need some advice regarding QT

[PapaKlix]

2 weeks ago, i was in my local LFS and he had just gotten an achilles tang (never has them) and the price was one i could not pass up for a fish i've wanted for a long time. given that it was somewhat of an impulse buy, i didn't have time to properly set up a quarantine tank but i did have him hold the fish for 2 days so i could make sure he ate and didn't develop any ich. when i picked him up, he hadn't shown any signs of ich and looked perfectly healthy. this continued for the past 2 weeks until last night i saw several ich spots on him as well as my poor sailfin tang who was previously a model of good health

i realize and fully understand that this is my fault for being impulsive and not waiting to set up a QT but i now need some advice. i will be in europe for 2 weeks from 2/28 - 3/12 so i clearly won't have time to eradicate the parasites in the QT before then and i don't feel comfortable with these fish in a QT while i am gone. what should i do?

i see my options are either:

1. get the QT set up and move the fish into hyposalinity for the next 2 weeks
2. leave them in the DT until i return to put them through a complete QT period

if i go with option 2, what should i feed/treat them with to help them through the next couple of weeks?

thanks in advance for any help.

 

[wooden_reefer]

Two mistakes at once.

1. No QT setup before purhase.

2. Going away soon after purchase.

What is your DT setup? How big is it? Want is the bioload? What is the filtration setup?

At this stage, the only possibility is to rob the DT if it can be successfully robbed.

If the DT is large, and if it has a fairly high bioload, and the medium of filtration in the DT can be taken out, and if such removed medium does not have a lot of growth on it other than bacteria, you can rob from the DT and place in QT for nitrification.

If you have money get a diatom filter. After you have treated the tang for just a few days to much reduce the infestation to no longer quickly life threatening, you can run the diatom filter in the DT with the tang in it. Expensive.

 

[wooden_reefer]

I always have a medium active with nitrification bacteria standing by when I have the inclination to buy livestock. QT is always ready within 24 hours.

Try not to visit LFS at all close to going away.

 

[wooden_reefer]

Also, had you put the tang into the DT with other fish?

If so, at risk is not only the new tang but possibly ALL your fish. You could come back to see all or most of your fish dead.

 

[wooden_reefer]

I am concerned for your situation man.

Possibly you are in deep trouble if you have many fish in DT and you have put the new tang in DT, and you have to go away for weeks.

What is your DT setup? If it is FOWLR, and if the LR is not exposed to light, may be very little growth other than bacteria are on the LR.

If you have a reef tank and still quite a few fish, you can be in a serious situation.

 

[PapaKlix]

it is a reef tank, the trip to europe came up after i got the fish (business). my wife is also away on business for the first week of my 2 week trip so setting the QT up would require another ATO but i couldn't do water changes anyway.