Ich in the wild
- Thread starter TankBuster
- Start date
And I wonder if birds die of old age. I never saw any dead at the bottom of a tree or just fall out of the sky, but anyways back to the question about ich in nature. Hope someone knows the answer.
Very few fish in running waters die from ich but those in small ponds sometimes do, especially overcrowded aquaculture ponds. Here is why, the life cycle of theich parasite means that the mature organism must dorp off the fish to reproduce , in currents and large bodies of water the fish and the new motile parasites are usually no longer in the same area so few parasites find hosts before they die, also there are myriad organisms like mysid shrimp, planaria, ameoba, and even daphia that will eat the free swimming parasites or even the encysted stage on the substrate, it is only in recycled and over crowded waters that you are likely to see a major infestation.
I dont think animals die of old age unless humans have anything to do with it.
Wouldnt a fish with ich in nature be preyed upon immediatley?
Wouldnt a fish with ich in nature be preyed upon immediatley?
Most fish carrying ich in the wild will only carry a few parasites, not enough to cause serious harm or effect predation, once the parasite load increases then yes, they get eaten