Tank of death: Not mine, a friends

[Wyld-Fyre]

A friend of mine recently had an explosion of Ich-related deaths. Out of fish-keeper kinship, I had offered my help, but was 'luckily' declined.

As my fishes have never had Ich before, I was shocked at how many deaths he's had over a three-day period! It really is one of the most lethal diseases I have ever seen.

Question: Can Ich be transported on human skin?

 

[cation]

Do you mean from one tank to another, or to you, a human?

 

[Wyld-Fyre]

One tank to another, with human skin being the method of travel.

It's making my skin crawl. I'm sure there is a possibility they'll attempt to live in the skin layer of humans.

 

[Sye]

I dont think that is possible, ich is a water parasite which needs to find a fish to live on in a very short period of time. It has a long life cycle i colder waters, at body temperature it would be an extremely short life cycle.

 

[Wyld-Fyre]

I dont think that is possible, ich is a water parasite which needs to find a fish to live on in a very short period of time. It has a long life cycle i colder waters, at body temperature it would be an extremely short life cycle.

I don't know. Its not that I don't believe you, but tropical tanks are warm places, and so is the layer beneath the human skin......

**skin starting to 'crawl' again**

 

[appleblossom]

calm down kribsinvcrib...... just pray your fish dont get tb! very communicable to humans!

(sorry I shouldnt tease)

I would just suggest lots of hand washing if you are worried, or even rinse your hands in surgical spirit, or failing that, vodka! Theres no way they could live through that. Hopefully that will cure your skin crawling

 

[cation]

I would just suggest lots of hand washing if you are worried, or even rinse your hands in surgical spirit, or failing that, vodka! Theres no way they could live through that. Hopefully that will cure your skin crawling

Good plan. I don't believe ich is transferrable to humans, but if you're concerned, some antibiotic soap should work. Or you can rinse them in a 10% bleach solution - that what we always used to kill nasties in all the labs I've worked in. It'll dry your hands out, but it'll kill the grossies. I wouldn't recommend using this method on a regular basis, though- it's not very good for you skin.

 

[Tropjunky]

out immune system should kill or nutralieze desease that threthens out existance and ich might be one of them. it shouldn't survive but wash ur hands to be sure and if still not sure wash with concentrated ich treatment or a bleach solution.

 

[MrMashashin]

i dont think ich can do that. It needs to stay moist. The only way it could travel with a human is if you have an open cut, bleeding in the tank.

 

[Bignose]

Do NOT wash with concentrated ich treatment... especially if it is a malachite green/formalin combo. Formalin is a 37% solution of formaldehyde in distilled water, with some methanol as stabilizer. Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a powerfully toxic, carcinogenic organic compound that reacts with proteins. Carcinogenic! I don't know how dangerous the dye malachite green is, but it is still something I wouldn't fool around with.

The only time I have used the formalin/malachite treatment I ALWAYS wore disposable gloves I got from my department's chemistry lab.

 

[plateletboy]

I couldnt of said it better myself BigNose. People on here often hand out totally irresponsable advice about things they do not understand.........

There are so many dodgy carcinogenic chemicals that we use in fish medicines and test kits without a second thought because were 'at home'. If i was using these in the lab it would be gloves, white coat and safety specs all the way.

PB