Read this if you dont think Ich can happen to you!

[Cptn Spaulding]

It's been awhile since I have posted on this site, I've been quite busy with work and what not, but a horrible experience happened to me, and I never believed it would happen to me, especially this expedited.

Bought a powder blue tang.. my favorite fish. Drip acclimated well and looked absolutely perfect. Two days later, a few spots appeared. Two days later, he was covered, I did not move him because i felt he would get over it by himself, which is a normal cycle for a new touchy tang like a powder blue or achilles. Needless to say after I saw him covered I threw him in QT. He did not last a day in QT and my fish began to drop, even before signs of ich on them appeared. All parameters were great, corals looked very healthy, fish looked fine, until one dropped.. then two, then four. Within a week all but 2 swam into the big fish bowl in the sky, and the only one unaffected was a beast of a six line wrasse.

It's been said before many times, but if this post helps one person get off his/her butt and not wait to see what happens, it will be worth it! Note to self, and to others: once you see ich, remove the fish immediately, and I mean IMMEDIATELY! This has happened to me before, the whole ich thing, but it has never spread to all my fish, until this time. Not sure why it happened so quickly, I suppose it was perfect timing for the life cycle of the ich to explode in my tank while the tang got sick, an unlikely chain of events that doomed the fish population of my tank. Take this to heart, all you nonbelievers! It will happen!

Related note and picture... never thought this could even be possible... It's a mini maxi that's maybe 2.5 inches in diameter, and a female oscellaris about 3 inches long, to give you the scale. sorry bad pic, taken through my windows phone.

 

[Krypt1979]

I'm sorry for your loss man. I've had a similar experience before so I know it's heart wrenching. After that incident, I QT everything I buy and I mean everything.

 

[jeremyjoslin]

Been there. Done that. Feel your pain. Had the holier-than-thou's all over me.

Did the 6 month fallow routine. I'm the happy owner of a 150 gallon FOWLR without the fish system now. Once the new DT gets setup it's QT for everything I buy.

 

[tmz]

Qaurantine and treat prophylacticly via tank transfer method or another proven method and no ich will get in your tank. Once it's there , unless the tank is left fishless for at least 6weeks ,preferably 72 days ,it will be there for years even if you don't see it in fish that survived an outbreak as their immunity is only partial and they host it in the soft tisuses of the nose mouth and gills. New fish, even those properly quarantined have no such immunity and will often spark an outbreak.

 

[teamdulski]

I am just amazed with all the advancements the hobby has made there is still no easy way to cure or prevent ich.

 

[Cptn Spaulding]

yeah, i used to qt some fish before adding it to my tank, i just didnt think i had a tank big enough for a powder blue and that would have stressed him out more, being in a small tank. i suppose one fish is better than 8. and true adam, thats the one thing people still havent tackled effectively. it could have been velvet because it happened so quickly. i dont think ich would do that within 5 days.

 

[davidgnome]

So lets say I have a 10 gallon qt tank which isnt big obviously..but i have spent well into 3grand starting this hobby with rock/sand/lowe's shoping for pipes making my own sump and stand etc..so the qt is skimpy to say the least..i have a goby in there atm..but in my DT i have to clowns and both where fine for the first week in the tank..i did not qt them as they where fine for awhile at the store i bought them and the only fish in my tank to start..well one of them has a scrape that is white under the first top fin on what looks like a nerve or vein..if that makes since..the scrape is white/ish..the fish are black with white stripes..so you can see any white on their main body pretty easy..so it went away for 3 days..and now its back today?? is this ich or is it just a scrape?? what should i do? put him in with the goby..and how do i know that the fish in qt doesnt carry the ich still to my tank?? what stops it from doing so..it falls off onto the bottom of the qt? or im unsure..

 

[tmz]

Doesn't sound like ich. Could be brooklynella or a bacteria infection. Maybe lymphocystis. Any other symptoms? Pictures?

The fish in qt can carry ich in your tank if it has it. Some fish have it at low levels hidden in the soft tissues of the gills, nose and mouth. Treating the fish prophylacticly is the only way to be sure. The tank transfer method works well without meds. It involves moving the fish every 3 days to a new clean tank for a total of 4 transfers. This leaves the parasites which only stay intehfish for3 to 7 days behind. I use a pair of 10 gallon tanks for most and alternate them after complete drying of the previously used tank and equipment.

For more informa tion on marine ich just google up crytocaryon irritans or search it in this forum.

 

[davidgnome]

i can try to get some pictures..may take a few days but ill try..and thanks. so gettin some of this prophylaticly medicine would be an ok qt process? since i dont even have enough in me to buy a heater and filter and another tank since i had 0 tanks and have bought 3 all in the last 6 months...i will read up more

 

[davidgnome]

o and so if i did get another tank and equip for it..would i only do this for 12 days then..and thats long enough qt? and should i put my clown in with my goby and do this with all 3 of them and just restart and do it for 12 days with 2 tanks??

 

[tmz]

I think the clown and the goby would be ok together but
I'm not sure what's wrong with the clown. Tank transfer only works for ich and maybe velvet : other diseases need other treatments.
The tanks can be very simple. Bare bottom. pvc for some resting places, a bubble up sponge filter or small hang on filter and a heater, maybe an airstone.A cover is a good idea for jumping fish.
Light feeding and the short 72 hour stays help keep ammonia down but it should be monitored . Having some ammonia detoxifier ( Amquell, Ammolock or another brand)on hand is useful.
Use newly mixed saltwater aged and aerated for at least a few hours preferably overnight and not tank water . The later will probably bring in some organics which may spike ammonia in the uncycled qt tank. Be sure to match salinity at least so the fish doesn't move form low to high salinity.
After 72 hours, take all the equipment off the tank ; drain it down to a couple of inches and then you can easily and gently capture the fish. When transferring them to the next tank avoid transferring as much water as possible to the fresh tank from the old one. I usually catch the fish in a clear cup and pour them into my gloved hand draining of the water . A fine mesh net works too and if its fine like a brine shrimp net, snags shouldnot occur. .
Once the fish are moved ,dry the first tank and equipment thoroughly (ich like wet spots). Then set it up for the next move.
4 transfers and the fish should be ich free.













Don't usetank water but newly mixed waterthat is agedforafew hours , preferably overnight with some aeration.