Where is the Ich in hypo?

[kingkai512]

So after finally hitting 1.009 all the white dots disappeared. I was stuck at 1.010 for a bit and couldn't quite shake some of the specs but as soon as 1.009 was achieved i was free.

its been about 2 weeks and i haven't seen any ich, no spots, no dots on any fish. My question is, where are they hiding? I know hypo will kill the free swimming stages of ich (ie. the tomont and theront?) but what about the cyst forms? i don't see any on the fish, so they are encrusted on the glass? just waiting for their chance to strike?

 

[Brew12]

So after finally hitting 1.009 all the white dots disappeared. I was stuck at 1.010 for a bit and couldn't quite shake some of the specs but as soon as 1.009 was achieved i was free.

its been about 2 weeks and i haven't seen any ich, no spots, no dots on any fish. My question is, where are they hiding? I know hypo will kill the free swimming stages of ich (ie. the tomont and theront?) but what about the cyst forms? i don't see any on the fish, so they are encrusted on the glass? just waiting for their chance to strike?

Ich is very small. When you see the white dots on a fish, you aren't seeing the parasite. You are seeing a biological response from the fish to the parasite.
A very large form of the parasite would only be .o1" long. Most are .001" long or smaller.

 

[kingkai512]

so no white dots=no biological response from being infected?

 

[Brew12]

so no white dots=no biological response from being infected?

Correct, however that doesn't mean that they are not still infected. A weakened parasite can still feed enough to reproduce. It just doesn't do enough damage to trigger the visible response.

 

[ebushrow]

as stated above, The white spots are just the reaction of the fish to the parasite ion its skin. the tremonts then fall off and can sit in the sand, in snails, crabs, etc for up to 76 days before being active so its a game of time more than a game of looks when it comes to ich