Yes going fallow... Didn't qt and learned the hard way. Blue hippo tang got ich and wiped out the whole tank. The blue tang was scratching on the rocks so bad it was damaging it's own skin and leaving gashes. Gonna invest in a nice qt and qt all new fish. Starting over as far a fish are concerned. I still have invertebrates and will be adding corals. I will continue to feed the tank so the shrimp, crabs, and corals can stay healthy as well as the beneficial bacteria. Any comments or suggestion are appreciated... just be respectful about it. I have learned my lesson the hard way.
Going Fallow
- Thread starter cbbram
- Start date
IMO blue hippo tanks are ich magnets and serve no other purpose than to infect all your other fish.... I have had them in a tank for a few months with no issues and all of a sudden get ich.... A qt tank is a must but if I ever get a larger tank againi will never get another one....
How long would you qt these 2 fish and what size qt would you use?
Assuming you intend to QT separately and purchase small specimens, a 20 long would work. If you wanted to purchase both at the same time & QT them together, I would probably bump it up to a 29 gal just so you have that extra height for more swimming space. Also, provide lots of PVC hiding places.
As far as the QT procedure itself, I would prophylactically treat both with either tank transfer or copper (copper for 1 month) just to err on the side of caution. After that, I would treat with 2 rounds of Prazi. Once you've completed both treatments, just continue to observe until it's been 9 weeks since you first bought the fish. If all looks good and they're eating well, add to the DT.
So long as your tank isn't already infected with Ich, you're careful never to cross contaminate and you always follow this QT procedure with all future fish purchases, your Blue Hippo and/or Powder Blue will enjoy a long, disease-free life.
This thread explains tank transfer method:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1996525
I like these two threads which talk about setting up a QT:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1990651&highlight=setting+qt
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1866770&highlight=setting+qt
Another good read:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-10/sp/feature/index.php
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Sure!
Most Tangs are easy, hardy fish. Ich is easy to diagnose and cure in a QT. No fish can get ich if it isn't there. Keeping ich out of a DT is easy; just follow a good QT regimen. There isn't an Ich Fairy that sprinkles the stuff on tanks.
Ich fairy... lol
The tank transfer method doesn't sound like something I would be cut out to do. Strict QT however, I have made up my mind to follow these procedures before adding new additions to the DT. Will strict QT in itself be enough? Or is the tank transfer method absolutely necessary? All my fish died so I will be starting from scratch. I also decided not to buy from my LFS. It's where I got the ich from... all the fish I had bought from Diver's Den were ich free... however I will QT Diver's Den purchases in the future. Expensive lesson...
Tank transfer is just another option in lieu of copper. I've only done it on small fish, but each time it was successful. The third "proven method" is hyposalinity, but I don't recommend it as it can be tedious and not always effective. I also need to tell you that not everyone believes in prophylactic treatment. Some just observe for 9 weeks, and if they don't see symptoms of any disease and the fish looks good/is eating, they add the specimen to their DT.
I personally take a much more aggressive approach because I've been bitten by Ich so many times. I just assume every fish I buy is diseased and needs treatment. So, copper would take care of Ich/Velvet for you, and Prazi is the dewormer of choice. But if you plan on buying exclusively LA DD specimens, I believe they de-worm all those specimens by soaking their food in Prazi.
Obviously, there are other nasties out there you may encounter while your fish is in QT. But those all usually have visible symptoms, so you can just post a pic on here or something and get advice.
MrTuskfish
Team RC
"Extremism in the pursuit of ich-free tanks is no vice".........with apologies to Barry Goldwater, 1964
MrTuskfish
Team RC
I like that last quote so much, I'm adding it to my signature.
MrTuskfish
Team RC
I do. I've used Cupramine and a womer (Prazi-Pro) on all new fish for many years. I have kept about 1000 gals of ich-free fish for close to 20 years.
kv2wr1
New member
Don't trust LA DD or anyone for that matter. I got fish from them that were ich free and some that were not. You still need to quarantine all fish. I still treat all fish with prazipro regardless and treat other symptoms as they arise. We have all been where you are. Good Luck.
Similar threads
