I have a problem deciding how to quarantine my fish. My dilemma is that with copper u can get 100% guarantee u will introduce ur fish 100% disease free in your display tank, while hyposalinity leaves a big margin there. But I think copper has a heavier impact on the fish. I don't know which one to decide. Thing is with hyposalinity u can only cure ich but there has also been reports on hyposalinity resistant strains of ich. I don't have problem with quarantining each fish for 2 months but at least to be 100% that u will have a fish parasite free. Any thoughts on this one? Thank you for your time.
Have ICH looky here!!!!!
- Thread starter WaterKeeper
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Aquarist007
New member
copper can be problematic too if you don't follow the directions to the letter.
it has been reported a number of times that tangs can react negatively to copper.
with regards to the report that there are hyposalinty resistant strains of ich---do you have a link to that report or article---seems like an interesting one to read.
Aquarist007
New member
I believe that you cannot have the situation where you are 100 percent ich free or your fish will never come in contact with it.
Rather you take the steps to qt all your fish and keep the exposure of other fish to it at a minimum ; feed a healthy diet so they are strong enough to fend off the seriousness of a disease if they become exposed to it.
I just want to put in a suggestion here. I have read differing theories as to whether or not hyposalinity will kill crypt/ich. That said, I think that it is a viable treatment for ich, especially for those fish that are sensitive to copper based treatment.
I do think it is important, however, to remind people who are using hyposalinity in a treatment tank that they should carefully and completely vaccum or otherwise clean/siphon the bottom of their treatment tank at least every other day. This way, if hyposalinity has not killed the ich, it will be removed from the system.
If one wanted to add an additional safety net, a UV unit could be used on the treatment tank as added protection against any free swiming ich.
I do think it is important, however, to remind people who are using hyposalinity in a treatment tank that they should carefully and completely vaccum or otherwise clean/siphon the bottom of their treatment tank at least every other day. This way, if hyposalinity has not killed the ich, it will be removed from the system.
If one wanted to add an additional safety net, a UV unit could be used on the treatment tank as added protection against any free swiming ich.
Aquarist007
New member
this is very true but a uv filter does add some extra protection--although very little in comparison to the three preferred methods of treating ich--all requiring a quarantine tank.
hypo salination
copper based medication
and series of complete water changes coinciding with the stages of ich.
IMO---personally I would put more faith in a balanced nutritional diet for my fish including vitamins, garlic in moderation, and fish oils--to increase the strength of the immunity systems.
jasonrp104
New member
Can someone explain the formalin dipping process or point me in the right direction?
Please
Please
Aquarist007
New member
jasonrp104
New member
jasonrp104
New member
One quick question: How long in the bath water before the rinse water?
okay..2: how long in the rinse water?
okay..2: how long in the rinse water?
Aquarist007
New member
30-60 min
jasonrp104
New member
It's the female of a maroon pair. They've been in qt for a year as far as I'm concerned since they were the only fish in the tank and showed no signs of anything. She has been in my tank over a month and didn't show any signs until about a week after moving into the nem.
Aquarist007
New member
this is just backs up the feeling of some marine biologists--that you cannot truly eradicate ich from your system.
In this case watch the maroon for a few more days--it may be healthy enough now to rid the ich by itself.
If it steadily gets worse then remove it an treat in a qt with hypo salinity.
simonjensen
New member
A bit of clarification on quarantine
A bit of clarification on quarantine
Need some clarification on quarantine:
I've read just about everything there is to read on marine ich which leaves me with a couple of queries.Firstly when quarantining a healthy looking fish at what stage could the white spot be present? from my understanding if no spots are present than the ich must be in one of its other stages, that is either free swimming or in the substrate, not on the host. My second query is (depending on an answer to the above question) should a quarantined fish be subjected to some degree of stress to induce white spot and allow for treatment? if stress is a trigger surely a fish could remain healthy in quarantine and develop ich if later stressed in the display tank.
Thanks in advance for your opinions
A bit of clarification on quarantine
Need some clarification on quarantine:
I've read just about everything there is to read on marine ich which leaves me with a couple of queries.Firstly when quarantining a healthy looking fish at what stage could the white spot be present? from my understanding if no spots are present than the ich must be in one of its other stages, that is either free swimming or in the substrate, not on the host. My second query is (depending on an answer to the above question) should a quarantined fish be subjected to some degree of stress to induce white spot and allow for treatment? if stress is a trigger surely a fish could remain healthy in quarantine and develop ich if later stressed in the display tank.
Thanks in advance for your opinions
Stuart60611
New member
The visible white spot you see on a fish does not indicate whether the ich is on the fish. Ich on a fish is invisible to the naked eye. When you see a white spot on a fish what your are seeing is the fish's skin reacting to the parasite and not the parasite itself. In fact, generally, when you see a spot on your fish it usually means that the spot is left from the parasite droping off the fish and not indicative of the parasite itself. The skin of fish usually, but does not always, react to the presence or dropping off of an ich parasite.
