How to prevent Ich on frags
- Thread starter coral49
- Start date
lapin
New member
No fish = No ich problem. Prob not a solution.
If you are wanting something to do, you can always do the TTM method with your corals. Like above "Chances of ich coming in on a coral is minimal."
Remember that the ich cyst can live in a fishes gills for an unknown amount of time. We can only do our best to control it. The most effective treatments have been to treat it when it is the water column. Healthy fish can have it for years without symptoms.
If you are wanting something to do, you can always do the TTM method with your corals. Like above "Chances of ich coming in on a coral is minimal."
Remember that the ich cyst can live in a fishes gills for an unknown amount of time. We can only do our best to control it. The most effective treatments have been to treat it when it is the water column. Healthy fish can have it for years without symptoms.
TTM doesn't work for anything but fish.
TTM is based on the amount of time the ich is on the fish, and the minimum "hatch" time for the cyst stage. Anything that could have ich cysts on it (ie. coral frags/frag plugs) needs to be quarantined for the recommended fallow period of at least 90 days (maximum possible ich cyst stage, although this has been questioned) if you plan on eliminating the chance of it.
m0nkie
Well-known member
QT everything wet.
fish - TTM
coral - 3 month fishless tank
live rock, CUC, inverts - 3 month fishless tank
and if you have a main DT and some other ich tank or QT, I would also get a whole set of equipment like nets, towels, refractometer.. never cross contaminate. This include wet arms.
lastly, on some extreme cases, there has been ich transfer from bubbles or water splash (air pumps, etc).. keep the QT in another room away from the DT.
fish - TTM
coral - 3 month fishless tank
live rock, CUC, inverts - 3 month fishless tank
and if you have a main DT and some other ich tank or QT, I would also get a whole set of equipment like nets, towels, refractometer.. never cross contaminate. This include wet arms.
lastly, on some extreme cases, there has been ich transfer from bubbles or water splash (air pumps, etc).. keep the QT in another room away from the DT.
m0nkie
Well-known member
I gave up on ich... after fallowing for the 4th time, I was done.
not so bad of a problem as long as the fish are fed and healthy. I QT for things like brook or velvet. Introduce new fish slowly and keep the new fish fat. Some stress ich pops out when I introduce an aggressive fish, but it goes away in a few days. So far I have 30+ fish in my tank.
not so bad of a problem as long as the fish are fed and healthy. I QT for things like brook or velvet. Introduce new fish slowly and keep the new fish fat. Some stress ich pops out when I introduce an aggressive fish, but it goes away in a few days. So far I have 30+ fish in my tank.
coral49
New member
thanks to all. I'll set up a coral QT tank. I'm assuming the 90 days starts over again ever time you add a new coral?
This came up as i went 6 years not loosing a fish (15) in a 400 gallon, then added a few corals from a friend and the wave of ich death started. Waited 9 months fallow and getting things going again. I am very thorough at QT fish now it will include QT coral tank
This came up as i went 6 years not loosing a fish (15) in a 400 gallon, then added a few corals from a friend and the wave of ich death started. Waited 9 months fallow and getting things going again. I am very thorough at QT fish now it will include QT coral tank
SAT
Premium Member
No! Ich can't transfer from one rock or coral to another in the absence of fish, so adding more coral does not restart the clock for the older corals. However, there could be some free-swimming Ich in the water, so I suggest a rinse in between the QT and DT.
AFAIK, Ich cannot attach to living surfaces, so you shouldn't have to worry about anemones (except for any attached rocks). Shrimps & crabs should be safe after they molt.
You can limit your risk by cutting off the frag plugs prior to introduction to the QT.
Regarding addition of new frags, see this thread:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2554303
Ignore some of the initial answers as they were proven later in the thread to be wrong.
Regarding addition of new frags, see this thread:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2554303
Ignore some of the initial answers as they were proven later in the thread to be wrong.
HBtank
Premium Member
I would just QT everything, honestly, not just for ich but for all the other pests that can plague established tanks.
IME ich is far less of a headache than countless other pests, people have destroyed entire tanks over frustration with other coral/algae pests from frags; while you can separate fish and eliminate ich (and most diseases) in a hospital tank without essentially resetting the display....
IME ich is far less of a headache than countless other pests, people have destroyed entire tanks over frustration with other coral/algae pests from frags; while you can separate fish and eliminate ich (and most diseases) in a hospital tank without essentially resetting the display....
+1
However, I would recommend at least a rinse, if not a few days in an interim QT, between shipping/acquisition and QT, then also between QT and DT. Reason being, hypothetically, you could have free swimming ich that has just dropped off a fish looking for a place to encyst with the water on your new frag, and then could have freshly "hatched" ich coming out of your QT with the 3 month frag water.
If you don't at least rinse between acquisition and QT, you should probably start the clock over on everything.
Pretty unlikely, but technically possible.
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