Ick... The Rant

maroonman

New member
Ok,
So i've been in the reefing for 10 yrs.
Learned the hard way the first few yrs about QT.

I took my time over the last 2 yrs with my upgrade and QT my fish correclty. Ive had the 180 up for almost a yr now. No new fish for over a year & a half. Never any signs of ich.

The Storm.
So I bought a nice Lps Coral This week , Do my usual dip and drop. 24 hrs later My Tangs are a Salt Storm of ich. I'm guessing I was the Lucky recipient of tomites . Yippie.
I've never read about ich being transmited through corals . so I never setup a frag station ( fishless ) .

I can't describe how much this upsets me . Has this happened before & I just never read about it? or am I just the Lucky 1 in a billion .... Do I need to play lotto this week?
 
Anything I've read or learned about ich is that it can fall off of fish & land on corals as they swim around. Seems to be a vicious cycle & a hassle if not handled properly.
 
From my limited research it is possible but highly unlikely. It does sound like you just caught a terrible break if that's truly what it's from
 
How long did your tank sit fishless when you first set it up? My understanding is that ich is in every tank (unless it has no host for, what is it, 90 days?). If the rocks or substrate had it in them and the fish were just not susceptible to it due to immune systems, it could just take something to stress them for the ich to take hold. Of course, if you gave the rock and substrate the time needed before adding fish, then I have no idea, and you apparently got the short straw on the coral addition.
 
How long did your tank sit fishless when you first set it up? My understanding is that ich is in every tank (unless it has no host for, what is it, 90 days?). If the rocks or substrate had it in them and the fish were just not susceptible to it due to immune systems, it could just take something to stress them for the ich to take hold. Of course, if you gave the rock and substrate the time needed before adding fish, then I have no idea, and you apparently got the short straw on the coral addition.

This system has been running for almost 2 yrs. ( with no added fish ) . I did a upgrade from a 125 to a 180 almost a yr ago. I would think the stress from the transfer would have shown signs then of ick..Rather then adding 1 coral this week. I've always watched my Tangs very closly . Only because it took forever in Qt .
 
The ich-free tank is a nice dream one can aspire to. However, in reality very difficult to achieve without MUCH knowledge, forethought, strict protocols and never failing diligence. Even then, are you 100%? There is A LOT of assumption that is passed off as absolutes within hobbyists resources about Amyloodiniosis and Cryptocaryonosis. There is a good possibility of multiple species within each Genus, thus the chance of differing physical structures, environmental requirements and life cycles. Most of the information regurgitated Ad nauseam by hobbyists is based on decades-old studies. What we need is a huge sample size study with genetic testing using modern equipment and techniques to occur.
 
maroonman, you are not alone in your experience. The same events transpired with my DT. Lost everything....Just starting up again. Best of luck.
 
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