Beginning a QT for Ich problems

[vzmartini]

Hello everyone,

New to the hobby been at it for about a month so I apologize in advance for the stupid questions:sad2:.

Unfortunately my tank has an Ich infestation, and so I have several questions.

1.I'm setting up a QT for my fish. I plan on leaving the live rock and sand in my DT. My understanding is that in the DT the Ich will die off and the rock and sand will be okay. In my QT after 6-9 weeks the copper dosing on my fish in a separate tank with no signs of Ich I can bring my fish back into the DT safely. Is this right?

2. Is it okay to put MicroBacter in my QT to speed up the cycling process?

3. Can I still feed my fish as I do normally once their in the QT being medicated?

4. Will it be okay to put a seaweed clip in there for them?

Again, sorry for the stupid questions and thanks in advance!!

 

[rssjsb]

Yes, leave the display tank fallow while you treat your fish. The thinking these days is that the fallow period should be 72 days.

You can treat with copper, but getting the dose right can be tricky and some fish can be very sensitive to it (puffers, gobies, eels, angels). You may notice that the fish lose some appetite when treating with copper. You should keep an eye on them, but if they're healthy (other than the it), a short period of appetite suppression should not be a serious issue. No reason not to offer foods they've been eating, but just be vigilant about leftover. Ammonia spikes are a problem and you can't use Amquel or other treatments to reduce the level when you're using copper.

You can use bacteria boosters. I've used biospira before to (I think) good effect. However, I have no idea if it's actually effective for anything other than making me feel proactive. I don't think they hurt anything.

As alternatives to copper, I've had success with chloroquine phosphate before, too, but you can't really test for it so it's a bit of a leap of faith. NLS has a new CP bath product available, but I've never used it.

Tank transfer requires some additional equipment and a lot of saltwater. But it's the safest method as it involves no chemicals.

HTH.