Amazing nuance in tank transfer method!

[running scott]

So my fish got Ick. I'm doing TTM, then leaving my DT fallow for rest of the 72 days! I have done one transfer so far, but upon more careful reading I found out that the powerhead and the PVC pieces that I'm using have to be dry for 24 hours. I thought I could just disinfect by dunking them in 100 percent bleach, then 100 percent vinegar. It seems crazy that the cyst stage can survive that but not being dry?

 

[Spar]

So my fish got Ick. I'm doing TTM, then leaving my DT fallow for rest of the 72 days! I have done one transfer so far, but upon more careful reading I found out that the powerhead and the PVC pieces that I'm using have to be dry for 24 hours. I thought I could just disinfect by dunking them in 100 percent bleach, then 100 percent vinegar. It seems crazy that the cyst stage can survive that but not being dry?

bleach dips will do it. many people even just use 10% bleach dilution and that is sufficient.

the drying part is recommended either way, but likely unnecessary if you already dipping in bleach anyway. you of course would want the residual bleach to completely dry before putting back in your tank, but if rinsing well likely isn't an issue.

keep in mind powerheads have a lot of nooks and crannies that you need to ensure are sufficiently coated with the bleach and rinsed. my recommendation is to ditch the powerheads and just use airpump + airstones.

 

[running scott]

I've got five lyre tail Anthias in there that seem to only want to eat food that appears to trying to get away from them. So powerhead it is. I'll just use two sets of everything.

 

[ThRoewer]

I would go the heat route to disinfect. All ich cysts will be dead after being exposed for one hour to a temperature of 40°C or above. If you put your equipment into a bucket of 50°C water for one hour or longer you can be sure to get even those cysts that might have crawled into tiny nooks and crannies where bleach may not reach them or where you can't control if it is really dry. Optional you can also add bleach.

But in essence heat is the only thing that reaches for sure every surface of your equipment, regardless how well hidden it is.

None electrical equipment can also be run through the dishwasher.

Only thing to watch is not to go over 60°C as the plastic of pumps and other parts may deform.

If you just use airstones or other heat resistant materials you could also sterilize them with boiling water.

The best way is of course to have 4 sets of equipment so that you don't need to disinfect while doing TTM.

 

[running scott]

Sounds like a hair dryer might work well.

 

[ThRoewer]

Sounds like a hair dryer might work well.

I wouldn't trust hot air as locations inside a pump may be able to maintain a too low temperature due to evaporation cooling or enough insulation. Submersed in a liquid of appropriate temperature for enough time renders that near impossible.

 

[mattcoug]

Interesting... 50 is just warm/slightly hot tap water. Is this also true for velvet, brook, etc?

 

[Spar]

i was thinking that also. is 122 F really hot enough to do any damage to pumps/equipment? I mean, don't we shower at around that temperature?

I would also wonder about air pockets in the equipment that the hot water doesn't get to.

All comes down to multiples of equipment is the #1 best method, IMO.

 

[scooter31707]

I agree ^^^. Recommend getting 2 of everything that way after the transfer you can let everything dry for at least 24 hours.

 

[ThRoewer]

Interesting... 50 is just warm/slightly hot tap water. Is this also true for velvet, brook, etc?

If submersed long enough to reach equilibrium with the core body temperature 50°C will also kill a human. 60°C hot water may already give you first degree burns if you put your hand in it for too long.

Not sure about velvet and brook, but I somewhat doubt they will survive those temperatures in freshwater.
The problem with those is more that they can reproduce on the fish without ever leaving it. That's the reason why TTM doesn't work to eradicate them and you are forced to use chemotherapy to kill them on the fish.

 

[mattcoug]

If submersed long enough to reach equilibrium with the core body temperature 50°C will also kill a human. 60°C hot water may already give you first degree burns if you put your hand in it for too long.

Not sure about velvet and brook, but I somewhat doubt they will survive those temperatures in freshwater.
The problem with those is more that they can reproduce on the fish without ever leaving it. That's the reason why TTM doesn't work to eradicate them and you are forced to use chemotherapy to kill them on the fish.

I am thinking along the lines of "cleaning" a fowlr tank without destroying the bacterial population, and using only a trivial amount of work. It seems one could simply throw a large heater in the water, let it get to 120-130f, hold for an hour, let it cool down, and done.

I would much prefer to just spend $10 on electricity vs., 3 months follow, or a significant amount of work to bleach the tank and restart the nitrogen cycle.

A reef could be treated the same, just pull out what you want to save into a QT, then heat the tank, wait for it to cool and wait for all die off to stop, then done.

Given that copper/CP/etc is not reliable in a full tank, it seems an easy way to go.

-Matt

 

[ThRoewer]

If treating a whole tank I would go for at least a day or better two.
You would also need to make sure that there are no cold spots near the waterline.

 

[running scott]

I pretty funny when people come look at my tank right now. They say wow! That's a beautiful tank! They don't even notice that there aren't any fish in it. I not bragging, my tanks not that great. These are the same people that ask if my coral is alive, or they ask if they are plants.