Can ick last for months?

[mic_1011]

I feel you Paul. It's as the saying goes knowledge is power. But some will stay Ignorant. I've only been in the hobby a year and a half. And like many have jumped into it face first. Learning as I go. I've been battling ick since almost day 1. Took it upon myself to research as much as I could on this subject. I'm sure it's been debated time and time again. All I can say to those that don't know much about ick is Read Read Read...

 

[nautilus]

I only suggested it because I experienced it first hand. My Naso and Blue tang got infected for quite a while. Bought cleaner wrasse from LFS, nimbled on ich and ichs gone.
Well, just wanna help. If you wan't to discredit someone's observation, be the best reefer. I'm just a newbie anyway.

 

[Paul B]

Well, just wanna help. If you wan't to discredit someone's observation, be the best reefer

Nautilus, please don't feel like that your suggestions are bad or that because you are a newbie that your opinion does not count.

My Naso and Blue tang got infected for quite a while. Bought cleaner wrasse from LFS, nimbled on ich and ichs gone.

This is the problem and we all went through the same thing. I don't want to sound like a know it all (even though I know this will sound like that) But ich often goes away. It goes away in my tank all the time. It is not that it went away, it just went through it's cycle and fell off the fish but it is still in your tank. The good news is that many times it does not re-infect the fish. This could be because of a built up immunity that the fish developed the first time you saw spots or it could be from something else, we don't know. It is still in there, but what it is doing is a mystery.
The same thing happens with hair algae. Someone will say they added a snail, crab or sea hare and in a few days all the algae is gone. I am sure it is gone because it almost always goes away buy itself, so the guy feels that the creatures he put in there ate all the algae. They did not but no matter how much you try to convince them, there is no convincing some people so I sometimes get a little snotty, Sorry. :shocked1:
As soon as the algae depletes the nutrients, it dies the same day. I have been going through cycles of hair algae for fifty years and I know all about it. I never added anything and it always leaves quickly. Now I have means to keep it away so I don't have to worry about it.
As for cleaner wrasses and shrimp, even if they ate a few dozen paracites, there are hundreds or thousands in every nook of the tank. Those animals don't even eat those types of paracites and almost as soon as the paracites hatch, they search out the gills of fish and they are very good at finding them. After all a fishes gills are filtering the water to an extent.
So Nautilus I am sorry I sounded like I was discretiting your observations, your observations are valad, it is just that I have been going over that for so many years.
Besides I am old and crotchety. :irked:

Where in Queens are you? I grew up there

 

[mic_1011]

I think the comment was more for me. But I am a noob as well. Not trying to discredit anyone's observations. But truth be told. As its been studied. Now ick is as mysterious and Martians. And all is not known about it. But from what is known I would like to share what I have learned and debunk any myths such as cleaners getting rid of it. So no offense! That's why paul didn't even wanna take it there. Not saying you won't get the picture but a lot of guys swear by their shrimp and their wrasse

 

[Paul B]

I think the comment was more for me.

Actualy it was directed towards Nautilus, thats why I started with the word Nautilus.:fish:

Not saying you won't get the picture but a lot of guys swear by their shrimp and their wrasse

Yes they do, and garlic, don't forget garlic. And Selcon, and Vitamin C.:shhh:

Now ick is as mysterious and Martians. And all is not known about it

This is also true, not all is known about it. No one could tell you why in some tanks such as mine It can go decades with no ich.
No one could tell you that because the "theory" is that ich will keep multiplying "and" infecting fish. But it does not "always" happen. And I don't have any cleaners right now nor do I use garlic.
This is not an observation, this is a lifetime of first hand experience with a tank with no ich, and I am old.:smoker:

That's why paul didn't even wanna take it there

I thought I did take it there :smile:

 

[mic_1011]

I meant the comment that nautilus made (was directed at me). Not you paul. Lol

 

[Paul B]

I meant the comment that nautilus made (was directed at me). Not you paul. Lol

OH, OK, I get it. I am old so I am not as quick as I was when Lincoln was President. :bigeyes2: