Dealing w/ Ich Question

[zigrat88]

All - Right now i have a 36G tank w/ 4 fish. 2 pink skunk clown, flame angel and a wrasse. Just noticed the "white dots" on my larger pink skunk. I'm a newbie, but it looks like ich.

I don't have a QT setup (literally have been collecting all the pieces for the past 2 weeks and almost done), but I do have a 54G corner aquarium which has been setup and cycled.

So what I'm wondering is can I move the LR in my small tank over to the new tank and just treat the old tank? ALso I have some copper based medicine however bought it from a reefer getting out of the hobby and it's at least 2 weeks old, can I use it?

Finally if I move the LR out I efectively won't have a "filter", should I do something about that?

 

[arizona tech]

yes you are on the right track about the lr to the other tank, on the 36 i take it the lr is the only filter you have, you will need a filter for the 36 i use a biowheel penguin for my qt tank, the copper what kind is it? i recommend cuparmine by seachem and a red sea test kit.Is the fish new that has ick, and are you sure it is ick not sand.

 

[Freed]

If you are going to put anything back into the 36 such as inverts or corals you CANNOT use copper on that tank. Any remaining copper will kill inverts and corals if you put them in there after treament. HYPOSALINITY is a better recommendation for the fish that you will have in the 36. Hypo(salinity adjusted down to 1.009) works wonders and is very easy to perform.

 

[zigrat88]

Would there be any time difference between the two? The good news is I have 0 intention of putting anything back in the 36 gallon, so dosing it with copper wouldn't be an issue. But I would want to go with whatever method is easiest / best.

And Since I have to buy a filter for my new QT setup today anyways (was planning on a sponge / foam filter) is there any reason I couldn't go with that? I was looking at the foam filter so I could just leave the foam in the new systems sump and be ready to go whenever I bought something new.

 

[Freed]

Sponge/foam air driven filters are acceptable. Copper is a bit more difficult to keep in check as you must constantly check the copper levels in the tank. Hypo is much easier to do. Just top off the water in the tank daily to a predetermined level(where it is at 1.009 at the topped off level). Keep the water at that level all the time and you will be good to go.

 

[zigrat88]

Yeah, been doing ALOT of reading this morning on ich, I also have crushed coral in the tank and it sounds like that would absorb the copper making it more difficult to keep.

What about my hermits, should I move them into the newly cycled tank?

 

[Freed]

Hypo will kill everything but the fish. Copper will too, possible including the fish.

 

[zigrat88]

OK, so I can move the hermit's out, not an issue. But I have a bunch of snails that are in the crushed coral. If they all die during hypo couldn't that cause a spike in nitrate? Should I try and take all the sand out to get them out of there?

 

[Freed]

That would cause a spike in the ammonia and a nitrate spike. Nitrate is not to really worry about as much as nitrite though.

 

[zigrat88]

Thanks for all the info, really appreciate it (forgot to mention that before). And I wil never, ever ever ever not have a QT tank in the future, lesson learned.

With that said should try and remove the sand to keep from the spike?

I do have some water conditioners used to "remove ammonia", and can also closely test the parm's to see if I get a spike so I can do water changes.

What do you think the best course of action would be?

 

[Freed]

You should remove the sand as the ich can still live in the sand which can keep the water in the sand from dropping to the required 1.009 and it will also harbor ich cysts, etc as well.