Marine ich again help pls

[Mario Silva]

I had recently a ich infection in my display tank. I took out all my fish and placed them in quaretine tank and started treating them with cooper and then I lowared the salinity to 1.12
The total time of treatment is now 3 weeks.

The thing is that 5 days ago I went to the fish store and they had a beautifull Acanthurus Lineatus and I had to buy it "stupid decision" and placed it in the quarentine tank with the others. The fish got all stressed maybe because there is not much places to hide in that tank wouldnt eat and became very agitated going up and down the korner of the tank with heavy breading. Today I saw litlle white spots maybe 2 or 3 in the side fins and decided to give him a fresh water bath and place him in the main display tank to see if he would recover there and start eating. He died 5 minuts after entering the tank.

What should I do now?? wait another 4 to 6 weeks before placing all the other fish in the main tank and make shure he didn`t take any ich to the display tank??
Or is Ich allways present no matter what I do.
Please let me hear some advise from your experience. I don`t want to kill all the fish and have these problems all the time.

 

[kevin2000]

My 02

You need to start the clock over in both the QT and the show tank.

That means .... 5 weeks without fish in the ST ... and start the copper treatment again as if it was the first day.

Everyone makes mistakes ... hope you don't repeat this one.

 

[Mario Silva]

thanks Kevin I`ll do just that.

 

[kevin2000]

You might consider running some carbon in the QT and then trying hypo .. less stressful on the fish.

 

[odyssey1]

yes some carbon will help. you can also get a cleaner shrimp to help mine does wonders expecially in the show tank.

 

[stingythingy45]

Cleaner shrimp will die instantly in hypo.
Also cleaner shrimp have never been proven to eat ich.But rather clean dead cells off fish.

 

[CoppBandbuttfly]

Hi,

I have ich in my tank too and I used copper safe about 5 weeks ago. Ich went away after about two weeks. Then the ich came back yesterday and this time it affects more than one fish. I put copper safe again and hope it will do the job.

My question is: ever since I used copper my live rocks become purple and even the top layer of my sand bed is purple too. Is there something wrong, or it's the normal thing from copper? If so how long will the purple color stay or, it won't go away?

Many thanks.

 

[lesleybird]

Yikes.....you just destroyed your live rock. You can never keep snails or shrimp or crabs with the live rock again....only fish as the copper soaks into the pores in the rocks and will be released slowly forever.

 

[odyssey1]

the purple is the least of your worries. SORRY never use copper in a tank with live rock

 

[CoppBandbuttfly]

It's the LFS who told me to use copper and he confirmed many many times that it's ok with live rocks.

For my future purposes, what should I do if ich comes back again? Also do you mean I need to get rid of my existing live rocks and buy new ones?

Thanks.

 

[stingythingy45]

Your rocks and sand bed are destroyed/dead.
The person at the LFS should be fired for giving you that advice!
There's ways to save the rock.But it's going to be a long drawn out,PIA process.I would suspect that ammonia will start to raise as you biological filter is dead now.You need to get that rock out of there ASAP!!!!

 

[stingythingy45]

BTW,are you sure it's "Copper".
And not some"Reef Safe" ich product.

 

[CoppBandbuttfly]

I use Mardel's CopperSafe. It's the owner of my LFS who told me it's ok for live rocks. He actually pour in some copper to his live rocks(for sale to customers) in front of me before I buy his idea. He said this product is only harmful to things other than fishes and live rocks, like corals, snails.....

I have the amonia alert chart and it's still at yellow, which means safe.

 

[stingythingy45]

You need to find another fish store.That guy has no idea what he's doing.Where do you think that copper goes?
Right into the LR,to leach out later.So if you ever plan on using that tank for corals/inverts with that rock/substrate.......forget it.

 

[sml41]

I have used quick cure in a QT with success; I learned to QT all new additions; it saves time in the end ; I know how you feel; it is hard waiting but otherwise the wait and problems are longer and worse caused by inpatience