Ich in my QT...Next Steps?

FishDad2

FishDad2

Member
I have a 45 gallon QT in operation with 4 fish passing through the quarantine process and what I suspected might be ich a week or so ago has turned out to be exactly that. I could use some advice in selecting the proper course of treatment in my case.

To begin, the tank contains the following:

Heniochus Butterfly
Ocellaris Clownfish (tank bred)
Lawnmower Blennie
Kole Yellow Eye Tang
Live Rock

The particular dilemma I face is around the Lawnmower Blennie and the fact that it doesn't eat any of the prepared foods I add to the tank, it only eats the algae off the rocks and glass"¦and there's little on the glass, it's almost all on the rocks.

So, if I treat with copper that process demands that I remove the rock or it will absorb the copper, making it nearly impossible for me to maintain the consistent level of copper required to properly treat the tank. And removal of the rock means the removal of the primary food source for the blennie.

The next alternative is hyposalinity but from what I've read it can be quite challenging to keep the salinity levels consistently low enough to be effective. If the salinity moves up above the magic line you have to start over again. As well, hypo will kill all the inverts in the live rocks. On the other hand, hypo may allow the rock to remain as a food source for the blennie, even if the inverts are killed. Or am I mistaken and hypo will kill or prevent/inhibt algae growth?

The third alternative is tank transfer method but there's no way I will be able to get up in the am and transfer the fish every day before going to work"¦that one just isn't realistic.

So, what does the community recommend, copper or hypo? Is the blennie doomed either way?

I'm just trying to do what I can to effectively treat the tank and keep the blennie from starving to death.

Thanks,
Chris
 
Hypo will kill some algae. IMO, hypo may kill more algae than copper.

When I use copper, I always use straight uncheleated kind. I think, 0.25 ppm straight copper does not kill most algae. But algae can accumulate copper. I think it is not necessary the end of the blenny, but tough.

Yes, I would lose just the benny than all the fish.

Has your QT medium been well cycled? If not, one big problem will be ammonia.
 
Morning is recommended for TT due to the normal circadian variation of the ich life cycle, but it should still work in the afternoon. I would go that route.
 
Optimal timing is in the am, that's why I'm not planning to use TT. Even if the optimal time were in the evening it would be tough because I'm working long hours right now and I just don't have the time or energy to go though that ever day with consistency. And that's the big thing with ich...consistency.

As for cycling the tank, it has been running for many months so it should be ok even with the live rock removed.

wooden_reefer has cast a vote in favor of copper...anyone else have an opinion as to copper or hypo in this case?
 
Didn't read sleepydoc thoroughly...a recommendation for TT.

Again though, it will be difficult for me to maintain consistency due to my work schedule. There's also zero chance of algae groth to sustain the blennie using TT. I understand that the odds for the blennie aren't great with copper or hypo but with TT I'm guessing death by starvation is a virtual certainty.

I don't really have a good setup for TT either, as I really only have 5 gallon buckets to use as the tanks. My smallest real tank is the 45 I'm using for the QT right now and I don't have a second location for another tank.

If I were to go with TT I'd have to use a pair of 5 gallon buckets. Only the blenni is large for its species...the clown is small and the tang & butterfly are medium. Would that be enough water volume / space to keep the 4 fish alive?
 
Last edited:
FishDad2 said:
Optimal timing is in the am, that's why I'm not planning to use TT. Even if the optimal time were in the evening it would be tough because I'm working long hours right now and I just don't have the time or energy to go though that ever day with consistency. And that's the big thing with ich...consistency.

As for cycling the tank, it has been running for many months so it should be ok even with the live rock removed.

wooden_reefer has cast a vote in favor of copper...anyone else have an opinion as to copper or hypo in this case?
Click to expand...

In general, I do not like TT because of the extra work, but in this case may be TT is good for the blenny.

I don't like TT because I prefer to plan ahead and do little in the process. (And TT is not as good in preventing bacterial infection while you treat for ich). If you had not planned ahead (have you cycled the medium for QT?), may be TT is the default treatment here.
 
When you have planned ahead and have to do little in the process, you tend to do a very thorough job and wait for a long time to make sure ich is really eradicated.

This is why I do not like any ich treatment that requires a lot of work in the process.
 
I haven't found an ich treatment that doesn't require a fair amount of work - Hypo requires good calibration of your refractometer and watching your salinity like a hawk, Tank transfer involves the work of two tanks and cupramine/copper requires close monitoring of copper levels and watching for signs of toxicity.

Pick your poison - literally.
 
FYI - I have to leave on a college visit trip with my son tonight so when I don't respond over the next few days it's not because I've lost interest.
 
I thought transfer was a daily activity...once every 3 days for a total of 4 transfers isn't that hard. I'd pickup an extra heater and small powerhead to keep the water moving...could use water from the DT and just replace the DT water with new water, which would make matching the parameters for the transfer tank fairly easy.

The biggest challenge would be the logistics of doing it first thing in the morning. I suppose though if I got everything prepared at night and then just did the capture and transfer in the morning it could be doable. I'd leave the cleanup of the container and equipment until I got home at night. That might work.

If I go that route though the only containers I have on hand would be a pair of 5 gallon buckets. With such small containers I'd be concerned about ammonia buildup over the three days but I could use an ammonia neutralizer. None of the 4 fish is big but nonetheless ammonia can build up quickly.

What do you all think, would I need larger containers or do you think 5 gallon buckets are enough?

Heniochus Butterfly (2.5")
Ocellaris Clownfish (tank bred - 1")
Lawnmower Blennie (3.5")
Kole Yellow Eye Tang (2.5")
 
sleepydoc said:
I haven't found an ich treatment that doesn't require a fair amount of work - Hypo requires good calibration of your refractometer and watching your salinity like a hawk, Tank transfer involves the work of two tanks and cupramine/copper requires close monitoring of copper levels and watching for signs of toxicity.

Pick your poison - literally.
Click to expand...

How much work can monitoring the cooper level be? 1-3 minutes a day.

No WC, no transfer, that is the winner.
 
wooden_reefer said:
How much work can monitoring the cooper level be? 1-3 minutes a day.

No WC, no transfer, that is the winner.
Click to expand...

My test requires 15 min, IIRC. I've also had fish stop eating and die from copper. I'm not saying one should never use copper, just pointing out that there is no 'perfect' treatment. If there was, these threads would be a lot shorter! :frog:
 
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