I agree with MrsE88, there are numerous pathogens, parasites, viruses, that can be introduced from a newly acquired fish, besides just ich.
when quarantine is pointless?
- Thread starter overdrive
- Start date
And I concur with the others, quarantine is not just about ick, and those few few spots could be something other than ick.
I have never found that heat alone cures ick, heat speeds up the ick life cycle, But some forms of ick enjoy heat.
Most research has been done on temperate forms from N America, and Europe, but ick is common in desert waters, tropical waters too, and many of those can get quite warm.
If an Acolapia species is imported from Lake Natron or a desert kill fish (where average water temp is above 90'F) infected with ick, do you suppose that strain will die at temps of 86'F?
Certain stages of ick are only vulnerable when off the fish, and then, only when osmotic pressure (due to salinity above 3 ppt of some other metallic treatment like malachite green) causes them to implode.
Certain bacterial species procreate wildly, and become most virulent at water temps above 82'F.
The lesions left on a fish that has been infected with ick become perfect spots for bacteria that love higher temps to take hold.
When I was a microbiologist we incubated certain bacterial plates of 98'F (35'C) (some species higher, some a little over), the warmer they were, the faster they spread.
I have never found that heat alone cures ick, heat speeds up the ick life cycle, But some forms of ick enjoy heat.
Most research has been done on temperate forms from N America, and Europe, but ick is common in desert waters, tropical waters too, and many of those can get quite warm.
If an Acolapia species is imported from Lake Natron or a desert kill fish (where average water temp is above 90'F) infected with ick, do you suppose that strain will die at temps of 86'F?
Certain stages of ick are only vulnerable when off the fish, and then, only when osmotic pressure (due to salinity above 3 ppt of some other metallic treatment like malachite green) causes them to implode.
Certain bacterial species procreate wildly, and become most virulent at water temps above 82'F.
The lesions left on a fish that has been infected with ick become perfect spots for bacteria that love higher temps to take hold.
When I was a microbiologist we incubated certain bacterial plates of 98'F (35'C) (some species higher, some a little over), the warmer they were, the faster they spread.
That is a good point. Thankfully at the moment the ich seems to be responding to 86f heat, as well as the Ich Attack I added to both tanks - or at least there are no longer any visible cysts on the fish that I can see.
As a normal part of the ick life cycle, each cyst (each white spot on the fish) releases a number of (up to 100) new microscopic young ick. These each have the ability to latch onto any fish in the tank, and are also not always initially visible. This is why just because spots are gone, it is advised to continue treatment. If even 1 of those young ick is resistant to a certain form of treatment, the ick cycle can start again.
Your heat may have sped up the cycle enough so that the "ick Attack", may have lysed them all. But don't stop the meds, just in case one made it onto a fish. When on the fish, the fishes own slime coat protects the protozoa from the effect of meds.
It's only when the ick is hatching off the fish that the meds are effective.
Your heat may have sped up the cycle enough so that the "ick Attack", may have lysed them all. But don't stop the meds, just in case one made it onto a fish. When on the fish, the fishes own slime coat protects the protozoa from the effect of meds.
It's only when the ick is hatching off the fish that the meds are effective.
Yeah, I’m definitely not stopping medication, I’m just hoping that it’s not the previously mentioned heat-loving species due to its reaction to the heat thus far.
Hello; This! If the main tank has ick then that must be treated for sure but the new fish can have something else.
Even if the new fish does indeed have ick a time is QT is not a waste. There can be secondary issues.
Also I have had tanks get cold before and no outbreak of the ick parasite. Had power off a few days one winter. Could only keep house temp in the low 50's F. tanks got cold but no ick. If the parasite is not present then clod cannot generate it has been my take.
I’m not claiming the cold magically makes ich appear in the tank, I think they were already infected and the stress of a sudden temperature drop caused the outbreak.
