Quick Question Regarding Fallow Period

[Cpsmith516]

Long story short - I've done all the reading and research and been unable to find the answer to my #1 question.

I have a reef tank (obviously or I wouldn't be here). If I remove all fish, and leave behind the corals, and inverts (snails, crabs, starfish, and 1 anemone) for 10 weeks, I understand this should effectively "cure" the tank of Ich. However I have heard from other hobbyists that despite leaving their tanks fallow for 3+ months they still have Ich in their tank.

I realize that it may be that they reintroduced it via a new invert, or fish, but it planted a question in my mind...

If I leave the inverts and corals in my tank, and leave it fishless for 10 or more weeks, will this kill of any trace of Ich? Meaning - no cysts, no free floating, no nothing.

I do exercise proper quarantine of all new fish, and rolled the dice on bringing inverts in without quarantine. Never again though. Even snails will be quarantined from now on.

This has cost me 2 Ocellaris Clowns, my Powder Brown, and Yellow Tangs. Watching the Yellow Tang fight yesterday was about all I could take, so I come to you guys looking for answers to my fallow tank question.

 

[Mrscribbled]

The free swimming stage only lives 24 hours without a host. The cyst stage can take up to 72 days to rupture. There is a .1 petcent chance according to lab studdies that 72 days won't suffice. I'd at least fallow twelve weeks. Make sure any drop of water newly added is quarantined or start the ckock over.

 

[chirojosh]

I believe in those situations where the fallow period "failed" it was reintroduced. For example my most recent tank was newly setup, I Qt'd a dogface puffer for 9 wks, ate fine and was active. No signs of ich whatsoever. Put in DT and with 2 months was covered in ich. Now had this been an old tank that went fallow it would have been easy to say the fallow period failed, it didnt. The fish even though it was qtd for 9 wks carried it into the tank. Thats why going forward Im using tank transfer, cupramine in Qt or both for all new fish.

 

[Cpsmith516]

The free swimming stage only lives 24 hours without a host. The cyst stage can take up to 72 days to rupture. There is a .1 petcent chance according to lab studdies that 72 days won't suffice. I'd at least fallow twelve weeks. Make sure any drop of water newly added is quarantined or start the ckock over.

Just so I'm crystal clear - you're agreeing that a fallow tank with inverts and coral still in it will be Ich free. No one is going to carry a cyst or some other dormant Ich that will kill off my fish again?

I believe in those situations where the fallow period "failed" it was reintroduced. For example my most recent tank was newly setup, I Qt'd a dogface puffer for 9 wks, ate fine and was active. No signs of ich whatsoever. Put in DT and with 2 months was covered in ich. Now had this been an old tank that went fallow it would have been easy to say the fallow period failed, it didnt. The fish even though it was qtd for 9 wks carried it into the tank. Thats why going forward Im using tank transfer, cupramine in Qt or both for all new fish.

So your DT already had Ich in it? That sucks - sounds like the boat I'm in. Every fish I have/had has been through quarantine, but apparently some invert brought in Ich with it which is now having it's way with my tank....

 

[chirojosh]

No it didnt have ich in the DT , the puffer brought it in. The point being you can passively QT all you want (no cupramine or tank transfer), and the fish may not show any signs during the QT period, but still bring it into the tank. So its not the fallow period failing, more a new fish, invert etc, that brings it back into the previously infected tank.

 

[chirojosh]

As far as preventing ich, it is my opinion that a simple Qt made up of watch and wait, although better than just throwing your fish in the DT, is still playing russian roulette. My Qt procedure going forward is Tank transfer, Cupramine during QT, or both. Never again will I QT a fish no matter how long, and try to convince myself it doesnt have ich!

 

[Mrscribbled]

Yes at twelve weeks all cysts will have ruptured and died off. There have been hypo resistant strain showing up, which leads me to believe there is strains that have a longer cycle, but that percentage is a grain of sand on a beach speaking.

 

[wooden_reefer]

As far as preventing ich, it is my opinion that a simple Qt made up of watch and wait, although better than just throwing your fish in the DT, is still playing russian roulette. My Qt procedure going forward is Tank transfer, Cupramine during QT, or both. Never again will I QT a fish no matter how long, and try to convince myself it doesnt have ich!

There is nothing to observe. All fish has it.

It is always necessary to actively treat against ich for fish for several weeks. I generally go twelve weeks of copper or hypo, sign of ich or otherwise.

Some fish need acclimation before active treatment (say the only food it will take at first will be harmed by active treatment), but the several weeks of active treatment is always necessary.

 

[wooden_reefer]

Long story short - I've done all the reading and research and been unable to find the answer to my #1 question.

I have a reef tank (obviously or I wouldn't be here). If I remove all fish, and leave behind the corals, and inverts (snails, crabs, starfish, and 1 anemone) for 10 weeks, I understand this should effectively "cure" the tank of Ich. However I have heard from other hobbyists that despite leaving their tanks fallow for 3+ months they still have Ich in their tank.

I realize that it may be that they reintroduced it via a new invert, or fish, but it planted a question in my mind...

If I leave the inverts and corals in my tank, and leave it fishless for 10 or more weeks, will this kill of any trace of Ich? Meaning - no cysts, no free floating, no nothing.

I do exercise proper quarantine of all new fish, and rolled the dice on bringing inverts in without quarantine. Never again though. Even snails will be quarantined from now on.

This has cost me 2 Ocellaris Clowns, my Powder Brown, and Yellow Tangs. Watching the Yellow Tang fight yesterday was about all I could take, so I come to you guys looking for answers to my fallow tank question.

Generally 12 weeks of fallow period (no fish, any fish sign of ich or not) will rid a tank of ich.

I think many people do not actively treat fish against ich consistently while waiting thru the fallow period, and for long enough, so ich is re-introduced.

 

[chirojosh]

Yeah thats where I was led astray, I had been under the idea that you QT a fish for 4-6 weeks etc and if they dont show any signs of ich etc, they are "safe to put into a DT. Ive learned that the hard way, and realize that before any fish enters my DT going forward its is tank transferred and Cupramined in QT before entering.

 

[Cpsmith516]

You guys keep talking about tank transfer QT methods - how often are you swapping tanks? Is this a daily thing, or once a week? That sounds really stressful on the fish if you're copper treating them and switching tanks every day on them.

 

[Mrscribbled]

You guys keep talking about tank transfer QT methods - how often are you swapping tanks? Is this a daily thing, or once a week? That sounds really stressful on the fish if you're copper treating them and switching tanks every day on them.

Generally TT is not done with copper. There is a sticky above. Every three days the fish are moved to a sterile tank.

 

[chirojosh]

I dont do both at the same time. Im going to to try TT and hopefully it does the trick. If not then I'll try TT followed by a cupramine tx. I never want to deal with ich again. This is my last attempts at keeping an ich free marine tank.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Yes at twelve weeks all cysts will have ruptured and died off. There have been hypo resistant strain showing up, which leads me to believe there is strains that have a longer cycle, but that percentage is a grain of sand on a beach speaking.

Yeah; I think many/most hypo failures (and failure of other methods) falls mostly on hobbyist error; I have lost all faith in hypo as a dependable ich treatment.