Anybody know about the ick cycle?

[Gr8KarmaSF]

If I introduced some new fish to my tank and the fish didnt have any visible signs of ick yet had it, how long would you say until it pops up?!?!?

 

[hayden]

it could be dorment for as long as you have the tank. i think

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

?

 

[Lupin]

it could be dorment for as long as you have the tank. i think

Hmmm..Dormant? Let's see these sites.
http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml

Only the trophont can persist "dormant" in the aquarium, though it's never free-living but always attached inconspicuously to a host, perhaps on a gill surface.

There is no "dormant" independent, long-term encysted life stage separate from a host fish for Ichthyophthirius multifiliis.

Ich myth. ...now you have no excuse for imagining that Ich has a dry spore stage that gets blown through the air and settles on the water, or that it can be transported in an aerosol mist or on a net that has air-dried overnight: "its spores are everywhere. in your tank. on your hands" writes a respected and usually knowledgable aquarist ...but you have no excuse for fearing that Ich is always lurking in your tank water, or even in your drinking water, or that it lies low in the gravel, dormant but just waiting for a cold spell to burst into action, etc etc... all Beemer: Bogus Misinformation Endlessly Repeated. Most Beemer isn't pure invention, but is based on some misinterpretation or mis-hearing of fact. If you keep a steady grip on the facts of Ichthyophthirius life stages, you may even be able to disentangle the particular misunderstanding that's at the root of each particular Ich myth.

It's possible that the myth of Ich "lying low" in the aquarium in an imagined "dormant" stage, may have come from confusing Ichthyophthirius multifiliis with a similar marine ciliate parasite called Cryptocaryon irritans. People like to call Cryptocaryon "Ich's marine counterpart." In marine aquaria, I'm told, Cryptocaryon (which means "hidden spore") can remain infective for up to thirty days, especially at low temperatures! If this is true, it's an insidious parasite, and much more difficult to eliminate than our familiar freshwater ciliate. But perhaps a habit of confusing the two--— by calling them each other's "counterparts"--— has helped create the myth of a counterpart "dormant" life stage for Ichthyophthirius multifiliis.

 

[Miguel]

fish do not transport the parasite unnoticed ( without it popping out through the skin ) for a long time. ( don't know exactly how long, depends on the temperature, I think ).

The point is that you can have ick in your tank, (i) in a dormant state, for months or ( ii) to which your healthy fish are "immune"( which in turn would lead to the parasite's death ( it does not survive for long in its free swimming stage ).

By putting a new fish, usually with a certain degree of stress and lower defenses, you can open the door to a new parasite spread. Fish gets infected by a free swimming parasite, out pop a lot more parasites ( white spots ) and while they are free swimming, in a bigger quantity, easily spread around a new wave of infection that may even afect your strong, incumbent, fish.

 

[Miguel]

if the thread above me is correct ( and it may well be, as I only had to fight ick in SW ) than I am wrong ( and learning )...

 

[Lupin]

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ich.php

I came into the research phase of this article with certain misconceptions about this parasite. It is a commonly held belief that the Ichthyophthirius organism is always present in your aquarium and needs only the right opportunity, such as stress resulting in a weakened immune function, to attack your fish. Surprisingly, I found no scientific data to support that claim. Credible sources state that there is no long-term dormant stage this parasite can exist in. While its lifecycle is longer at low temperatures (like that of an outdoor pond in a cooler climate), at average home aquarium temperatures this parasite would likely complete a lifecycle in less than a week. Considering that a single organism produces hundreds (if not thousands) of offspring, the logical question is “where would they all go?” Dr. Peter Burgess, writing for Practical Fishkeeping magazine (who also co-authored the book entitled A to Z of Tropical Fish Diseases and Health Problems), refers to the dormant concept as “rubbish.”

 

[Miguel]

as said...I may have lived by that "misconception"...

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

Lupin thanks for the info...

Mig - thanks for the replies!

 

[Miles]

THANK YOu now I dont have to re-post the article