how long can brook survive sans host?
- Thread starter kypatriot
- Start date
kypatriot
Premium Member
Here's why I ask:
I bought a tank (a 40g) several months ago from a LFS that was closing up. It had the substrate in it, which I left in, and I left about 0.5" of water in it for a month. It sat mostly empty in my basement floor.
Then I filled it up with tap water and started the filter running, thinking the FW and chlorine would help to eliminate any possible parasites, etc. I left that for a week or so, then slowly changed out the water for saltwater over the course of weeks.
I had a domino damsel in a 20g QT tank that I moved into the 40 after about a month of having saltwater in it again. I had this fish for over 6 months before moving it, and I know it was healthy.
It did fine in the 40g tank for about 2 months. About a month ago, it started looking very pale, breathing very fast, and hanging out under a rock or occasionally at the top or near a filter intake, trying to get more O2.
I have not added a single thing to my tank - not 1 fish, coral, rock, nothing. Anything in that tank had to be there already, and survive the dryness, tap water, fallow tank, etc.
I would like to get other fish for this tank, but not if a parasite is in it. I think the damsel looks like it has Brook. It's appetite is still good (barely less than normal, and this fish eats a LOT), but it is clearly sick, and has small white spots on it, including over the eyes. I'm comfortable diagnosing Ich, and this isn't Ich.
Since it looks like an external parasite, I'm using my diatom filter on the tank, which seems to be helping. (I took the filter off yesterday, and today the fish is flashing again, looking sick again, after it was beginning to look nearly cured)
So, if I were to remove this fish from the tank, I'd like to know how long a parasite could possibly survive. Although whatever this is already survived what I would have thought would be impossible to survive.....
I bought a tank (a 40g) several months ago from a LFS that was closing up. It had the substrate in it, which I left in, and I left about 0.5" of water in it for a month. It sat mostly empty in my basement floor.
Then I filled it up with tap water and started the filter running, thinking the FW and chlorine would help to eliminate any possible parasites, etc. I left that for a week or so, then slowly changed out the water for saltwater over the course of weeks.
I had a domino damsel in a 20g QT tank that I moved into the 40 after about a month of having saltwater in it again. I had this fish for over 6 months before moving it, and I know it was healthy.
It did fine in the 40g tank for about 2 months. About a month ago, it started looking very pale, breathing very fast, and hanging out under a rock or occasionally at the top or near a filter intake, trying to get more O2.
I have not added a single thing to my tank - not 1 fish, coral, rock, nothing. Anything in that tank had to be there already, and survive the dryness, tap water, fallow tank, etc.
I would like to get other fish for this tank, but not if a parasite is in it. I think the damsel looks like it has Brook. It's appetite is still good (barely less than normal, and this fish eats a LOT), but it is clearly sick, and has small white spots on it, including over the eyes. I'm comfortable diagnosing Ich, and this isn't Ich.
Since it looks like an external parasite, I'm using my diatom filter on the tank, which seems to be helping. (I took the filter off yesterday, and today the fish is flashing again, looking sick again, after it was beginning to look nearly cured)
So, if I were to remove this fish from the tank, I'd like to know how long a parasite could possibly survive. Although whatever this is already survived what I would have thought would be impossible to survive.....
kypatriot
Premium Member
Anybody have any ideas?
The spots disappeared, so I left off the diatom for 1 day. The spots were back the next day, so I hooked it back up. That was a week ago, and they've been gone again since.
The fish mostly hides under a rock but will come out to eat when it sees me. It stays a very light pale gray color, and sometimes holds itself against a filter intake for a few seconds before swimming back under it's rock.
I'd really like to trade this fish off for some chromi's or something, but I don't want to trade off a sick fish (if he is) or add healthy fish to a sick tank (if it is).
The spots disappeared, so I left off the diatom for 1 day. The spots were back the next day, so I hooked it back up. That was a week ago, and they've been gone again since.
The fish mostly hides under a rock but will come out to eat when it sees me. It stays a very light pale gray color, and sometimes holds itself against a filter intake for a few seconds before swimming back under it's rock.
I'd really like to trade this fish off for some chromi's or something, but I don't want to trade off a sick fish (if he is) or add healthy fish to a sick tank (if it is).
Angela Short
New member
Any chance of a pic? How long have you had this fish total? How is the overall water quality? Not being rude but that was kinda a weird way to get the tank filled you described. Any benificial bacteria was killed from the fresh water and there was probably tons of nasty stuff in the sand. So why introduce all that junk is my question? Makes me wonder about water quality. Many health issues are brought on by poor water quality. Sorry not much help....
Similar threads
