Ich in the tank - Question

mander · 02/01/2015, 11:27 AM

My 125 has ich. We lost all but two fish, then let the tank sit for several months with just those two fish. We tried to reintroduce new fish but they succumbed to ich in the end.

So the question - my tank has several shrimp (and lots of snails/crabs), so I don't want to do hyposalinity treatment. What is the best option? Should i move the remaining 3 fish (2 false percs and a juvenille convict tang) to a QT for a few months to allow the ich to die off?

The 3 fish remaining do seem to have some immunity to ich but obviously it's still in there.

jon99 · 02/01/2015, 12:32 PM

Exactly. Move fish to hospital tank. Let tank sit fish-less for a couple months. Might be a good idea to treat fish in hospital tank, copper or hyposailinty, unless ur sure they are ich free.

mander · 02/01/2015, 12:44 PM

Thank you! Yes, that's sort of essential huh, doing hypo on them in QT. I can do that slowly.

I am going to set up a nice QT since they'll be in there a few months. Do you think a 25g (or thereabouts) would be sufficient for the 3 of them?

Obviously I didn't QT them going in, which is why I have this problem to begin with. So I'd like to set up the QT right. I've read lots of articles on the 'perfect' QT, it seems like pebbles at the bottom, fake plants, a heater, light, and hang on filter and it should be good? I worry about not skimming and all that. I can do weekly WCs. Do I need to use a suction thing to vacuum the gravel/pebbles regularly? That's what I do with our betta tank but I've never had anything but sand in my reef tanks.

gone fishin · 02/01/2015, 12:45 PM

Remove and treat the fish while leaving the DT fishless for 72 days. Good luck

gone fishin · 02/01/2015, 12:50 PM

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2389659
The link should help you out. For a QT bare bottom, heater, HOB filter, some PVC fittings for hiding places, air stone and a ammonia alert badge is real handy.

kegogut · 02/01/2015, 12:52 PM

While the fish are in the QT you can treat them with medication. You wont have to hypo if you treat with medication. Personally I think medication is less stressful than hypo. JMHO

Meanwhile your tank will go fishless. No fish and the ich will die off in a few months.

jon99 · 02/01/2015, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mander

Thank you! Do you think a 25g (or thereabouts) would be sufficient for the 3 of them?
Fine for clowns, maybe a bit small for tang depending how big it is. You will be doing a lot of water changes to battle ammonia. Get an ammonia alert badge, $10 at most pet stores.

I've read lots of articles on the 'perfect' QT, it seems like pebbles at the bottom, fake plants, a heater, light, and hang on filter and it should be good?
Heater, water circulation are a necessity, filter of some sort with carbon will help. Larger pvc pipes are good so fish can hide and feel more comfortable. Leave the pebbles and fake plants out.\

Do I need to use a suction thing to vacuum the gravel/pebbles regularly? \
1/2" plastic hose is all you need. You can find it anywhere they sell plumbing supplies. Siphoning the bottom helps remove the ich when it's in it's cyst stage, hanging out on the bottom of the tank waiting to hatch. That's the main reason I would leave the pebbles out.

alf1096 · 02/01/2015, 01:36 PM

For the treating of ich on the fish you have there are 3 options. Copper hypo and the tank transfer method. If it were me I would do the tank transfer method.

woodnaquanut · 02/01/2015, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alf1096

For the treating of ich on the fish you have there are 3 options. Copper hypo and the tank transfer method. If it were me I would do the tank transfer method.

There is also chloroquine phosphate.

If you use hypo be sure you read:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2388431

mander · 02/01/2015, 03:08 PM

My tang is very small. Hardly bigger than my percs. He's only about two inches nose to tail, and that's being generous. He's generally a fat, happy, frindly fish though. He does like to pick at rocks all day so a bare bottom with nothing in it will definitely not be his favorite.

Would you do copper over hypo considering the type of fish? The false percs are both ORA, and I'm not sure about the tang the LFS owner said he'd been at the store about 4-6 months. He's been healthy since I got him, and survived the Great Ich Catastrophe of 2014.

billdogg · 02/01/2015, 03:37 PM

I would go the Tank Transfer route too. I think it is the least stressful method you can use and has been proven to be 100% effective.

Medications can be effective if used properly, but are very stressful to the fish, and are next to useless (or worse) if not dosed correctly. Hyposalinity will also work if done correctly but once again can be stressful to the fish.

JM.02

Daniel62 · 02/01/2015, 03:41 PM

Tank transfer is my preferred way to treat for ich. I personally think that hypo and copper are more work and you must be pretty accurate with both

mander · 02/01/2015, 03:51 PM

That requires at least two tanks though right? That seems like way more work than copper.

jon99 · 02/01/2015, 04:15 PM

When you consider that the copper level must be maintained at proper levels (testing and dosing) and that you have to do large water changes (copper will kill off the biological filtration, plus fish are in small tank) then I'm not sure that tank transfer is all that much more involved. You will have to match the water parameters (temp, salinity, pH) very closely when moving fish from one tank to another.

