StringerBell wrote:
I`m a little confused, are there different kinds of "Ich"?

Yes. Amyloodininium is sometimes icorrectly called "ich" - it can break
out in white spots, but they tend to look more "powdery" - crypto is
more defined dots.

Another less common thing seen in the marine world is Black Ich - mostly
seems to hit yellow tangs for some reason. Small black spots instead of
small white spots. Usually casued by some sort of plathyhelminthes
turbellaria type worms.

Is there a kind
that is not contagious?

Not really.


When I introduced a super-juvie Hippo Tang 4 months ago, it broke out in
white spots for a few days, but it went away on its own after soaking its
food in garlic for a few days. Ive never seen my other fish have any
symptoms (knock on wood).

Parasites are ubiquitous in nature. One theory says most fish have them
at low levels, and they become apparent when the fish's immune system
gets compromised (from stress, injury, or whatever) - it is quite common
to see a new fish get some form of parasite, as being ripped off a reef,
shipped halfway around the world in a dark sealed syrofoam box, put in a
tank way to small for it at the LFS, then a few days later scooped out
and put in a sealed baggie, then put into some other tank an hour or so
later, tends to be sarcasmslightly stressfull/sarcasm to the fish.


Ive read many similiar posts in reef forums. There seems to be a lot of
people who have Tangs break out in "Ich"--- but then do water changes or use
the lights less and their Tangs also recover W/O any dipping or medication.

Very often this is the case. Ich usually is nothing to worry about in a
marine system, but it CAN be an indicator that something is stressing
the fish, and lowering it's immune response. That is why water change
often works wonders...(bad water stresses fish, changing the water ends
stress, immune system recovers - parasites go away)