The bottom line is, that the ich parasite may be present but if the fish are not under stress they will not succumb.
This is also related to the fact that ich is present in many aquariums but never seen as spots because of the above. There really is no other explanation for a sudden outbreak of ich when nothing new has gone into the aquarium for months, and the heater fails on a cold night and the fish are chilled. If the ich was not already present, it could not appear after a stressful incident.
As for cures, the best treatment is heat and salt. Most (but not all) fish will be less affected by salt than by any of the so-called remedies. I went into this in detail with Dr. Neale Monks when I had a particularly stubborn case, and even in my tank of wild caught cories, characins (pencilfish, tetras, hatchetfish) and Farlowella, there were no losses. Heat alone, raised to 90F/32C is said to be effective, but not all fish can tolerate this for a week or two. A temp of 86F/30C plus salt often works best and with the least detriment to fish. Salt at 2 grams per liter was Dr. Monks' recommendation and it certainly worked.
This is also related to the fact that ich is present in many aquariums but never seen as spots because of the above. There really is no other explanation for a sudden outbreak of ich when nothing new has gone into the aquarium for months, and the heater fails on a cold night and the fish are chilled. If the ich was not already present, it could not appear after a stressful incident.
As for cures, the best treatment is heat and salt. Most (but not all) fish will be less affected by salt than by any of the so-called remedies. I went into this in detail with Dr. Neale Monks when I had a particularly stubborn case, and even in my tank of wild caught cories, characins (pencilfish, tetras, hatchetfish) and Farlowella, there were no losses. Heat alone, raised to 90F/32C is said to be effective, but not all fish can tolerate this for a week or two. A temp of 86F/30C plus salt often works best and with the least detriment to fish. Salt at 2 grams per liter was Dr. Monks' recommendation and it certainly worked.
