How does stress “cause” ich?

[JayM]

It seems a common catchphrase in all of the “ich” threads is that you need to keep your livestock as stress free as possible to avoid causing ich.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but stress doesn’t magically cause parasites to appear in an aquarium. If the tank is ich free, how is it possible for any amount of stress to cause an outbreak?

Or is it assumed that ich exists in every tank?

 

[PotatoPig]

It seems a common catchphrase in all of the “ich” threads is that you need to keep your livestock as stress free as possible to avoid causing ich.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but stress doesn’t magically cause parasites to appear in an aquarium. If the tank is ich free, how is it possible for any amount of stress to cause an outbreak?

Or is it assumed that ich exists in every tank?

In humans high levels of stress, and associated conditions/behavior such as lack of sleep and rest, reduce a persons immune system’s capabilities. People with things like cold sores, for example, frequently see outbreaks under these conditions.

With your fish they experience something similar. When they’re healthy and no stressed their immune systems function properly and manage to keep infections in check. If their immune system is compromised by high stress it can be impacted enough that it starts to lose the battle and gets overwhelmed.

 

[exnisstech]

In humans high levels of stress, and associated conditions/behavior such as lack of sleep and rest, reduce a persons immune system’s capabilities. People with things like cold sores, for example, frequently see outbreaks under these conditions.

With your fish they experience something similar. When they’re healthy and no stressed their immune systems function properly and manage to keep infections in check. If their immune system is compromised by high stress it can be impacted enough that it starts to lose the battle and gets overwhelmed.

I was typing a similar reply but PotatoPig explained it much better than I would have

 

[vetteguy53081]

Stress is not a cause but a contributing factor. Ich is aggravated by stress but more affected by poor water, diet and exposure

 

[JayM]

In humans high levels of stress, and associated conditions/behavior such as lack of sleep and rest, reduce a persons immune system’s capabilities. People with things like cold sores, for example, frequently see outbreaks under these conditions.

With your fish they experience something similar. When they’re healthy and no stressed their immune systems function properly and manage to keep infections in check. If their immune system is compromised by high stress it can be impacted enough that it starts to lose the battle and gets overwhelmed.

I fully understand that, but assuming an "ich free" aquarium, how is it possible to cause an ich infection?
I don't see how it's possible to get a parasitic infection without the presence of said parasite.

Cold sores for example, don't occur in people that haven't been exposed to the virus that causes them, no matter the status of their immune system.

That's why I'm wondering if perhaps the consensus is that ich is present in every aquarium.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I fully understand that, but assuming an "ich free" aquarium, how is it possible to cause an ich infection?
I don't see how it's possible to get a parasitic infection without the presence of said parasite.

Cold sores for example, don't occur in people that haven't been exposed to the virus that causes them, no matter the status of their immune system.

That's why I'm wondering if perhaps the consensus is that ich is present in every aquarium.

Some people say there is no such thing as an "ich free tank", but there is. Stress can cause a latent/chronic ich infection to become acute and become noticeable. However, if the parasite isn't in the tank to begin with, it cannot develop an infection.

You can sometimes manage stress to keep an acute infection at bay:

"Ich Management"

Because this topic continues to come up, I wanted to create a sticky thread so that it is more easily referenced. Please understand that I am NOT presenting this as an optimum method for controlling marine ich, just putting it out there for people who want to try it. Also, do not pick and...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[JayM]

Some people say there is no such thing as an "ich free tank", but there is. Stress can cause a latent/chronic ich infection to become acute and become noticeable. However, if the parasite isn't in the tank to begin with, it cannot develop an infection.

You can sometimes manage stress to keep an acute infection at bay:

"Ich Management"

Because this topic continues to come up, I wanted to create a sticky thread so that it is more easily referenced. Please understand that I am NOT presenting this as an optimum method for controlling marine ich, just putting it out there for people who want to try it. Also, do not pick and...

www.reef2reef.com

That’s what I figured.

So I guess what people mean to say is “undue stress can cause a latent infection to become acute” vs. simply “undue stress causes ich”.

Thanks.

 

[MnFish1]

It seems a common catchphrase in all of the “ich” threads is that you need to keep your livestock as stress free as possible to avoid causing ich.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but stress doesn’t magically cause parasites to appear in an aquarium. If the tank is ich free, how is it possible for any amount of stress to cause an outbreak?

Or is it assumed that ich exists in every tank?

If there is no ich it cannot develop no matter how much stress there is. Not all tanks have ich

 

[Fenral]

I fully understand that, but assuming an "ich free" aquarium, how is it possible to cause an ich infection?
I don't see how it's possible to get a parasitic infection without the presence of said parasite.

Cold sores for example, don't occur in people that haven't been exposed to the virus that causes them, no matter the status of their immune system.

That's why I'm wondering if perhaps the consensus is that ich is present in every aquarium

You have the rub there—as soon as you introduce life, some small, minuscule amount will likely tag along with it. You won't have ich in a sterile environment. You also won't have fish or corals or... So unless you can source everything from an absolutely sterile environment, there will be some low latency level hiding. It's not entirely impossible, but it's pretty darn close.

 

[Lavey29]

I'm one of those that believe ich is present in every tank just like all those different pests and algae crap that we do everything to keep out of our tanks. Healthy fish with strong immune systems are not susceptible to ich. I refer you to @Paul B tank for proof as he actually puts ich infected fish into his system to keep the inhabitants immune systems up. Kind of like a flu shot I guess. Stress events weaken fish immune systems thus allowing the ich to gain a foot hold on the fish.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I'm a firm believer that an ich free system is possible with the right protocols. Aquariums are closed systems. If something isn't introduced to start with, then it cannot be present.