How long did it take to catch all your fish? Frustrated..

[andrewkw]

I've been trying since this morning and I've only got 3/15. Hoping to count today as a tank transfer day...

My poor wrasse went nuts when he got in the trap (critter keeper). He almost knocked himself out but is still alive, and hopefully will recover.

I am concerned about not getting the other fish out. I am prepared to drain the tank just not right now. I have water in my barrels which I was planning to use for tank transfer. All of this happened thanks to corals carrying ich (all fish were QT).

I may end up tearing my tank completely down which some will say is an over reaction to a few spots on a single fish which has since disappeared, but that fish is an Achilles tang. Ich is now in the system. Also in the long term everything wet will wait 72 days before entering my tank. I will redo my entire frag / qt isolation system so that I can actually get new things more then once every 72 days. One day I should have a completely disease and pest free reef tank!

 

[andrewkw]

My red velvet wrasse is dead, fish trap just isn't a good idea for these guys. I'm going to tear down the tank to take out the remaining fish.

 

[Perth_reefer]

Be very careful mate. I had ich in my tank and ripped it apart to catch 15 fish, 13 fish didn't make it through the next 24 hours. By ripping apart your reef you are massively stressing already sick fish.

 

[RetroMKT]

Really sad I have to tell you that I learned to live with ich in my system, I don't see it for many months then some points appear and days after disappear

 

[Perth_reefer]

Really sad I have to tell you that I learned to live with ich in my system, I don't see it for many months then some points appear and days after disappear

Unfortunately in some circumstances I believe that you have no real option but to do this. People will get a lot of hate on here for suggesting it but if you have a fully stocked reef which is bonded together then how are you going to break it apart to catch all your fish without seriously stressing all your fish and coral?
Prevention is always better than a cure but unless you quarantine all live rock/corals/inverts for 12 weeks and put all fish through copper/hypo/TTM then ich will potentially find a way in.
If it does you have a big decision to make, if possible remove all fish and run fallow, in some cases though IMO the stress that would cause may have worse effects than providing a well fed, stress free tank and 'managing' ich, for want of a better term.

 

[andrewkw]

Really it's lose lose. I already lost the one fish, one of my most beautiful who showed no symptoms. The Naso whom I caught still seems fine, fortunately all my fish I've had long term so even if he's spooked and doesn't eat much he should survive tank transfer. The Naso also has not shown any symptoms as only the Achilles did but they are all obviously infected.

I am just going to proceed with the Naso tank transfer then I'll either put him in my 90g garden eel tank or 55g QT. Likely the eel tank as it offers a bit more room / water quality and will allow me to continue to use the QT tank to treat other fish once I take apart the tank. My leopard wrasse I've had for about 5 years while not quite as crazy at the fairy wrasses I'd be worried he'd do the same sort of freak out that killed the red velvet. So I'll want to take all rock and coral out before draining and netting. This is going to be a real pain as most of my live rock is attached together with acrylic rods, pvc and epoxy.

Basically I'm going to start all over without losing anything else I hope. I have considered just leaving things as they are, but I'd feel terrible to treat the naso tang and reintroduce him to a diseased tank. Finally I will be moving in a year potentially quite far from my current home so I will need all my fish to be healthy and disease free to ensure they survive the move.

 

[Perth_reefer]

I'd say if time is on your side then consider a fish trap and catching them one at a time, at least that way you are minimising the stress of tearing apart your reef and chasing them around the tank.

 

[andrewkw]

I'd say if time is on your side then consider a fish trap and catching them one at a time, at least that way you are minimising the stress of tearing apart your reef and chasing them around the tank.

The fish trap is what killed the wrasse. He got so freaked out he just kept banging into the walls until he knocked himself out. The last time I moved my tank the only fish I lost was a wrasse who died from smashing against the rocks when I drained the tank.

This leaves taking EVERYTHING out less the fish and netting them out as the only safe option that comes to mind, or at least half the tank and then put a barrier up.

 

[Perth_reefer]

Well that really sucks mate. Good luck with it!

 

[m0nkie]

The fish trap is what killed the wrasse. He got so freaked out he just kept banging into the walls until he knocked himself out. The last time I moved my tank the only fish I lost was a wrasse who died from smashing against the rocks when I drained the tank.

This leaves taking EVERYTHING out less the fish and netting them out as the only safe option that comes to mind, or at least half the tank and then put a barrier up.

sorry to hear man.. hope you don't have and sand borrowing wrasse. I tore down my 100 gallon early this year to catch my yellow corris wrasse. had to scoop out the sand to find him inside..

you can try a screen to divide the tank into sections, might be easier to catch some bigger fish. then allow things to calm down before attempting to catch the wrasse

 

[andrewkw]

I used a screen to catch the achilles still had to tear down my aquascape but at least I didn't have to remove all the corals and rock.

He managed to draw blood from me while in the net, but I think from now on I wouldn't catch fish any other way but net.

I put the Achilles in my 55g qt and have started dosing copper. I will take it slow as I did the first time he was in qt when I got him and just treat him in there. I am tank transferring my naso tang and one chromis that I caught in the trap they are on their second transfer. Once they make it to the last one I'll move them to my garden eel tank. I can then use the pools I am using for tank transfer on my remaining 10-11 fish. Exception being the leopard wrasse. I am worried about him as I have had him well over 5 years but he has survived moves before and even barebottom short term (container for sand). I will tank transfer him in 5g buckets with fresh containers of sand each time then I'll set up a 10g tank for him to ride out the fallow time in. Once the Achilles is done copper treatment in 30 or so days I can move him to the garden eel tank too. Since this tank has live rock skimmer deep sandbed the filtration will be able to handle the 2 tangs even if it will be cramped. I will then move all remaining small fish on their last transfer to the 55g tank which of course I will wash out the copper and they can ride the fallow time out there. Their bioloads should be easier to maintain and once I get rid of the copper I can always use prime if it comes down to it or just keep buying box upon box of IO and do massive water changes.

Everything is a mess, water coral fish but in 3 months time or less I hope to be 100% ich free. I plan on getting 6 more 10 gallon tanks and building a QT stand to go with the 55g hospital tank. I will use the top 3 for coral and inverts and have two 10g for tank transfers and one more for backup. This will allow me to purchase things more then once every 72 days and have available space in case of future emergencies.

A reminder to anyone reading my jumbled comments this happened because I did not QT a coral not a fish. Everything wet needs to be qt!