proper quarantine

[davidwillis]

Hi, I am currently cleaning my tank of ich, and want to keep it that way forever...

My question is how do you make sure you never re-introduce ich?

I know that you will want to quarantine your fish for at least 2 weeks, but how do you know you don't have a parasite attached to a coral, or inside a hermit crab shell, etc? Or even that your new fish does not have ich, but didn't show itself in the two weeks in quarantine?

I am just looking for a very detailed description on how to make sure every thing added to the tank is "clean".

Thanks
David

 

[Jacob D]

Hi, I am currently cleaning my tank of ich, and want to keep it that way forever...

My question is how do you make sure you never re-introduce ich?

By following a very strict quarantine protocol, which is going to entail keeping everything in the QT for 8 weeks. You have to ensure that the parasite has lived out its lifecycle and since you cannot treat inverts with copper only a long enough time period without a host can ensure that you won't re-infect your tank.

IMO, 8 weeks is a good time for fish to spend in qt also since you can first let them acclimate, get them eating, and then treat for any other issues that may be present such as flukes, or whatever issues that you see. Make sure they are as healthy as can be before you copper them since it's an immune suppressant.

If you're disciplined and never waiver on your quarantine practices it should be possible to have an ich free tank.

 

[davidwillis]

is the QT tank treated with copper, hyposalinity, or normal conditions? If normal, how do you know there is ich, but the fish just not showing signs?

How do you add inverts, corals, etc?

thanks

 

[jhentr]

+1 on what Jacob said.

8 weeks will usually be enough time to let you know if you need to treat with copper/hypo/prazipro, etc.

If you don't suspect or see any disease, I wouldn't dose medication but just observe closely. The ideal would be to have two separate QT, one for corals and inverts and one for fishes in case you need to medicate.

 

[Jacob D]

David, if you want to have a tank free of ich you have to treat every fish as if it has it. You can decide which treatment regime to follow, hypo is a good choice.

You do not mix inverts/corals with fish in QT, and as jhentr posted a separate QT for them is best - especially if you're using copper.

What I disagree with is this:

If you don't suspect or see any disease, I wouldn't dose medication but just observe closely

I'm not picking on anyone because that is the way I QT fish. BUT I'm not striving for an ich free tank. IMO it takes the utmost level of quarantine to achieve an ich free tank, nothing is left to chance. Just because you don't see something does not mean it's not there.

You may be wondering, why I don't keep attempt an ich free tank.. I did at one time and finally had a breakdown in my protocols, suffered some losses and some fish remained unaffected. The amount of effort to remove the fish and stress it would have caused was beyond what I was up for taking on. Now I just strive to only add healthy fish to my tank and keep them healthy. If I see ich in QT, I treat it... but it's possible I have ich or other issues in my tank. By keeping the water quality up, stress down, and all fish well fed on a good diet all the fish are otherwise healthy.

 

[davidwillis]

cool, thanks. So the corals would have to go in its own quarantine tank for 8 weeks as well, just in case there is a parasite attached to it, or what it is mounted on. Since there won't be fish in this tank the ich would die in 8 weeks...

 

[Jacob D]

Yes, exactly.

 

[davidwillis]

Ok, now if I am going to go to all this work to make sure I don't get ich, are there any other things I can (or should) prevent? Like Brook, other parasites, etc. Also I know most people dip there corals, what should this be in, and what does it prevent? I just want to keep anything out of my reef, especially if it can not be treated there.