Sage-Tips

Can fish survive severe ich?

Ich, or White Spot, Will Eventually Kill Fish She owns Aquatic Veterinary Services specializing in fish surgery, and she hold the rare certification through the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association. Ich is caused by an external parasite that causes multiple white spots on your freshwater fishes’ skin and gills.

How long until Ich goes away?

Thankfully, treatment is usually effective, but you need to be prepared for a few days to over a week of treating the affected fish and water.

Will ick ever go away?

No. It may fall off only to reproduce and it will eventually get all your fish. If they are healthy they can fight it off but it will always be in your tank waiting for a stressor to take advantage and kill them.

How long can fish live with Ich infestation?

How long fish can live, with an ich infestation, depends on a variety of factors. Ich, on a fishes’ body, is basically akin to fleas on a dog. It is an inerrant, leeching some nutrients from the animal, but not really enough to kill it.

Can fish get Ich from eating fish with Ich?

Ich is not really an internal parasite and is not transferred by eating, but free floating tomites that look for a host. The characteristically white granules on the outside of the fish is a stage preceding the tomites. So in essence, a fish cannot get ich by eating a fish that has ich.

Does the UV sterilizer kill the ICH?

Then I read to get a UV Sterilizer and to Kill the Ich when it fell of the Fish. Since getting the UV Sterilizer I have never lost a Fish to Ich. Sometimes a New Fish would get chased around and Bullied by at least one other Fish and get Ich the Next Day but once the Ich Dropped off them it never re-appeared.

Why is Ich still in my tank?

Your UV is only killing the parasite in the free swimming stage of its life cycle (and that is only the parasites that happen to get sucked through your UV). Do a quick google search on the life cycle of the Ich parasite and you will get a better understanding of why Ich is still in your tank.