Does marine ich survive drying out?
- Thread starter jjarbo1
- Start date
reefer4200
Member
I have experience with ich living in the net for months dried out. I never realized but every fish i added to my tank with the nets had ich nearly instantly. Some fish like clowns i will just scoop up with my hand and they didn't show signs of ich for atleast a week. I was dosing garlic and that was keeping them alive but soon enough they just lost it and nearly all dropped. So i wouldnt use the net, i have heard of soaking it in kick-ich and it works but i never did it myself. Now my tank has been ich free since....knock on wood!! 
new reefer 03
Active Member
yea as mentioned above, i would just buy a new one for $3.
jenglish
Member
according to leebecca's ich primer on this site crypto cannot form a stable cyst like brine shrimp or anthrax. As far as a tank or net full strenght vinegar or chlorine bleach (provided you clean w/ decholorinator) should ensure 100% kill if it makes you feel better. I would say as I understand crypto it would not survive drying but have no personal experience with it. HTH
Luukosian
Well-Known Member
Thats kind of what I thought, Im sure they can live for quite a while cysted in the fish's gills dormant, but dried out im pretty sure they would be dead in hours(if not minutes), not days or months. Either way I suppose it wouldn't hurt to sanitize your net every now and again anyways in a light bleach solution , I know mine could probably use it. I'm no expert so if anyone has evidence to the contrary I'm willing to listen.
goldenmacman
Member
i never thought about that.. i had ich a few months ago, well more like 6 and it killed all my fish. i didnt through my net away, and i didnt use it for a few months either.. so i guess the ich just died.. i still use the same net and dont have ich.. knock on wood.. lol id say buy a new one or soak it in an ich removal or prevention product..
yungreefer2410
Well-Known Member
i would soak in vingager over clorene (sp?). i'll have to remember this
There seems to be a bit of wandering about of opinion on the matter.
Some things I've taken note of:
1) The parasite rarely 'encysts' on a living fish. The near-cyst stage drops off the fish to cyst in the substrate, on decoration, landscaping, tank walls, etc.
2) Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) cannot survive freezing nor drying out. Let's get back to the info provided: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/23132-marine-ich-myths-facts.html
3) Despite 2) it is best to use a different set of equipment (nets, hydrometers, thermometers, siphon hoses, algae scrapers, tongs, reusable gloves, etc.) for each independently operated system. (See last/concluding paragraph below).
4) Even doing 3) I would still wash all equipment off in hot tap water, followed by several rinses of distilled or RO/DI water, then letting the item go bone dry for no less than 24 hours before its next use.
Although this thread topic is focused on Marine Ich, the routine handling of equipment and their decontamination has to address a very much broader set of pathogens with varying susceptibility to adverse conditions. In some notable cases of the worst kinds of infections and pathogens, it is more prudent to destroy the eqipment after treatment.
Some things I've taken note of:
1) The parasite rarely 'encysts' on a living fish. The near-cyst stage drops off the fish to cyst in the substrate, on decoration, landscaping, tank walls, etc.
2) Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) cannot survive freezing nor drying out. Let's get back to the info provided: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/23132-marine-ich-myths-facts.html
3) Despite 2) it is best to use a different set of equipment (nets, hydrometers, thermometers, siphon hoses, algae scrapers, tongs, reusable gloves, etc.) for each independently operated system. (See last/concluding paragraph below).
4) Even doing 3) I would still wash all equipment off in hot tap water, followed by several rinses of distilled or RO/DI water, then letting the item go bone dry for no less than 24 hours before its next use.
Although this thread topic is focused on Marine Ich, the routine handling of equipment and their decontamination has to address a very much broader set of pathogens with varying susceptibility to adverse conditions. In some notable cases of the worst kinds of infections and pathogens, it is more prudent to destroy the eqipment after treatment.