Advice on ich and quarantine - heard something odd from my LFS

[GillsGoneWild]

Hi everybody"¦long time reader, first time poster. I'm looking for a little feedback on something I was told by my LFS regarding ich and quarantine. First, a little background "“ 90 gallon rimless mixed reef plus a 30 gallon frag tank (to feed my wife's zoanthid addiction) all of which are plumbed to a community 20 gallon sump/refugium. About two months after cycling, we noticed there was an ich outbreak starting. Big surprise"¦no quarantine system. I retroactively set up a 29 gallon quarantine tank and transferred all of the fish one night while my wife was at work (she gets a little worked up during these things"¦it's easier this way) and a couple days later began treating with Cupramine, slowly ramping up the dosage over several days. Everything is going great, fish are healthy and eating well, and we are excitedly counting down the days until the end of our ten week quarantine period (28 more days!):dance:

But then I hear this from my LFS, nearly verbatim:
"œYou can quarantine your fish for a year, treating them with copper and/or hyposalinity, and keep no fish in the display, and the ich will still be there. When you transfer them back to the tank and they get stressed, the ich will come back. It will live dormant under scales and under the slime coat. Welcome to the world of keeping tangs."

This blew me away, as it seems to go against everything that I've ever read regarding the parasite. It is doubly troubling considering the owner of the LFS is a friend. I'm looking forward to hearing your input on this topic.

 

[snorvich]

Hi everybody"¦long time reader, first time poster. I'm looking for a little feedback on something I was told by my LFS regarding ich and quarantine. First, a little background "“ 90 gallon rimless mixed reef plus a 30 gallon frag tank (to feed my wife's zoanthid addiction) all of which are plumbed to a community 20 gallon sump/refugium. About two months after cycling, we noticed there was an ich outbreak starting. Big surprise"¦no quarantine system. I retroactively set up a 29 gallon quarantine tank and transferred all of the fish one night while my wife was at work (she gets a little worked up during these things"¦it's easier this way) and a couple days later began treating with Cupramine, slowly ramping up the dosage over several days. Everything is going great, fish are healthy and eating well, and we are excitedly counting down the days until the end of our ten week quarantine period (28 more days!):dance:

But then I hear this from my LFS, nearly verbatim:
"œYou can quarantine your fish for a year, treating them with copper and/or hyposalinity, and keep no fish in the display, and the ich will still be there. When you transfer them back to the tank and they get stressed, the ich will come back. It will live dormant under scales and under the slime coat. Welcome to the world of keeping tangs."

This blew me away, as it seems to go against everything that I've ever read regarding the parasite. It is doubly troubling considering the owner of the LFS is a friend. I'm looking forward to hearing your input on this topic.

It bespeaks to an LFS employee that knows absolutely nothing about the life cycle of cryptocaryon irritans. Friendship does not imply knowledge. When a parasite has an obligate fish host as part of its life cycle it is relatively easy to eliminate it from a system. Once you have a clean system, tank transfer followed by at least four weeks of quarantine will keep it that way.

 

[GillsGoneWild]

It bespeaks to an LFS employee that knows absolutely nothing about the life cycle of cryptocaryon irritans. Friendship does not imply knowledge. When a parasite has an obligate fish host as part of its life cycle it is relatively easy to eliminate it from a system. Once you have a clean system, tank transfer followed by at least four weeks of quarantine will keep it that way.

This is what I was thinking as well. It seemed that what he said goes against all known science. Friendship sometimes means you just have to smile, say thank you, and go about your business.
I just want to make my wife rest easier -- when I told her what the guy said, her reply was, "Oh great...so we spent a bunch of money, stressed out the fish, stressed out ME...and my purple tang is going to die anyway. If that fish dies of ich, we are getting rid of every fish and our reef will consist of coral and a shrimp."

 

[snorvich]

Well if you want to immerse yourself in the details, check this.

 

[GillsGoneWild]

Well if you want to immerse yourself in the details, check this.

Thanks for the link, Steve. Looks like we're doing everything right. Perhaps you can answer this question: What is the best protocol for introducing new corals and inverts to the display tank? My concern is in having ich hitch a ride in the water in a frag plug, inside a hermit or snail shell, etc. Obviously, copper and hyposalinity quarantine is not an option. What can I do to make sure the ich stays out of the display?

 

[Deinonych]

It bespeaks to an LFS employee that knows absolutely nothing about the life cycle of cryptocaryon irritans. Friendship does not imply knowledge. When a parasite has an obligate fish host as part of its life cycle it is relatively easy to eliminate it from a system. Once you have a clean system, tank transfer followed by at least four weeks of quarantine will keep it that way.

+1

It's amazing how many myths, wives' tales and flat-out lies continue to perpetuate around Cryptocaryon. I've even been told by a well-known "luminary" in our hobby (who shall remain nameless) that Crypto is in every system and there's no way to keep it out of our systems. It's not some magical entity that thwarts our every attempt at elimination. It's a very simple organism with a well-known life cycle, with well-documented treatment protocols. Follow a sound quarantine protocol for every new acquisition, and you'll never have it in your display tank.

As far as tangs are concerned, I just have to laugh at the suggestion by your LFS. I have a Kole that has NEVER shown signs of the disease, since all new acquisitions go through a thorough quarantine process (TTM, PraziPro, observation) before they enter my DT.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Thanks for the link, Steve. Looks like we're doing everything right. Perhaps you can answer this question: What is the best protocol for introducing new corals and inverts to the display tank? My concern is in having ich hitch a ride in the water in a frag plug, inside a hermit or snail shell, etc. Obviously, copper and hyposalinity quarantine is not an option. What can I do to make sure the ich stays out of the display?

To be absolutely sure no fish parasites get into the main place corals and inverts in a qt for 11 weeks. This timeframe will interrupt the lifecycle of cryptocaryon, Brook, flukes and velvet.

 

[JamesHolt]

To be absolutely sure no fish parasites get into the main place corals and inverts in a qt for 11 weeks. This timeframe will interrupt the lifecycle of cryptocaryon, Brook, flukes and velvet.

So this would prevent any that are stuck to/laying on inverts/corals from going any further in their life cycle ??

 

[snorvich]

So this would prevent any that are stuck to/laying on inverts/corals from going any further in their life cycle ??

It would prevent them completing their life cycle (no fish host available)

 

[MellowReefer]

I think a lot of people who say ich is always there are not quarantining their corals/inverts and it comes in on that. I am almost certain when I got ich several years ago it was from adding snails or coral. And many others on this forum have had it happen too.

 

[Deinonych]

I think a lot of people who say ich is always there are not quarantining their corals/inverts and it comes in on that. I am almost certain when I got ich several years ago it was from adding snails or coral. And many others on this forum have had it happen too.

Happened to me, too. Purchased a few corals (including some zoas on LR) and started seeing symptoms a few weeks later. Now I QT everything wet.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Ich from a crab and Brook from a sea urchin