Ich in frozen food?

[marinelife]

You could drain the tank and run freshwater for a few days, that would let you fix that one pipe on the closed loop

 

[SDguy]

Right and I don't believe the fish got sick from the LRF. I have always fed frozen and never had this issue before

Maybe ask a mod to change the thread title? I worry about newbies to the forum, getting the wrong ideas, when genuinely trying to buy good food for their fish

 

[ThRoewer]

Noga states "Formalin is contraindicated if fish have been recently stressed (e.g. transported, shipped) or if skin ulcers are present...."

However, it seems like others are doing the baths almost immediately upon receiving fish with apparently no issues. It also doesn't define how recent is recent.

The literature also state that if your bath is >70F you should only use up to 150 ppm formalin, but many people are using ~250 ppm (1 ml per gallon).

I give every new fish a formalin bath (1ml/gal) before it even goes into a QT and so far that hasn't killed any fish. The risk of not doing it is much higher than the risk of doing it to a stressed fish.
Also, unlike with freshwater baths, I never saw any signs of discomfort with any fish I dipped with formalin.
The only ones that died - usually several days later - were fish that arrived already half dead.

... it was clearly velvet before the fish died.

That's what I said: by the time you see it on the skin the fish is pretty much beyond rescue.

As for it's rarity: I've found a research paper where they caught fish in the Mississippi delta and found Amyloodinium in the gills of many fish.
"Studies on Amyloodinium ocellatum (Dinoflagellata) in Mississippi Sound: Natural and Experimental Hosts"
Adrian R. Lawler, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, January 1980

"Of 99 fishes examined, representing 43 species from 28 families, 16 species of 13 familieswere found to be infected naturally with A. ocellutum on the gills"

It is for sure not rare in the wild.

 

[Dmorty217]

I give every new fish a formalin bath (1ml/gal) before it even goes into a QT and so far that hasn't killed any fish. The risk of not doing it is much higher than the risk of doing it to a stressed fish.
Also, unlike with freshwater baths, I never saw any signs of discomfort with any fish I dipped with formalin.
The only ones that died - usually several days later - were fish that arrived already half dead.



That's what I said: by the time you see it on the skin the fish is pretty much beyond rescue.

As for it's rarity: I've found a research paper where they caught fish in the Mississippi delta and found Amyloodinium in the gills of many fish.
"Studies on Amyloodinium ocellatum (Dinoflagellata) in Mississippi Sound: Natural and Experimental Hosts"
Adrian R. Lawler, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, January 1980

"Of 99 fishes examined, representing 43 species from 28 families, 16 species of 13 familieswere found to be infected naturally with A. ocellutum on the gills"

It is for sure not rare in the wild.

But is rare compared to ich I would think since there aren't 100 threads on velvet. Much more would leave the hobby if velvet was as prevalent as ich

 

[ThRoewer]

I think it is rare these days because the exporters and wholesalers treat it prophylactically. In the past it was way more common.

 

[snorvich]

But is rare compared to ich I would think since there aren't 100 threads on velvet. Much more would leave the hobby if velvet was as prevalent as ich

After servicing this forum for about ten years now, my opinion is that many reported cases of "ich" are really "velvet"

 

[m0nkie]

I give every new fish a formalin bath (1ml/gal) before it even goes into a QT and so far that hasn't killed any fish. The risk of not doing it is much higher than the risk of doing it to a stressed fish.
Also, unlike with freshwater baths, I never saw any signs of discomfort with any fish I dipped with formalin.
The only ones that died - usually several days later - were fish that arrived already half dead.

Hello ThRoewer, if you have time, I'd like to hear your complete QT process. What medication you use and the details..

I QT my fish for ich and flukes only.. TTM + Prazi + 2 week monitor. I'm having good luck so far but I'd like to take it up a level.. tank is starting to have some nice fish, and I hate to get a wipe out again.

thanks!

 

[mattcoug]

Hello ThRoewer, if you have time, I'd like to hear your complete QT process. What medication you use and the details..

I QT my fish for ich and flukes only.. TTM + Prazi + 2 week monitor. I'm having good luck so far but I'd like to take it up a level.. tank is starting to have some nice fish, and I hate to get a wipe out again.

thanks!

I would up your observation time to at least a month, better 2. Just make sure the QT is fish friendly(plenty of hiding, lots of food, pristine water) so it's health doesn't decline from stress. Use the time to get your fish fat and happy.

-Matt

 

[ThRoewer]

After servicing this forum for about ten years now, my opinion is that many reported cases of "ich" are really "velvet"

I tend to agree, even though I managed to avoid it so far. But I select my fish carefully at the local stores and rather pass if any fish in a system looks suspicious. Those I get via mail-order I treat with extra suspicion.

Hello ThRoewer, if you have time, I'd like to hear your complete QT process. What medication you use and the details..

I QT my fish for ich and flukes only.. TTM + Prazi + 2 week monitor. I'm having good luck so far but I'd like to take it up a level.. tank is starting to have some nice fish, and I hate to get a wipe out again.

thanks!

All I do as prophylaxis is the initial formalin bath (brook and velvet are my biggest concerns) followed by careful observation for a couple of months - usually 2 to 3 but in some cases also longer. I QT usually in 10 gallon tanks (with few exception all my fish are small). QTs are decorated with manmade Real Reef rock.
If I see any suspicious behavior or symptoms I treat accordingly:
- CP (formalin baths with TT for pipefish & wrasses) if suspicion is velvet.
- Formalin baths with TT if suspicion is brook.
- PraziPro if it looks like the fish have intestinal parasites (worms).
- API General Cure if PraziPro doesn't fix it (rather bacterial than worms).
- Amoxicillin against bacterial infections, Septra or Cipro if that doesn't help.
- Hyposalinity against ich outbreak with escalating tendency (if too many fish for TTM)
- TTM as prophylaxis against introducing new ich strains at the end of the QT period, before the fish go into the display.