Fallow period for cryptocaryon irritans (ich)

[keithhays]

I just love when this topic comes up, but I will never understand why there is such a debate. Let's assume for a second that one is quarantining all incoming fish, because if you are not then being in this conversation is an intellectual endeavor only. If you are quarantining and you are religious about it, then you will have some time period with which your mind has grabbed a hold of. Either that time period will work or it will not and you will get burned, or more appropriately, your tanked will get burned. You will then increase that time period, and the process repeats. Personally that time period for me is 90 days and should I see any reason at all to make it longer, I would not hesitate.

I have invested in the quarantine system and cabinet full of various drugs solely for the purpose of minimizing the risk of an outbreak which I have to re-purchase many of yearly. I see no reason not to use them.

Now, there are a lot of other things that I treat for other than ich and I have a large system which I would not be cheap to replace if I had to trash everything and start over, which is what would happen with any kind of a systemic outbreak.

I hear many who are concerned about the effect of various treatments on incoming fish and I certainly try to use treatments that are appropriate for the species that I am quarantining and treating, but one level up in public aquarium systems, they will buy many of whatever species and some will be sacrificed to verify that there are no diseases present via autopsy. I am definitely not to that level, but sometimes I think we are overly emotional about this process.

 

[kenpau]

Interesting reading this thread. I've just had to remove all my livestock and go fallow in my display, was wondering what the optimum level of copper is for icu treatment?

 

[Spar]

Interesting reading this thread. I've just had to remove all my livestock and go fallow in my display, was wondering what the optimum level of copper is for icu treatment?

.5ppm 4 weeks

 

[kenpau]

.5ppm 4 weeks

Great thanks mate.

 

[ThRoewer]

I would rather do TTM than use copper.
Combine TTM with hyposalinity and you have a pretty foolproof and quick system to get your fish ich free without the risk of just masking it (which happens way too often when copper levels slip below the therapeutic level).

In case of new fish add 45 minute formalin-malachite green baths during the transfers and you also significantly reduce the risk of velvet, brook and several other nasty parasites.
Add PraziPro to the second and fourth tank and you also fee your fish of flukes and most intestinal parasites.
This way you get your fish cleaned of most common pests in two weeks (add a week if doing hyposalinity to bring the fish back to full salinity) without exposing them to copper. Add 4 (3) weeks of observation and you should be well covered.

 

[Waveland]

I don't believe I've seen this question. My DT is fallow now for 6 weeks after ich outbreak. I lost all my fish (4 total in a IM 30L).
I have new fish in a quarantine/observation tank. I've had them for about 2 weeks and all are eating well and doing fine with no signs of stress or disease. Should I preventative treat them with copper, etc. or just continue to observe them and add them to my DT tank in another 3 weeks?
Many thanks,
Dave

 

[Waveland]

Believe I'm finding the answer in Basic Quarantine.....thanks!