ICH/Coral question/confusion

[Bike2k]

I have just finished the TTM of ich removal and all fish have lived. Now my DT in in its third week of being fallow. I never want to go through this again so I am really confused regarding corals. I read the stickies they indicate that corals should be QT'd for about 4 days to a week. However, if ich can live for 9 weeks, shouldn't all corals be QT'd for 9 weeks instead of 1 so as to confirm that none of the ich has come along with the rock/coral?.

I am really confused and looking for some clarification.

thanks in advance

 

[sleepydoc]

Corals can't carry ich - the parasite needs a fish. It can be present in the water and/or sand for periods of time but will die out if it doesn't have a fish. (see here)

Many/most people don't recommend quarantining corals, but remember, ich is not the only thing you are worried about in a reef tank, just one of the most common ones. There are other parasites that affect corals.

 

[bsilvest]

water and sand

water and sand

I know that QT is a big thing and I learned that the hard way I myself am in a HT right now and going through it, my question is as stated it can be in the water sand etc. so then am I assuming correctly that any time a fish is purchased and moved to QT the water in the bag should not be dumped in, rather the fish netted outta the bad and placed in QT, as between Qt and DT. or corals and anemones should be picked up gloved and moved to QT as to not by adding or allowing water from another source or LFS into your system correct.

 

[sleepydoc]

As much as possible, do not add water from the fish store to your tank.

For corals, I try to have water with matched parameters. I take the frag out of the bag, leaving the water, dip it in water treated with coral Rx, then put it in the tank.

 

[bsilvest]

awesome thank you for that, its a little piece of info that will definitely help me in the future to ensure I never have (or at least a very small chance) or infecting my tank again, this is something I want to avoid and been doing nothing but reading what I can on here on the sticky's to ensure I do this right the first time every time, the time I spend on my tanks alone is a lot and right now with a HT and ICK infection more time then I think I have at times, thank you and will do from now on.

 

[Mrscribbled]

If you purchase a coral attached to a rock from a store with visible ich in their tanks then the chances are great that rock will have cysts on it, and need to be quarantined for 8 we eks. If you purchase acoral from an isolated system such as divers den then a coral dip and few days quarantine is only needed.

 

[sleepydoc]

Good point. I try to avoid purchasing anything from stores that have visible ich. Not worth the risk.

 

[wooden_reefer]

Good point. I try to avoid purchasing anything from stores that have visible ich. Not worth the risk.

The presence of ich in a LFS does not deter me from buying. I assume all livestock come with ich no matter what anyway.

Fish has ich, ALL fish. Inverts has to be assumed to carry ich.

In general, as long as the individual is healthy and nice, I don't care.

Ich is not a problem whatsoever.

 

[sleepydoc]

Seems rather risky - you've just changed your chances of having ich in your QT from some unknown but smaller percent to 100%. We have treatments that work, but the can be hard or even deadly for fish and we also make mistakes, inadvertently share equipment between tanks, etc.

There are enough good sources around that don't have problems with ich that I'm not willing to risk exposing my tank by getting livestock from one that I know does.

 

[wooden_reefer]

Seems rather risky - you've just changed your chances of having ich in your QT from some unknown but smaller percent to 100%. We have treatments that work, but the can be hard or even deadly for fish and we also make mistakes, inadvertently share equipment between tanks, etc.

There are enough good sources around that don't have problems with ich that I'm not willing to risk exposing my tank by getting livestock from one that I know does.

Eradication of ich is in general NOT chancy but certain.

There is some chance of complication of concurrent bacterial infection that can complicate the process of eradication of ich; otherwise, for me, eradication of ich is a matter of basic routine that I am quite confident and at ease at.

 

[wooden_reefer]

All fish are presumed to have ich and will be treated from this presumption.

Whether there is some sign of ich or none at one moment in time is of very little consequence.

Besides, if there is slight infestation, the LFS may sell for less as is, which gets me excited.

 

[sleepydoc]

'Presumed to have ich' and 'known to have ich' are actually not the same thing, statistically.

Many people do not actively treat in quarantine, rather observe and treat only if necessary for an asymptomatic fish, this choice can be argued ad-nauseum. For an infected fish, there is no choice.

You have faith and confidence in your ability to eradicate ich from a fish, which is fine. Bonus if you can get a discount and save a fish that may die in the store. The stores around me sell fish as-is anyway, so getting an infected fish just means I'm getting a less than healthy fish.

I'll put it another way - You go camping in the boundary waters. The water is generally clean but the recommendation is to boil the water to treat it for giardia, etc before drinking. You have 2 lakes to get water from - one that is infested with giardia, another that is not known to have problems. From which do you take your water?

 

[wooden_reefer]

'Presumed to have ich' and 'known to have ich' are actually not the same thing, statistically.

There is difference but immaterial difference.

The process of eradication of ich will kill all ich, hidden in gills or show in body, or rarely absent all together.

Eradicating the absent and present means ultimately the same thing, besides you do not know which so you do precisely the same to achieve precisely the same outcome.

 

[Bike2k]

Thanks for the input

 

[oldsaint]

I respectfully question corals not carrying ich. Although the chances may be slim, if anything wet can carry ich why not corals. Also, isn't it possible for a tomont to attach itself to the calcium carbonate structure of a coral?