Blackheart wrote:
(it will almost always be there in some form, whether
it has an outbreak is another thing).

This is a prevalent idea which is total bull. Ick is a parasite. It has a 21 day
life cycle. After that it dies. If it cannot feed off a fish at some point in
that period, it dies earlier and does not lay eggs. If it can feed off a fish,
it lays eggs. These hatch after a few days; they do not have the capability of
lying dormant. When they hatch, they attach themselves to a fish, and the cycle
starts over.

If you have oodinium in your tank, your fish will periodically be parasitized;
that is, you *will* get outbreaks. If you don't have outbreaks, no ick is
present in any form.

George Patterson
Forgive your enemies. But always remember who they are.