes too much for the fish, the fish loses it's slime coat,and the ich attacks in greater numbers. There are different stages to it's life cycle, including one where it is on surface,rocks,substrate,etc. The only way to "kill it off" in the tank is to starve it out with no fish for 6-8 weeks.
promisetbg
Active Member
It comes in with fish, corals or inverts kept in systems that have it or straight from the ocean with it.. It is a parasite. I see you live in Orlando,do you come to Sea In The City?
promisetbg
Active Member
That explains the question. You should consider driving across town...worth the trip.
fishieness
Active Member
there are some mericale cures, but non have realy been proven. Hyposalnity would work, but they will kill all other inverts, and could affect the bacteria on your lf and such, kill off your pods, ect. It is recomended to be done in a seperate tank, while letting the ich starve in your display. Garlic foods like using garlic extream and garlic guard suposedly help in preventing it. but once again, not proven, just observed. But if it doesnt work, it still has some good vitamins.
fishieness
Active Member
Originally Posted by rs1831
Do cleaner shrimp help out at all with ich?
cleaner shrimp wil help controlt he problem by picking off a lot of the ick on fish. but not all fish will accept a cleaning. and also, is any ich gets to dropp off, it will reproduce, so the cleaner would have to pick it off as soon as it attaches. But even if cleaner shrimp could irradicate ich form our tanks, there still is the problem that enabled the ich to take control. A fish who contracts ich usualy is already stressed, often from switching tanks after purchasing. Or also form bad water quality, and the factor which breeds members of groups like the tang-police, small tanks. lol.
Do cleaner shrimp help out at all with ich?
cleaner shrimp wil help controlt he problem by picking off a lot of the ick on fish. but not all fish will accept a cleaning. and also, is any ich gets to dropp off, it will reproduce, so the cleaner would have to pick it off as soon as it attaches. But even if cleaner shrimp could irradicate ich form our tanks, there still is the problem that enabled the ich to take control. A fish who contracts ich usualy is already stressed, often from switching tanks after purchasing. Or also form bad water quality, and the factor which breeds members of groups like the tang-police, small tanks. lol.