02/01/2015, 11:27 AM	#1
mander Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: In The Triangle, NC Posts: 150	Ich in the tank - Question My 125 has ich. We lost all but two fish, then let the tank sit for several months with just those two fish. We tried to reintroduce new fish but they succumbed to ich in the end. So the question - my tank has several shrimp (and lots of snails/crabs), so I don't want to do hyposalinity treatment. What is the best option? Should i move the remaining 3 fish (2 false percs and a juvenille convict tang) to a QT for a few months to allow the ich to die off? The 3 fish remaining do seem to have some immunity to ich but obviously it's still in there.

02/01/2015, 12:45 PM	#4
gone fishin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Wyocena Wi Posts: 6,936	Remove and treat the fish while leaving the DT fishless for 72 days. Good luck __________________ Tony Current Tank Info: 180gal DT, BM NAC77 skimmer,3 Maxspect razors, Maxspect Gyre 150, 30g QT

02/01/2015, 12:50 PM	#5
gone fishin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Wyocena Wi Posts: 6,936	http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2389659 The link should help you out. For a QT bare bottom, heater, HOB filter, some PVC fittings for hiding places, air stone and a ammonia alert badge is real handy. __________________ Tony Current Tank Info: 180gal DT, BM NAC77 skimmer,3 Maxspect razors, Maxspect Gyre 150, 30g QT

02/01/2015, 12:52 PM	#6
kegogut Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: St.Louis Posts: 5,052	While the fish are in the QT you can treat them with medication. You wont have to hypo if you treat with medication. Personally I think medication is less stressful than hypo. JMHO Meanwhile your tank will go fishless. No fish and the ich will die off in a few months. __________________ Dave. "I have learned all kinds of things from my many mistakes. The one thing I never learn is to stop making them." --Nicomo Cosca. Current Tank Info: 225 mixed w/ 225 sump 550 lbs live rock,3x MarinePure ceramic blocks,Skimz SM201,Geo 618 CR,Vectra L1,DOS automatic water changes,3x 250w MH w/ 4x actinic T5,All ran by Apex thru Fusion.--57 community tank w/ OR T-247,120 nem tank.

02/01/2015, 01:36 PM	#8
alf1096 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 399	For the treating of ich on the fish you have there are 3 options. Copper hypo and the tank transfer method. If it were me I would do the tank transfer method. __________________ 125 gal DT with 30 Sump, ReefBreeders LEDs, Mixed Reef

02/01/2015, 12:32 PM	#2
jon99 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Atl Ga Posts: 817	Exactly. Move fish to hospital tank. Let tank sit fish-less for a couple months. Might be a good idea to treat fish in hospital tank, copper or hyposailinty, unless ur sure they are ich free.

02/01/2015, 12:44 PM	#3
mander Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: In The Triangle, NC Posts: 150	Thank you! Yes, that's sort of essential huh, doing hypo on them in QT. I can do that slowly. I am going to set up a nice QT since they'll be in there a few months. Do you think a 25g (or thereabouts) would be sufficient for the 3 of them? Obviously I didn't QT them going in, which is why I have this problem to begin with. So I'd like to set up the QT right. I've read lots of articles on the 'perfect' QT, it seems like pebbles at the bottom, fake plants, a heater, light, and hang on filter and it should be good? I worry about not skimming and all that. I can do weekly WCs. Do I need to use a suction thing to vacuum the gravel/pebbles regularly? That's what I do with our betta tank but I've never had anything but sand in my reef tanks.

02/01/2015, 03:08 PM	#10
mander Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: In The Triangle, NC Posts: 150	My tang is very small. Hardly bigger than my percs. He's only about two inches nose to tail, and that's being generous. He's generally a fat, happy, frindly fish though. He does like to pick at rocks all day so a bare bottom with nothing in it will definitely not be his favorite. Would you do copper over hypo considering the type of fish? The false percs are both ORA, and I'm not sure about the tang the LFS owner said he'd been at the store about 4-6 months. He's been healthy since I got him, and survived the Great Ich Catastrophe of 2014.

02/01/2015, 03:37 PM	#11
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	I would go the Tank Transfer route too. I think it is the least stressful method you can use and has been proven to be 100% effective. Medications can be effective if used properly, but are very stressful to the fish, and are next to useless (or worse) if not dosed correctly. Hyposalinity will also work if done correctly but once again can be stressful to the fish. JM.02 __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

02/01/2015, 03:41 PM	#12
Daniel62 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: kingman, AZ Posts: 1,483	Tank transfer is my preferred way to treat for ich. I personally think that hypo and copper are more work and you must be pretty accurate with both __________________ Mind over matter, if you don't mind it doesn't matter Current Tank Info: 225 reef, 125 clown & haddoni tank, Haddoni's Big Bad & Beautiful, I Love Them!

02/01/2015, 03:51 PM	#13
mander Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: In The Triangle, NC Posts: 150	That requires at least two tanks though right? That seems like way more work than copper.

02/01/2015, 04:15 PM	#14
jon99 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Atl Ga Posts: 817	When you consider that the copper level must be maintained at proper levels (testing and dosing) and that you have to do large water changes (copper will kill off the biological filtration, plus fish are in small tank) then I'm not sure that tank transfer is all that much more involved. You will have to match the water parameters (temp, salinity, pH) very closely when moving fish from one tank to another.