Today I have been reading about Cryptocaryon irritans</em>, more commonly referred to by hobbyists as "Ich", or Marine Ich(MI). It is important not to confuse it with an entirely different parasite, Ichthyophthirius multifiliis</em>, or Freshwater Ich(FI). Confusing MI with other parasites or afflictions can be the cause of a lot of misinformation being spread around. It seems that there is a lot of advice given on the subject in forums that has no factual basis or is not supported by scientific evidence.
Some people believe that MI is present in every system, and that the fish will only show symptoms when they have a suppressed immune system, when studies indicate that MI must be introduced into a system and will continue it's lifecycle until eradicated. MI must go through it's lifecycle to be present. While this can take months, there is no such thing as "dormant MI", and one stage of MI is visible to the naked eye. Fish must be observed in quarantine over the period of several months to be certain that they are not infected, and left in quarantine and treated once diagnosed before released into the main display tank. While some LFS quarantine fish over a period of a couple weeks, or treat every fish as if it is infected, it is not practical to hold them in quarantine over the period of 3-4 months which is the maximum time it can take MI to become apparent if present. Quarantine must be done by the hobbyist.
I found these two posts to be very informative and a good summary of the majority of the reading I did today
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/23132-marine-ich-myths-facts.html">http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/23132-marine-ich-myths-facts.html</a>
[IMG]http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/52236-curing-fish-marine-ich.html">http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/52236-curing-fish-marine-ich.html</a>
It is important that we have a good understanding of the life cycle of MI, how to treat infected fish, and how to keep the display tank MI free, and what to do when there is MI in the display. Please post your thoughts and comments.
Some people believe that MI is present in every system, and that the fish will only show symptoms when they have a suppressed immune system, when studies indicate that MI must be introduced into a system and will continue it's lifecycle until eradicated. MI must go through it's lifecycle to be present. While this can take months, there is no such thing as "dormant MI", and one stage of MI is visible to the naked eye. Fish must be observed in quarantine over the period of several months to be certain that they are not infected, and left in quarantine and treated once diagnosed before released into the main display tank. While some LFS quarantine fish over a period of a couple weeks, or treat every fish as if it is infected, it is not practical to hold them in quarantine over the period of 3-4 months which is the maximum time it can take MI to become apparent if present. Quarantine must be done by the hobbyist.
I found these two posts to be very informative and a good summary of the majority of the reading I did today
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/23132-marine-ich-myths-facts.html">http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/23132-marine-ich-myths-facts.html</a>
[IMG]http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/52236-curing-fish-marine-ich.html">http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/52236-curing-fish-marine-ich.html</a>
It is important that we have a good understanding of the life cycle of MI, how to treat infected fish, and how to keep the display tank MI free, and what to do when there is MI in the display. Please post your thoughts and comments.
