Quote:
Originally Posted by Reefaddict24
Has anyone ever just let time heal the fish with ich and they cured them self up?
Or is it a for sure thing that ich with and with out a doubt spread and kill off every fish?
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In most cases, Ich is introduced into an aquarium by a single fish. So the number of parasites early on are few and far between. Most fishes immune systems can handle this and fight the parasites off. However, as time goes on the parasite reproduces and grows greater in number. It's this numbers game that ultimately overwhelms a fish's immune system and kills it.
IMO this is how some hobbyists "manage Ich" and sometimes even think they've beaten it. They're able to bolster their fishes immune systems (vitamins, garlic?) and/or keep the number of Ich parasites down (UV perhaps?) The problem is this is a waiting game that ultimately the Ich parasites are going to win. It might take weeks, months or even years if you're really lucky. But as long as there's just 1 Ich parasite alive & well in your tank, the opportune time will come (power loss, sudden temp drop) and they'll spread like wildfire and attack. That's just what parasites do.