Ich wiping out all new additives!!!!!!!

[IansAquatics]

First off id like to start by saying that I know this is completely my fault and I've accepted that. Anyways to make a long story short I kept my tank successfully ich free for about 6 months and then the addition of an u quarantined hippo I got ich in my system and it wiped out a majority of my fish. So I took the remaing fish that we're left put them in quarantine for 8 weeks and treated with copper and left my tank fallow for 8 weeks. Then I reintroduced my fish and everything was all well. Also I might add in the meantime since they're weren't in fish to look at in my display I stocked up,on more rock in corals.

Ok so in the meantime me and my girlfriend broke for a period of about 2 months and I come home and to my surprise there is a brand new coral beauty and powder brown in my tank. Which to my horror you can understand they weren't quarantined , but still none the less nothing I could do about at that point. I was praying that I would get lucky and no ich. We'll within about 2 weeks ich showed up on guess who? The powder brown but still none of the other fish showed any signs of ich only tang and then it went on to meet its demise after being in the tank for about a month.

Now this comes to my actual question. Since then I've added to starry blends to my tank and both of them have been wiped out with in a week. My first lasted about 24 hours the second about a week. I came home today from work and found him which sucked. He was awesome loads of personality and ate great.

I just don't get it everything new I add keeps dying ,but keep in kind I know my tank has ich but I also have a 6 inch hippo tang who is happy as can be. Also 4 clowns, 2 perc 2 oscellaris, six line, diadem psuedochromis, and a coral beauty all happy and healthy and have been. Also keep in mind my lfs has ich living in their system so I know all fish probably have ich. I don't understand why the new ones keep dying. Chances are they already have it but then they up and die in my tank. When I know my water quality is 10times better than my lfs.

I also am completely aware the argument will be made "oh just get thrm all out and quarantine them" but when you have a 300gallon tank packed full of live rock and corals that's a lot easier said than done. It took 2 weeks alone just to catch my six line wrasse last time.Plus I don't want to run the risk of killing my hippo she's my prized fish and would be hard to replace even if money was no issue.

Are starry blennnys just very sensitive to ich or what I give up

 

[Blown 346]

It doesnt matter if your water quality is better. You have ich and you shouldnt be introducing any new fish to the tank.

Unfortunately, you will have to remove the fish and put them in the QT. Otherwise the disease will not only grow and get worse, but all your fish may end up dead, and then you have to start all over. Any fish will become sensitive to ich as it continues to repeat its life cycle and get worse.

 

[julie180]

What size is your tank?

 

[johnpasternak]

Every fish has parasites healthy fish can fight off most
Keep up on water make sure all fish have hiding places if they get stressed they can go there
Also do you have uv
You won't kill it all off but should be able to get it under control and fish can live with a little

 

[dkeller_nc]

As to an explanation about why your existing fish appear to be ich-free, but all new introductions are killed by the disease very shortly after their addition - many fish can develop an immunity to a particular strain of the ich parasite. They might also develop partial immunity that keeps them from succumbing, but nevertheless propagates the parasite sufficiently to attack the newcomers.

It isn't as hard as it sounds to catch the fish in your aquarium. One way to go about it would be to purchase several large trash cans, and remove most of the water in the tank (quickly - with a pump, not a siphon). The fish will cluster in this remaining water, making them easy to catch. Then simply re-fill the tank with the water in the trash cans.

So long as you're quick about it and the corals aren't exposed to air more than perhaps 10-20 minutes, they won't be harmed.

 

[E Rosewater]

Unfortunately with your earlier bought with ich you understand what needs to be done to eradicate it. You either have to go through the painstaking process of catching all your fish and treating. Or you can live with it, knowing that at some point a stressful event will come along, you will have a nasty outbreak and lose most/all of your fish. I certainly wouldn't add any more fish as that would be cruel.

 

[snorvich]

Based on the timeline of deaths you may have velvet. Please read the stickies which can be found here. . I am going to ask that this thread be moved to the Fish Diseases Forum

 

[DgenR8]

I am going to ask that this thread be moved to the Fish Diseases Forum

And, I'll comply.

 

[jcdeng]

IMO, if I were u I too wouldn't want to remove all the fish again to a qt. With that said I won't try to add any new fish at all knowing theres something in the tank that can kill them.

I know the topic is very controversial here on RC but DO get an UV sterilizer, with the correct wattage and low flow pump it does help with infections. Be prepared to lose some of your LPS and/or zoas (if you have a lot) due to water being too sterile. But you can dose phytoplankton and zooplankton every other day to remedy this.

soak all your feedings (pellets, mysis, flakes) in either selcon or vita chem or alternate them every other day, it helps to boost the fish's immune system.

GL and don't hate your gf, she had good intentions.

 

[Deinonych]

IMO, if I were u I too wouldn't want to remove all the fish again to a qt. With that said I won't try to add any new fish at all knowing theres something in the tank that can kill them.

