Ich Question

[AmberL]

Okay, so my LFS said that the tang I purchased will get ich "from time to time." Is this possible if I'm quarantining the fish before I place it in my display tank. How does ich just appear? Doesn't it have to be introduced to the system? If I QT all my fish, I don't see how it can appear and infect my tang "from time to time."

 

[btkrausen]

Correct, If you quarantine all your fish, and you don't have it already, your new tang won't get it. Ich won't just magically appear, it'll have to be brought in by an infected host(fish) or another means.

 

[AmberL]

Correct, If you quarantine all your fish, and you don't have it already, your new tang won't get it. Ich won't just magically appear, it'll have to be brought in by an infected host(fish) or another means.

Thanks!
What is "another means"? How else can it be introduced?

 

[btkrausen]

I've heard of it coming in on snails and stuff like that, which is why people say to even quarantine them if you can. Bad things can come in many different ways, say live rock, water from another tank, etc. If you quarantine, it should give you a very high level of confidence.

 

[JMSKI333]

i've heard of situations where someone put a tang in their tank, it got ich but none of the other tangs or other fish got ich. If you quarantine and keep healthy fish i.e. regular feeding and good water params then you have nothing to worry about. just like you, when your fish are healthy they are less likely to get diseases.

 

[btkrausen]

If that tang got ich, it means he had it when being introduced. Quarantine, hyposalinity, or copper are the only sure ways to prevent it. You CAN live with it, but take precautions so its not an issue. I'm going through the same thing right now on a brand new tank, in which I'm going to run hyposalinity. Trust me when I say its worth the effort to quarantine or treat the fish before putting in the display.