Apparently Tank has Ich--details below

[chathomas]

90 gal reef with many LPS, SPS, BTA, and softies. All corals are thriving. Normal water levels. Fish: fairy wrasse, 2 black/white clowns, mandarin, lawnmower. All doing well. Introduced a Chevron who got white spots and died inside of 10 days. Got a Powder Brown and spots again died in 3 days. All were eating well. No I don't have a UV sterilizer. Aside from killing all my corals what can I do to rid my tank of ich and become able to house a tang? Is it possible? If any suggestion is to remove corals and treat tank then I just won't have a tank. I am under the assumption that a UV sterilizer won't rid the tank completely of ich. Why do none of my other fish get symptoms or have issues? I know tangs are more susceptible. Any suggestions are welcome. My last tank I had tangs without a problem and without a UV and they did fine.

 

[yakfishin]

You need to setup up a cheap quarantine tank for your new incoming fish. It would have been better to have been doing this all along, but you really don't have an option for getting rid of the ich that is currently in your tank without doing what you, and most people, wouldn't want to do. If I were you, I would add a couple of sponge filters in your sump. Let these get established with bacteria for about a month. Purchase a 20G tank with a hang on the back filter, and set this up using the sponges out of your sump placed in the hang on back filter, for biological filtration. Purchase your new fish, and keep him in quarantine for at least two weeks (three or four even better), and that way if he comes down with ich he can be treated with the quarantine tank. Also, assuming the fish in QT does ok, he should be healthy when added to your display tank and hopefully won't come down with ich due to the ich that is in that tank. If you go a year without new arrivals, there is research to show that ich will die in a tank after going through their cycles for about a year. Good luck.

 

[chathomas]

my corals should be fine correct? How long does the QT need to cycle? not long because I will be adding the bio from display tank right. Can ich not get in the sponge? Thanks

 

[yakfishin]

You're right about the ich possibly getting into the sponge, I didn't think about that. I have heard that some local fish stores will have biollogically active sponges they have been using that they will sell. You just need to make sure it is a sponge from either an invert tank or live rock tank, or it could possibly have ich as well. You could also use a cheaper fish such as a molly to cycle the QT tank. You would then need to wait a few weeks. Assuming you get the active sponge, then you're right, you don't need to wait for the tank to cycle, although I like to do water changes fairly often in the QT. If you can start a quarantine tank, it will really pay off for you in the end. I currently have an emporer angel in QT and I think he may possibly have an ich spot or two. But I'm not totally freaking out because unless I accidently get some water from the QT to my display tank, I won't have to worry about my other fish. And it's easier to treat the one fish by itself as well. Maybe someone else will have some other ideas for you.

 

[chathomas]

Understood and I appreciate it. The mandarin and both clowns now look infected. I imagine that they will be gonners. The weird thing is is that whatever this type of ich it is, it kills them within 2 days of white spots forming. It is like ebola of my reef tank