Need advise on my plan to rid tank of ich

K

Kaiser699a

New member
A few days ago I noticed fish in my tank flicking off rocks and sand. Yesterday when lights went to moonlight I could see visible white spots all over my exquisite wrasse. So please advise on what I am about to undertake to get rid of this from my tank and livestock:
1. I have an inverted bottle trap in the tank for them to get used to it already.
2. I have filled and maturing a 20g QT tank. Using Microbacter7 which I used to good effect on my main DT. I will test for the cycle completing.
3. Waiting for air pump, stones and heaters for 2 6g totes that I plan to do TTM on fish as I catch them. I plan to feed only on the 3rd day in each transfer.
4. Once each fish goes through the 12 day TTM in the totes they will hold in my QT until DT fallow 9 weeks is completed.
5. Fallow will only start when I get the last fish out of DT.

Does this sound ok?
I see that day 1 counts as a full day for TTM. Does that mean if I get a fish out and into the 1st tote on say Monday at 5pm, that the first transfer should be Wednesday at 5pm, then the second transfer is Saturday at 5pm?
Also, I am hoping to snag a couple of fish each time to start TTM. That means I may be running TTM for 3 or 4 runs. Will the last captured fish survive in the ich infested DT for the possible 24 days until it is their turn to TTM?

Any comments and advise welcome (I don't know how I am going to get my 2 gobies out...).
 
If all you have is the fish in your signature, couldn't you at least put 2 or 3 fish at a time? I know they are 6 galllon container but they are small fish. Just asking I have not done ttm.
 
"Will the last captured fish survive in the ich infested DT for the possible 24 days until it is their turn to TTM?"

If the fish is not infected with ich... it will probably survive. If it is infected it may survive 7 - 10 days... but will become weaker each day and chances of a cure decrease daily.

Remember, the DT fallow period starts when the last fish is removed.
 
I could put 2 or 3 fish at a time but i don't think I'll be that lucky catching them easily.

If I decided to "manage" the ich in my DT what are the chances the ich dies away in 1 year? I have read that a few places? I fear the stress of catching, ttm and qt in a bare bones tank that is probably too small will kill my fish possibly. Then use ttm and qt for any new additions after 1 year?
 
elFloyd said:
chances of a cure decrease daily.
Click to expand...

I thought TTM out ran the life cycle of the parasite so in effect rids the fish of the problem. Do individual parasites drop off at varying times so even doing TTM the ich will likely still be there? I have read lots on here that TTM is a pretty robust way to clear the parasites.
 
TTM does break the life cycle of ich and is a very good method to eliminate ich. My response (and i thought your question) dealt with a fish left in the DT waiting to begin the TTM. I stated if a fish (in the DT) was infected with ich, each day it would grow weaker from the infestation. The places where the ich borrows into the skin and gills are areas where bacterial could also infect the fish. Having a weakened immune system makes the fish vulnerable to other illnesses. So its not just a matter of placing the fish into a tank.... letting the ich fall off... move the fish to another tank.... and another. The process needs to begin as soon as possible.

And yes.... ich drops off at varying times. That's why you move the fish from tank to tank.... you move it so the encysted ich falling off the fish doesn't have time to mature, rupture, and send out more ich.
 
Kaiser699a said:
I could put 2 or 3 fish at a time but i don't think I'll be that lucky catching them easily.

If I decided to "manage" the ich in my DT what are the chances the ich dies away in 1 year? I have read that a few places?
Click to expand...

I have read that too.... but I can't find the source. I am searching for a paper on generational die out (if that's the correct term) (Google Scholar) but haven't found the research yet.
 
As long as no new strains of ich are introduced, supposedly the strain will die off in about 11 months. Some fish may die in the process. I am against ich management but to each their own.

If you don't feed your fish, they are going to go in the trap.
 
Ok elFloyd that makes sense.
So currently have the trap in the tank. As yet unbaited while my water is mixing and heating for the TTM totes. I don't want to catch any fish and only have my maturing qt to put them in and infest it too.
The life cycle in my DT must be in the "dropped off" period because the white spots are gone but some fish still flicking a bit. I know this is part of icy cycle and it will come back with a vengeance. It makes me think again about riding it out for the 1 year since all the fish are active and with good appetites. Does anyone recommend this?
 
I have done that befor. Worked fine for a long time. All it takes is that one fish to add that cant shake it next thing you know they will have it again. Just because you cant see it doesnt mean its not there. It stays in there gills from what i understand.Granted I had a lot of fish including tangs. Personally I will never do it again. Right now my dt has been empty since April with everything in qt. But as stated, to each their own.

My tank is an sps tank and it was a PIA. Now I'm rescaping and will have peice of mind that my tank will be parasite free. Good luck with your decision.
 
Hi Fishguy, if I don't add any new fish (or coral or inverts) and my current batch can keep it at bay for the year wouldn't my DT be free then?
 
One wrasse caught now holding in a breeding trap until I catch another couple. This is good because he is the second worst affected due to a bit of harassment from the other wrasse.
Tomorrow I am out of town until Wednesday. Not great timing but I am going to catch as many DT fish as I can today/tomorrow and hold them in floating traps in the DT. Just have to hope they can hold on until I start ttm on Wednesday. What do you think?
 
I had read something about that a while back. I had high hopes for it but it didnt happen for me. Occasionally it would pop up once and a great while and go away. Once again it was on the tangs and no e of my wrasses. From what i understand if one has it its best to assume they all do.

I have done eggcrate boxes with zip ties in the past to get a new fish used to the tank w/out being harrased. You could do the same thing or poke pleanty of holes in the bottles for circulation.
 
Kaiser699a said:
If I decided to "manage" the ich in my DT what are the chances the ich dies away in 1 year? I have read that a few places? I fear the stress of catching, ttm and qt in a bare bones tank that is probably too small will kill my fish possibly. Then use ttm and qt for any new additions after 1 year?
Click to expand...

I have a system that 'manages' ich ...... have had for 4 years. I QT all new fish so am reasonably sure I've not supplemented the original strain(s). No signs of it dying out. Recently added a new tang post QT and it broke out in the expected spots. Now clear. Issue with managing ich is that not all strains behave equally, some being more potent than others. It also means certain fish are nit possible.
 
Oh it's bad news if it won't die out in a year. Catching these fish is proving very tough. They now won't go near the trap. I suppose it might be because they saw the first wrasse get caught. The tank was without food for 3 days and they still won't go in... I don't think drain down will work for me because my fish hide in the rocks so I guess it won't matter how shallow the water is. I am going to try a piece of pipe to get the blenny hopefully. Firefish, wrasse and gramma will not currently go near trap or feed from a net. Am I stuck with this infestation now?
 
Any tips on keeping bait food in the trap and not floating out? Even when I turn off all pump there is still some water movement that makes the food float out too much.
 
I was able to use LRS Reef Frenzy. I put it in frozen and it stayed intact and floated to the top and stayed there until the fish went in. Mysis on the other hand completely broke up and floated out.
 
So I nabbed my 2 wrasse and the firefish. All 3 started TTM on Sunday evening. I will be doing transfer 1 on Wednesday evening.
Now trying to catch my other 4 fish to hold in the main tank until those first 3 get through TTM. Gobies are going to be tough because they show no interest in food in the trap. They only ever eat food that floats really close past their nose. Any tips from anyone that has caught gobies in a reef?
 
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