Moonlighting and Ich?

newsalt

newsalt

Member
Last weekend I added Moonlighting to my 50g. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but after that, I noticed ich on my Coral Beauty and then a little on the tail of my Royal Gramma. Just a thought, could the moonlighting be stressing these fish?
 
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cheeks69

Wannabe Guru
RS STAFF
Ick is caused by a parasite, lighting has absolutely nothing to do with it. Fish stress also will not cause ick although fish that are stressed are ususally the first to show visible signs of infection but healthy fish can become infected.
 
newsalt

newsalt

Member
That's sort of what I was implying, that the moonlighting may be stressing the fish. But I guess not.

The strangest thing is that when all the lights are off and I look at the fish, I can't see any white spots at all. After the lights come on, then I notice a few spots. Anyone else encounter this.
 
newsalt

newsalt

Member
What I meant by "when the lights are off" was during daylight hours when the tank lights are still off...
 
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CaseyDude

Member
Maybe the light is not letting the fish rest at night you know they cant close there eyes like you can,let me put a light in your eye at night and see if you get a good nights sleep:) it will only be a 5 watt bulb ok? :D
 
sincityreefer

sincityreefer

Member
ahh, no way. moonlights are too dim to cause any ill effects. Besides i dont think light hinders fish's sleeping process too much. As its 3am and i just came home to find my lights STILL ON (should have been off at 10). and just like every other time ive changed my photoperiod or accidentally left the lights on, my fish had retreted to their sleeping spots and lost color, (just like they do at night). SO.. thats a question, can fish sleep with the lights on??? anyone know? but i alsoi have a moonlighting system, and i dont think its possible that the moonlighting caused an ich outbreak. unless perhaps some indirect reason is causing extra stress, such as, stray voltage now in the tank from some part of the recent moonlight system,,,, or maybe something was dropped in the tank and is rusting maybe.... ? ich is strange, its my understanding that its always there (well, er, almost always anyway) and an outbreak is caused by higher stress levels... SO i guess theres no real way to be sure what brought on your outbreak, but i have known 4 ppl that have installed a moonlightins system (my design), in the last 2 months and no cases of ich reported so far.....

and casey..... in college i used to sleep with blacklights on all the time.......for um.... various.....um.......no reason......... ;).... :lol
 
C

cheeks69

Wannabe Guru
RS STAFF
ich is strange, its my understanding that its always there (well, er, almost always anyway) and an outbreak is caused by higher stress levels... SO i guess theres no real way to be sure what brought on your outbreak, but i have known 4 ppl that have installed a moonlightins system (my design), in the last 2 months and no cases of ich reported so far.....
Click to expand...


"Myth and misconception
It is a common misconception among hobbyists that fish must be in a weakened state before they are susceptible to infection with Cryptocaryon irritans. Stress is a factor as it does reduce immune function in fish. This makes it less likely that fish will develop some level of acquired immunity after becoming infected. However, stress (or weakened condition) is not a prerequisite to infection with Cryptocaryon irritans. Healthy fish that are not unduly stressed are susceptible to infection upon exposure to this pathogen. It is noteworthy that stress has not been mentioned as a factor when infecting fish in clinical trails with Cryptocaryon irritans.

Another commonly held belief among hobbyists is that Cryptocaryon irritans (ich) is always present in every marine aquarium. They mistakenly liken “ich” to an opportunistic bacteria or other pathogen that is always present within the aquarium and assume that it only becomes problematic if the fish are in a weakened state (i.e. poor water quality, or diet). Those that hold to this belief often downplay the importance of preventive measures such as quarantining new acquisitions prior to placing them into display aquariums. Cryptocaryon irritans must be introduced into the aquarium before an infection can develop. Generally, this parasite is imported into a system or aquarium with infected fish. Failing to quarantine these new additions puts the established stock at a much greater risk of infection. It is also more difficult and problematic to treat disease outbreaks in a display aquarium; especially those that contain live rock, or invertebrates."


http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2003/mini1.htm
 
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