First, this forum is a treasure chest of info, been lurking for several months since we started our first tank, so thank you to everyone who contributes. Not a very positive first post but here goes:
Short version: 116g set up about 4 months ago with no expenses spared, chiller, dosing pump, etc. After numerous coral purchases, the wife wanted anemones for the clowns, so we set up a 42g (maybe a 45?) that just finished cycling this week and just yesterday received it's first residents, rock flowers and one BTA. Everything has been done by our lfs, as we knew batter than to attempt any of this on our own. Things went great until they didn't. Ich outbreak killed all fish in the 116 but 3 clowns so I went to the lfs, picked up a quarantine tank, filled with live water and moved the 3. They're being treated with copper right now, fingers crossed, 2 days in.
The plan: Move the 3 clowns to the 42g anemone tank once they're finished with quarantine and leave the 116g tank fallow for a LONG time.
There's still a high fin goby that has somehow survived in the 116g and as of this morning shows no sign of ich. He will be impossible to catch. This has been such a painful experience to fail at caring for these fish, we plan to leave the tank fallow for possibly the next 12 months, but that may change based upon what I'm reading regarding clams doing better with at least a single fish to help add ammonia to the tank, the whole clean up crew now needs to be fed, etc. The fire and cleaner shrimp I'm actually feeding brine and mysis with a syringe which provides me some consolation after losing most of the fish. The other issue is two of the clowns are paired and the small lightning maroon male is being pushed around by the pair, so the 3 together in the 42g was never the plan, but will have to do for now.
The question: If the goby survives the entire year, does it allow for the propagation of Ich? I guess my question is can the parasite survive with only the single host, lifecycle after lifecycle without killing the single host? The ticking clock matters more for my sanity than it does for the purchase of another fish. Trust me, after this ordeal I'm in absolutely no rush.
Short version: 116g set up about 4 months ago with no expenses spared, chiller, dosing pump, etc. After numerous coral purchases, the wife wanted anemones for the clowns, so we set up a 42g (maybe a 45?) that just finished cycling this week and just yesterday received it's first residents, rock flowers and one BTA. Everything has been done by our lfs, as we knew batter than to attempt any of this on our own. Things went great until they didn't. Ich outbreak killed all fish in the 116 but 3 clowns so I went to the lfs, picked up a quarantine tank, filled with live water and moved the 3. They're being treated with copper right now, fingers crossed, 2 days in.
The plan: Move the 3 clowns to the 42g anemone tank once they're finished with quarantine and leave the 116g tank fallow for a LONG time.
There's still a high fin goby that has somehow survived in the 116g and as of this morning shows no sign of ich. He will be impossible to catch. This has been such a painful experience to fail at caring for these fish, we plan to leave the tank fallow for possibly the next 12 months, but that may change based upon what I'm reading regarding clams doing better with at least a single fish to help add ammonia to the tank, the whole clean up crew now needs to be fed, etc. The fire and cleaner shrimp I'm actually feeding brine and mysis with a syringe which provides me some consolation after losing most of the fish. The other issue is two of the clowns are paired and the small lightning maroon male is being pushed around by the pair, so the 3 together in the 42g was never the plan, but will have to do for now.
The question: If the goby survives the entire year, does it allow for the propagation of Ich? I guess my question is can the parasite survive with only the single host, lifecycle after lifecycle without killing the single host? The ticking clock matters more for my sanity than it does for the purchase of another fish. Trust me, after this ordeal I'm in absolutely no rush.
