Ich & Inverts

[rocky79]

I've read a ton on ich and the effects on fish, treatments, etc... But in my reading, one thing was never fully clarified: can ich effect or attack inverts and live rock? I know copper treatments and salinity drops to rid ich can kill the inverts and rock, but if you leave a tank fish-less for 8 weeks to rid the parasite, won't it just lay around on the crabs, snails, and life on rocks?

 

[Hara]

the parasite needs a host fish, if you break the lifecycle by removing the host organism, the ich dies out.

 

[roka64]

I agree with Hara. Go fallow for 8 weeks and without a FISH host, the ich will starve.