This is one of the reasons this parasite is so hard to deal with and quarantine can sometimes fail. Your fish can, indeed, be infested with ich without showing any behavorial or visible signs of ich. This is not the usual situation, but it can happen, partcularly when the infestation is not real severe yet. As such, you can quarantine a fish, think it is fine, introduce it to the dispaly only to find the fish break out with ich shortly thereafter. In such situations, your fish could have had ich while in quarantine which remained subclinical (no visible or behavorial signs) and then the stress of moving the fish to the display caused the fish to break out with ich. Also, your fish in the display could have a subclinical infestation of ich which only manefested itself into an observable infestation once you added the stress of a new fish to the display.
This is one of the reasons this parasite is so hard to deal with and quarantine can sometimes fail. Your fish can, indeed, be infested with ich without showing any behavorial or visible signs of ich. This is not the usual situation, but it can happen, partcularly when the infestation is not real severe yet. As such, you can quarantine a fish, think it is fine, introduce it to the dispaly only to find the fish break out with ich shortly thereafter. In such situations, your fish could have had ich while in quarantine which remained subclinical (no visible or behavorial signs) and then the stress of moving the fish to the display caused the fish to break out with ich. Also, your fish in the display could have a subclinical infestation of ich which only manefested itself into an observable infestation once you added the stress of a new fish to the display.
Last edited:
Stuart60611
New member
Well, in looking at your prior post, I realize that I did not respond to your second point. I am by no means an expert on the subject, but I have been dealing with my own ich issues for about 1 year now and have read everything I can find on the subject. .
My view is that under no circumstances should you ever deliberately subject your fish to stress for the sake of bringing on disease. That would only risk the fish's health. However, I do believe based on the realities that I expressed in the prior post that the probabilities are very high, particularly the higher number of fish you ultimately introduce in your system, that you are going to quarantine a fish and observe no signs of disease and then inadvertantly introduce some parasite into the system which may require the removal (or death) of all your fish and a resulting lenghty fallow period to rid your system of the parasite. I have read that 2 of every 3 ornamental fish sold to the public have some parasite. As such, I am a firm believer that the real only pratical way to avoid this is to treat each and every fish in quarantine for the fully alloted time allowed for the given med. In this regard, I would use cupramine or other mild coppers for the full 4 weeks on fish whether disease is seen or not, even recognizing the risks,stress and potential long term negative effects it may have on the fish. With respect to puffers and tangs which can be sensitive to copper, I would be more inclined to treat with cupramine with tangs rather than puffers, but if to be avoided I would go with chloroquine phosphate or quinine sulphate on those species for at least 3 back to back 5 day treatments. I would also treat with prazipro for flukes on every fish 2 back to back treatments. Otherwise, I think the probabilities are high that you will have an issue with disease down the road.
I really believe that until this rag tag industry gets its act together at the wholesale level with appropriate mandated pre-treatment before sale and proper qurantine procedures there really is no other viable choice. For those of us who have dealt with an infested system, the negative effects of treatiing without signs of disease is far less than dealing the realities of an infested system both interms of the health of your livestock and your personal sanity.
My view is that under no circumstances should you ever deliberately subject your fish to stress for the sake of bringing on disease. That would only risk the fish's health. However, I do believe based on the realities that I expressed in the prior post that the probabilities are very high, particularly the higher number of fish you ultimately introduce in your system, that you are going to quarantine a fish and observe no signs of disease and then inadvertantly introduce some parasite into the system which may require the removal (or death) of all your fish and a resulting lenghty fallow period to rid your system of the parasite. I have read that 2 of every 3 ornamental fish sold to the public have some parasite. As such, I am a firm believer that the real only pratical way to avoid this is to treat each and every fish in quarantine for the fully alloted time allowed for the given med. In this regard, I would use cupramine or other mild coppers for the full 4 weeks on fish whether disease is seen or not, even recognizing the risks,stress and potential long term negative effects it may have on the fish. With respect to puffers and tangs which can be sensitive to copper, I would be more inclined to treat with cupramine with tangs rather than puffers, but if to be avoided I would go with chloroquine phosphate or quinine sulphate on those species for at least 3 back to back 5 day treatments. I would also treat with prazipro for flukes on every fish 2 back to back treatments. Otherwise, I think the probabilities are high that you will have an issue with disease down the road.
I really believe that until this rag tag industry gets its act together at the wholesale level with appropriate mandated pre-treatment before sale and proper qurantine procedures there really is no other viable choice. For those of us who have dealt with an infested system, the negative effects of treatiing without signs of disease is far less than dealing the realities of an infested system both interms of the health of your livestock and your personal sanity.
jasonrp104
New member
Once they are in a hosiptal tank and have gone through the 6 week cycle, how do you add you fish back in to the DT? All at once or slowly over a few weeks?
Aquarist007
New member
slowly over a few weeks----the bacteria in your tank cycle in response to a bioload---after six weeks the bacteria will have reduced their number to the existing bioload in the tank. You add a fish they react to the increased ammonia by recycling their numbers---they can do it quickly once established on the live rock but not instantly---so add your fish back slowly to avoid a possible ammonia spike.
BTW
I am assuming that you have raised the salt level back slowly in the quarantine tank before considering adding them back to the display
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