Another Ich question

CristinaNTimothy · Feb 5, 2024

Im almost ready to start cycling my new setup but I have been holding off until I get a little more informed about problems that will arise and the how to deal with it. That said I have set up a QT tank because I want to start off down a correct path (IMHO) so i have the best chance of success later on. either way the question is this, If i qt everything, Inverts and corals included and medicate, and let's say there is absolutely no ich or such that ends up in the DT can ich still present itself through a fish that had no ich when placed in the DT? It may be a silly question but I have read that stress causes ich, some say that it is a stress ich but in essence i've read that it's still a parasite, so is it possible that ich may still present itself on its own by the type of fish introduced?

The main reason for the question is due to my love with tangs, I know that PBT, PBT and such are ich magnets and i would love to add then once everything else is introduced already. So would I be best to just avoid these due to their stress by nature? or there ich proneness? or if qt properly and for some reason they do get stressed they wouldn't get ich because there is no ich present to begin with?

My apologies for the question if it doesn't make sense or if it is silly i just really find this to be a legitimate concern for the direction that i would like to take.

Thank you kindly all and have a great day.

ISpeakForTheSeas · Feb 5, 2024

If you properly medicate all of the fish and properly QT everything else (i.e. if you keep everything else in a fishless tank for 60-76 days), then, no - ich cannot just appear from nowhere in the tank.

So, if your PBT gets stressed while there's no ich in the tank as a result of proper quarantine, medication, and biosecurity practices, then ich will not appear on the tang no matter how stressed it gets.

When people talk about "stress ich" what they're really talking about is that, when provided excellent care and an environment conducive to good health, fish that do have ich (which is a parasite, Cryptocaryon irritans) will appear perfectly healthy (i.e. they won't appear to have ich - they would be asymptomatic). When something stresses these already sick but asymptomatic fish, their immune systems weaken, and the ich seems to appear from nowhere (i.e. they become symptomatic). In reality, the ich was there the whole time, basically just waiting for a chance to break through.

Current Quarantine Protocol

I am using copper power. So adding bottled bacteria would not have a negative effect? Would adding some developed media from my DT do the same thing? Thank you! If you can add developed media from your main tank, that is always better than relying on bottled bacteria (those products sometimes...

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