SaltISlife
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So for years ive been reaearching marine ich. Reading what humblfish and others have wrote. The published papers from decades ago (seems no one really cares to study this parasite but just a select few even though it causes tens of millions of dollars in damage due to fish deaths around the world in aquariums.
Most if not all the publications have focused on salinity and the life cycle of the parasite and how long it takes to encyst how big they are and so forth. And 90% of these studies seem to be in cold water. And what i consider cold is like 76 or so and under.
Only one published paper showed the temperature at which ich dies in one hour and i believe it was 104f.
None of these papers from what ive seen studied to see if ich is affected at higher temps. They do mention the life cycle being a little quicker and slower at high and low temps but thats it.
My personal dealing this this parasite over the last 6 years have been highs and lows. From total loss of aquariums. To doing hypo salinity and tank transfers and cupramine.
Tank transfer works but hypo and cupramine while do work. Dont eliminate ich when its in encrusting stage on the rocks or sand. Ive done hypo for months and months and months multiple times for 2 years only for it to always come back slowely but surely without new introductions to the tank.
Same for cupramine you can only do it for 2-4 weeks. Yet ichs lifecycle is a supposed 72 or 76 days. So you leave the tank fallow for that long. Which ive done and ich always come back for me. Im a firm believer this parasite lasts alot longer than 76 days. As ITS always coming back for me after nearly 3 months fallow.
Ive even done hypo in the main tank for 76 months and it came back. You might say maybe its because i didnt qt my fish properly but alas i did hypo in the main tank WITH my fish. Sure theyre ich free during hypo but months after salinity is returned to normal it comes back. So ive repeated myself twice or three time now.
Anyway, I decided to live with ich. What i have noticed about are temperatures. My tank is now in my bedroom and has been for the last year. Up here temperatures are way higher than down stairs. The tank in the summer is always around 84. Heaters off. Uv sterilizer on which does increase my tanks temps on top of the hot room a.c only helps so much. Its a 20 year old house 3rd level, small room, just a given for the high temps.
Corals and fish are unaffected. UNTIL i got my gonioporas. Which ill get too.
Winter is coming and with the window open my room temp dropped from an average 80-82 (tank at 84) to 72f. The tank dropped to 76-77f. Within a month ive noticed ich starting to take over my tank. ( please note these temps werent sudden it takes time for the season to change you know so it wasnt a shock to the fish)
I have no fighting fish no sudden changes in anything to explain why ich is starting to take over. Other than a 8f drop in temperatures over the last 2 months.
I decided to hook my heaters back up and turn them to 84f. The tank got to 84 over 2 days and i kept it there for a month. Guess what i noticed ? Ich dissapeard nearly and i only see a few spots on a drawf angel of mine.
I did notice ny new goniopora which i got when the tank was colder started to shrivvle and never extend anymore at these high temps. So i unplugged the heaters and the tank got to 78f again over 3-4 days. For 2 weeks it was back at 78f. And guess what i noticed. Ich is back all over a few tangs and even on my foxface which never gets it.
I know ichs life cycle is 3-28 days on average. You could argue that my 1 month time frame was just in the time frame of ich life cy le. But i do not believe that as ive delt with this parasite fir years n years and on average it takes only 3-10 days to hatch and show up and so forth.
This also would explain why for the entire year nearly i never saw ich show up as my tank was at 84f. Im raising my tank back up to that temperature and i might just move the goni to a colder tank for now. I have a feeling that higher temps DO effect marine ich and i dont mean a positive way. Just like fresh water and i believe mid 80s does increase life cycle and does help eliminate ich by increasing its life cycle so quickly it has less of a chance of spreading so easily.
I believe 78f is the ideal temperature for this parasite to live and thrive and that might be why it keeps showing up in explosive purportions when my tank goes down in temperature and why it goes away in high temps.
Most if not all the publications have focused on salinity and the life cycle of the parasite and how long it takes to encyst how big they are and so forth. And 90% of these studies seem to be in cold water. And what i consider cold is like 76 or so and under.
Only one published paper showed the temperature at which ich dies in one hour and i believe it was 104f.
None of these papers from what ive seen studied to see if ich is affected at higher temps. They do mention the life cycle being a little quicker and slower at high and low temps but thats it.
My personal dealing this this parasite over the last 6 years have been highs and lows. From total loss of aquariums. To doing hypo salinity and tank transfers and cupramine.
Tank transfer works but hypo and cupramine while do work. Dont eliminate ich when its in encrusting stage on the rocks or sand. Ive done hypo for months and months and months multiple times for 2 years only for it to always come back slowely but surely without new introductions to the tank.
Same for cupramine you can only do it for 2-4 weeks. Yet ichs lifecycle is a supposed 72 or 76 days. So you leave the tank fallow for that long. Which ive done and ich always come back for me. Im a firm believer this parasite lasts alot longer than 76 days. As ITS always coming back for me after nearly 3 months fallow.
Ive even done hypo in the main tank for 76 months and it came back. You might say maybe its because i didnt qt my fish properly but alas i did hypo in the main tank WITH my fish. Sure theyre ich free during hypo but months after salinity is returned to normal it comes back. So ive repeated myself twice or three time now.
Anyway, I decided to live with ich. What i have noticed about are temperatures. My tank is now in my bedroom and has been for the last year. Up here temperatures are way higher than down stairs. The tank in the summer is always around 84. Heaters off. Uv sterilizer on which does increase my tanks temps on top of the hot room a.c only helps so much. Its a 20 year old house 3rd level, small room, just a given for the high temps.
Corals and fish are unaffected. UNTIL i got my gonioporas. Which ill get too.
Winter is coming and with the window open my room temp dropped from an average 80-82 (tank at 84) to 72f. The tank dropped to 76-77f. Within a month ive noticed ich starting to take over my tank. ( please note these temps werent sudden it takes time for the season to change you know so it wasnt a shock to the fish)
I have no fighting fish no sudden changes in anything to explain why ich is starting to take over. Other than a 8f drop in temperatures over the last 2 months.
I decided to hook my heaters back up and turn them to 84f. The tank got to 84 over 2 days and i kept it there for a month. Guess what i noticed ? Ich dissapeard nearly and i only see a few spots on a drawf angel of mine.
I did notice ny new goniopora which i got when the tank was colder started to shrivvle and never extend anymore at these high temps. So i unplugged the heaters and the tank got to 78f again over 3-4 days. For 2 weeks it was back at 78f. And guess what i noticed. Ich is back all over a few tangs and even on my foxface which never gets it.
I know ichs life cycle is 3-28 days on average. You could argue that my 1 month time frame was just in the time frame of ich life cy le. But i do not believe that as ive delt with this parasite fir years n years and on average it takes only 3-10 days to hatch and show up and so forth.
This also would explain why for the entire year nearly i never saw ich show up as my tank was at 84f. Im raising my tank back up to that temperature and i might just move the goni to a colder tank for now. I have a feeling that higher temps DO effect marine ich and i dont mean a positive way. Just like fresh water and i believe mid 80s does increase life cycle and does help eliminate ich by increasing its life cycle so quickly it has less of a chance of spreading so easily.
I believe 78f is the ideal temperature for this parasite to live and thrive and that might be why it keeps showing up in explosive purportions when my tank goes down in temperature and why it goes away in high temps.
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