ICH in 265g

[package]

I have been trying to do some reading on ICH, there is a lot out there.

This is my situation, I have a group of seemingly healthy fish in my 265g mixed reef. When I introduce a new fish (after a lengthy QT), it will come down with ICH and die (if I can not catch/treat it). This is sometimes followed by an outbreak by most of the tanks non-scaled fish inhabitants. There is a UV on the tank (which I understand has limited positive affect - that is just an FYI). The rest of the fish - Red Sea Sailfin, Hippo, Yellow Tang, Foxface - even when they get covered up with it, fight it off.

I assume they have built up a resistance and are a small unit breeding ground for ICH at this point.

Based on what I have been reading - my only option would be:

Catch all of the fish in the tank, place them in QT, likely elevated temperature, reduced salinity, perhaps copper treatment hospital tank for 5-6 weeks while letting the display sit idle of fish for that same period of time.

Is this my only hope if I ever want to add another fish to the 265g?

 

[wooden_reefer]

As far as ich is concerned, I suggest that you completely disregard the idea of stress and enhancing immunity.

I suggest that you consider the closed nature of the tank and the absence of the dilution effect of the ocean.

 

[Dmorty217]

Catching all the fish and treating them are your only options... Leaving the DT fallow(fish less) for 72 days will rid the DT of ich

 

[wooden_reefer]

Fallow period is longer than six weeks.

I suggest that you start a cycle asap with either artificial non-calcerous material (sponges or rolled up nylon panty hoses etc) or calcerous material like crushed coral. LR is too expensive and too bulky and is not geared well toward exclusive nitrification (denitrification is not a factor in QT).

When there is enough medium and enough ammonia and when the setup is ideal or close to ideal, after about three weeks the resulting cycled medium will support any bioload no matter how great.

All your and the fish's suffering in wc, Prime, Amquel etc will be limited to about three weeks.

I often suggest that one takes a two-stage approach in a situation when ich has broken out in DT.

Cure ich in QT to the point of the fish no longer at immediate risk of death and then return fish to ich infested DT. You may have to repeat once or even twice in the three weeks while your medium cycles.

 

[wooden_reefer]

If you are not facing an ich outbreak in DT how, you can plan to rid your DT of ich.

The first is to understand the objective. It is eradication; that is, to kill or allow to die the very last ich organism in your DT and guard against any source of contamination.

The first step is to cycle robustly enough medium to support all your fish for a rather long duration of at least 12 weeks while the DT fallows.

The period of active treatment in QT is debatable, but I treat for at least 12 weeks in QT.

 

[Cujo13]

catching all the fish and treating them are your only options... Leaving the dt fallow(fish less) for 72 days will rid the dt of ich

+1