I know the topic is very controversial here on RC but DO get an UV sterilizer, with the correct wattage and low flow pump it does help with infections. Be prepared to lose some of your LPS and/or zoas (if you have a lot) due to water being too sterile. But you can dose phytoplankton and zooplankton every other day to remedy this.

soak all your feedings (pellets, mysis, flakes) in either selcon or vita chem or alternate them every other day, it helps to boost the fish's immune system.

GL and don't hate your gf, she had good intentions.

UV will not eliminate crypto from the tank, only reduce the number of the free swimming theronts. If the OP wants to eradicate the parasite, removal of all fish for treatment, along with a 10-12 week fallow period is the only way.

 

[jcdeng]

haha, talk about beating a dead horse. I did not say or imply UV will eliminate crypto, I simply said it will help which is the same as u saying "only reduce the number of the free swimming theronts".

And clearly the OP is well aware of the proper way to eradicate crypto. You must have missed this part:
"I also am completely aware the argument will be made "oh just get thrm all out and quarantine them" but when you have a 300gallon tank packed full of live rock and corals that's a lot easier said than done. It took 2 weeks alone just to catch my six line wrasse last time.Plus I don't want to run the risk of killing my hippo she's my prized fish and would be hard to replace even if money was no issue."
I was simply giving suggestions under the circumstance of OP's statement and my suggestions are not implying that that will eliminate crypto or whatever is going on in his tank. Those are just measures the OP can use to give his fish a better fighting chance.

And seriously, I really don't get why anytime UV is mentioned ppl have to beat it down like its a disease or something.

 

[snorvich]

Every fish has parasites healthy fish can fight off most

I disagree. And UV will have little to no effect on a single tank even if it is properly matched to the flow.

 

[Deinonych]

And seriously, I really don't get why anytime UV is mentioned ppl have to beat it down like its a disease or something.

I wasn't beating it down, just clarifying the fact that it won't eliminate the problem. All too often, UV gets trotted out as a "cure" for crypto, when it isn't. Glad you understand that as well.

 

[snorvich]

And seriously, I really don't get why anytime UV is mentioned ppl have to beat it down like its a disease or something.

We do not recommend UV because:

1. It has little effect on parasite control except in multiple tanks sharing water

2. People rarely match the flow and concentration of the light but more importantly, people rarely clean the tube frequently enough to get any benefit at all

3. All the literature suggests that UV is not really consequential and if people pick up on this as a silver bullet to make their fish "better" they often end up selling their tank on Craig's list because the nature of parasites is exponentially increasing.

In effect, using UV is like playing Russian Roulette. Some people get to play longer, but no one wins in the long run. We have nothing against your using UV, good luck. But we do have a problem recommending it to others since it is not an effective tool.

 

[Blown 346]

I agree on the UV setup and its not going to end the ich issue, and that you need to put all the fish into a QT. I would leave the tank fallow for a little longer than 8 weeks to be sure the disease is totally gone and doesnt have anything to host on.

 

[H.reidi.MN]

I was also thinking velvet with the whole 24hrs thing...

 

[snorvich]

I was also thinking velvet with the whole 24hrs thing...

Yes, as I mentioned earlier, the timeline involving death is more consistent with velvet. Ich tends to be a disease that has a cumulative life cycle effect as it multiplies exponentially killing eventually rather than quickly.

 

[H.reidi.MN]

Yes, as I mentioned earlier, the timeline involving death is more consistent with velvet. Ich tends to be a disease that has a cumulative life cycle effect as it multiplies exponentially killing eventually rather than quickly.

That's why I mentioned it as you brought it up and I believe it to be velvet as well. Just was to lazy to quote ya

 

[snorvich]

That's why I mentioned it as you brought it up and I believe it to be velvet as well. Just was to lazy to quote ya

No problem with that. If you actually live in Minnesota, you are having weather similar to ours. I think I will go take a nap.

 

[jcdeng]

I don't want to turn this into another "to qt or not" thread because we all know the answer to that. Moreover, I personally have a dedicated fish qt tank that is always running, with or without fish. A bunch of snails just came out of my inverts qt tank after 2 months being in there. And I do have a coral qt set up on hand to use if I purchase new corals.

I am a strong believer in QT, I medicated every single fish with or without signs of disease, prazi, CP, copper, metro, etc. in my qt for 2 months before they go into the DT. And I think I over do it sometimes b/c I have killed my share of fish from just medicating them.

With that said I still have an UV on my system that I run for 10 hrs every other day even though most say its useless. But I guess having it makes me feel safer psychologically?

But basically the OP was saying that he is not going to take all the fish out and treat it in a hospital tank, and is there anything he can do. I was merely suggesting what he can do in that situation besides just sit there and watch his fishes die. I didn't say that UV, better feeding, cleaner water, will work for sure but with some luck they might. Maybe his veteran fishes are strong enough that they can live with ich in the tank because they survive it once, maybe all they needed was better nutrients and cleaner water. So every little bit of things can help?

Anyways, I am not here to argue or anything, just sincerely wish OP can save his fish. Best of luck.