how long to wait after ick outbreak?
- Thread starter Aerowen
- Start date
Reefer2727
New member
tagging along
steelersfan
Member
The display tank needs to remain fallow (without any fish) for at least 8 weeks. IMO, you should wait a full 10 weeks before adding any new fish to your display tank. Just to be safe.
wooden_reefer
New member
Did you actively treat the fish for one month against ich or did you just observe in isolation for one month.
I always treat againist ich continuously for at least eight weeks.
However, I can't say that six weeks is necessarily poor, especially if the water is quite warm.
one month is likely quite chancy even if the water is quite warm.
jt_milstead
New member
Let aquarium go fish less (without any foreign saltwater additions (e.g., water from LFS system, water from another tank or system -- use only distilled or RO/DI for evaporation and freshly made, uncontaminated salt water for water changes), without contamination from infected tanks, live rock additions, etc.) for at least 8 weeks and the tank will be free of Marine Ich. This 'fallow period' has over a 99.9% chance of success.
1geo
1geo
Are you sure your fish have Ich or do they have Brooklynella? To tell them apart you have to take a tissue sample and examine it under a microscope. The treatment of choice for Ich is copper but copper will not cure Brook. For Brook you have to use 37% Formalin. Formalin will also cure Ich. So if you are treating for Ich and your fish are not getting better they may have Brook. To treat with Formalin you give your fish Formalin baths. Where you put 1 cc of 37% Formalin (Formaldehyde) in 1 gal of water and dip your fish for a minimum of 45 minutes up to 60 minutes. You do this five times once every other day after 5 dips your fish are rid of Ich and Brook. I also put Formalin in the QT tank. I put 1 cc to 10 gals of water every day during the period I give the baths. Formaldehyde evaporates out of the water within two hours and is not accumulative. It does deplete the oxygen in the water so you need vigorous aeration with air stones in the bath water. Do not use Formalin on fish that have open wounds, it will kill them. After 10 days of Formalin dips, once every other day they are cured of Brook and Ich. The tank the fish came out of has to be fallow, fishless, for at least 8 weeks. The eggs of Ich are in the bottom of your tank and can lay dormant for up to 8 weeks. When they hatch they have to find a host within hours or they will die. Brook's parasite divides and the new cell becomes a free swimmer looking for a host. The swimmer can persist up to four weeks without finding a host before it dies. So a eight week fishless tank can say it is free of Ich and Brook. IF ONE FISH IN YOUR TANK HAS A PARASITE ALL HAVE THE PARASITE EVEN IF THEY SHOW NO SYMPTOMS AND MUST BE TREATED. Don't go through this in the future, QT all new arrives for at least 4 weeks. One more thing, Formalin has a short shelf life so use fresh product and ONLY use 37% Formalin, 15% will do you no good.
redsea reefer
New member
8-10 weeks
jt_milstead
New member
Thats a good point. What type of fish are they. If they were wild caught clowns it could be Brook...
Aerowen
New member
Wow thanks for the awesome reply. I am actually not sure if it was ick or brook, all the fish died within 2 days, so i did not get a chance to treat them let alone catch them.
So, far my tank is fishless for about a month now, i only have corals and some shrimp.
I def. learned my lesson about QT, so the general idea is atleast 8 weeks but to be safe 10?
thanks for all your help.
Aerowen
New member
Yeah, i was actually not sure they all got it and died pretty fast.
It was a pair of aussie clarkii clowns ( pretty sure they were wild caught), a kole tang ( the original host ) a damsel, and a goby that i never found.
1geo
1geo
It has been estimated that 80 percent of wild Clownfish stock has Brooklynella. In the open ocean this is not a problem because the swimmers rarely come back to infect the fish that produced them. In a closed aquarium its a different story, if fact, its lethal; Brook can kill quick and often when you see the final stages its to late to cure your fish. One thing to do right away when you observe the final stages of Brook is to give a quick fresh water bath. This gives the fish immediate relief because it dislodges some of the parasites from its gills. This followed up with a Formalin bath is your best bet to get control of the situation.
hitachi753
Member
Also make sure you treat the quarantined fish for all 8 weeks so it completely kills the ich
Gwynhidwy
Meat Popsicle
For what its worth, with the disease killing that quickly it was probably not ich, unless the fish were all infected prior to you getting them. I agree it was likely brook, but could also have been velvet. It might be helpful to look at some photos of the different disease conditions. It makes it easier to recognize symptoms of each as they are similar in appearance. The correct diagnosis can definitely help save your fish's lives.
