For those new to ich

[mhills16]

Well, I am starting this thread with the expectations that anyone here with experience will put their two cents in. I have experienced it and after trying ruby kick ich and stop parasite I will tell you right now that they do not work. I tried them more than once, save yourself some money PLEASE because they are both VERY expensive products that do not work at all! They are marketed for those of us who are hoping for a cure that doesn't involve quarantine, which I fell for too. I spent over $100 on those treatments and I just pretty much poured it down the drain.. Well, today in a process that took 2 hours, I removed all live rock, all 200lbs of it, and got all the fish out, I then put them in a 50 gallon cooler with 3 power heads. one seio with the sponge built in, and one cheap one that I fabricated a sponge for. The third one I rigged to attach to my HOB filter with several bio balls. So, my powerhead has 2 pumps running on it, the one it came with and the extra powerhead, which I am hoping causes more filtration. I added 13 lbs of live rock, to help with the ammonia. I just wanted to start this thread because after many trial and errors I have to admit defeat, there is no other way other than quarantine to defeat this disease, and it isn't as hard as you think it is to do it! I am keeping the DT empty of fish for 5 weeks and treating my Quarantine with cupramine and testing it regularly for the .5 level. If you have ich, do yourself a favor and do the right thing and quarantine! Also, even though the fish were stressed out during the removal, they are happily eating now!!! I also suggest having a quarantine tank for all new fish you buy so you never have to deal with ich again!! I am!

 

[paulamrein]

I think everyone at one point has lost a fish to parasites. Quarantine is the absolute paramount to a successful hobby. Having Quarantine for a while now, I can tell you that it is a little difficult keeping the water levels from going bad. And with a strained biofiltration it's going to happen. That is why I have an established 24/7 running QT. A few pointers, Keep absolutely everything separate from the main tank. Even your hands. When you have some fish in DT and others in QT you can't dip your hands in one tank, than go straight into the other one. All equipment, nets, feedings, etc. Must never meet. If it has to be used between tanks, it should be sterilized before use, and running it in water is not enough, hands should be washed and completely dried, and equipment should be in vinegar, or peroxide. obviously, rock, substrate, sponges can't return to DT either. This has been my experience where I was still getting parasites into my DT and it was because I would go to the QT and adjust a powerhead, than walk into the living room and adjust something in my DT.
A QT requires more maintenance than a DT. But your fish will live longer, healthier, and happier. The benefits far outweigh the cost, and effort. Even if the only benefit is getting a fish fattened up and used to tank life, it would be worth it.

 

[paulamrein]

Also, I would do 6-8 weeks instead of just 5. Gives you a little more of a buffer.

 

[mhills16]

very good point that i overlooked when posting this is to not use the same equipment tank to tank and also wash your hands and dry them before going to another tank. I too am keeping a quarantine set up 24/7! It is worth it!

 

[mhills16]

yes, i think i will do 6 1/2 weeks to make sure!

 

[mhills16]

also, since my Qt is not a well established filtered tank, what can i do to lower nitrates , Water changes alone? also, since this is a QT and i dont belive i can get it to be 0 at all times, am i safe keeping it 20ppm and lower? right now it is at 10ppm. thanks!

 

[DC84]

I have a question.

If I have a quarantine tank, and I am going to QT new fish before I add them to my display...should I be treating it with copper or hyposalinity even if the fish does not have visible signs of Ich yet?

 

[mhills16]

I would treat the tank with copper because even if the fish does not show signs of ich, it could still have it! And if it is just a quarantine with no inverts then copper is much more efficient to use than hypo!

 

[Freed]

Actually, if you set your QT up like mine(pictured just to the right of the trash can),

you'd be amazed at how easy it is to do water changes. The ball valve just above the rim of the tank will fill the QT in about 30 seconds after turning another ball valve, plumbed to the main sewer with PVC, to drain the water out. Full water changer per day takes about one minute max.

 

[WLachnit]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13335606#post13335606 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DC84
I have a question.

If I have a quarantine tank, and I am going to QT new fish before I add them to my display...should I be treating it with copper or hyposalinity even if the fish does not have visible signs of Ich yet?

I have the same exact question. I just placed a couple of Tangs from the LFS in my QT yesterday. They look fairly healthy, eating pellets and seaweed at the LFS and doing the same in my QT. I was going to go through a copper treatment just to be sure, but am concerned that will stress the fish out.

What are people's thoughts here? I have heard doing it both ways.

 

[limitdown]

I now prophylactically treat every single incoming fish with cupramine for 6wks and prazi-pro for 2wks.

Some fish might be immune to ich so they don't show signs. However, they might still be carrying it and will spread it in your DT.

Cupramine is the least-harsh copper treatment in the market. I have not had any issues using it with fish that are sensitive to other copper treatments such as dwarf angels.

 

[mhills16]

i am using cupramine so far no negatives here. I cant believe how easy doing this whole process was, wish i would have done it sooner! EVERY single fish i buy for now on will be quarantined for 6 weeks!

 

[WLachnit]

I thought one could get by with much less than 6 weeks in QT with copper?

 

[mhills16]

i do belive the 6 weeks is to ensure that any ich left in your dt has a chance to starve to death and complete the cycle to make sure that you have a ich free environment!

 

[limitdown]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13337490#post13337490 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WLachnit
I thought one could get by with much less than 6 weeks in QT with copper?

I've had ich spots stay on my fish for almost 5 weeks in the past.

I have thousands of dollars worth of fish in my DT so I don't take any chances these days.

Ich is a big fear of mine, but velvet is what I'm really scared of. I lost $1,000+ of fish to velvet earlier this year because I didn't quarantine one stinking little domino damsel...

 

[WLachnit]

So, it sounds like treating prophylactically, it should still be 6 weeks. I'm a bit nervous since the QT is only a 30gal and worry about water quality (even with a sponge filter, etc.). According to Seachem, cupramine will mess with the ammonia test?

 

[paulamrein]

I've lost fish in droves as well. I can't beat that dead horse enough about QT. To know that I don't have to worry about parasites, is really a load off of my mind. Not that I can slack on maintenance, but I also know I have a fighting chance of keeping these fish as long as I can.

 

[paulamrein]

Also wanted to add, as I always do, that EVERYTHING must be Quarantined, not just fish, but everything wet going into your tank. Not treated, just out of the tank free of fish for a month or more. This is the biggest factor when others say that quarantine doesn't work and the myth that ich is always in the water. So a 2nd QT equipped with sufficient lighting and skimmer may be on the reefer's list of to-do's as well. Luckly, I am a FOWLR guy. But I still have a second tank for inverts, rock, anything else going in the tank which once was in a parasitic environment.

 

[Freed]

My QT up above is a 20 gallon and works very well for most anything.

 

[paulamrein]

Freed,
Can you use copper for a fish, than turn around and QT a coral? I guess if you clean the heck out of it and run carbon you may get away with it, I know you prefer hypo most cases, but if you're treating velvet and use copper, don't you run a risk?