Setting up new tank. Going to QT for ich with low salinity. Need advice plz

[iSeeMax101]

So this week I'll finally be getting my new tank. I have found that my current tank gets ich on and off. My fish are always healthy enough to fight it off but I'm tired of dealing with it in general. Might lose a small powder blue since I couldn't catch him fast enough to get him into the QT.

Lng story short, I'm done with ich. Will be setting up a QT and running it for 8 weeks and using low salinity to combat the issue.

My most important question is, what fish will be harmed due to the low salinity?
Gobies? Wrasse? Jaw fish?

I know I don't need to worry about inverts so they will all make the transfer into the new tank without worry.

Any, and I mean ANY advice you can give is truly appreciated.
Thank you

 

[iSeeMax101]

The plan...

-Use existing 50g cube for holding tank
-Remove all sand and LR... transfer to new tank
-Add PVC for places to hide
-keep temp stable
-slowly lower salinity (over how many days)
-keep in QT for 8 weeks

 

[cosorio]

The inverts do not harbor ich but may accidentally introduce it to your new tank simply by hitchhiking. The chance is exceedingly low, but there is a chance however small it may be.

 

[iSeeMax101]

I'm expecting the new tank to be filled with Ich during the setup since I'm transferring everything that is holding the ich. Rocks and all. They will die during the 8 weeks fishless period.

Anyone know what fish may not survive the lower salinity period?

 

[m0nkie]

I'm expecting the new tank to be filled with Ich during the setup since I'm transferring everything that is holding the ich. Rocks and all. They will die during the 8 weeks fishless period.

Anyone know what fish may not survive the lower salinity period?

8 weeks is not enough. 72 days minimum.. I recommend 3 full months.

by QTing for ich, you will need to QT everything wet in the future.

this means every new invert, coral, rock, algae you get, you need to QT them for 3 full months

I've heard Rays, Sharks, and some Puffers don't take hyposalinity well.. never tried myself though. easier to just Tank Transfer to get rid of ich within 2 weeks

 

[WayneL333]

Hi. Speaking from many years of experience, I can almost guarantee you that low salinity is not a reliable method of eliminating icy. I've tried several times myself and spoken to Karen who used to work at the Waikiki aquarium regarding it. She said they don't even try to use that anymore. If your salinity crawls back up, even momentarily, you have to restart your clock.

Personally TTM was the best method for myself. Copper is another option but I've stayed away from it. HTH!

 

[m0nkie]

Hi. Speaking from many years of experience, I can almost guarantee you that low salinity is not a reliable method of eliminating icy. I've tried several times myself and spoken to Karen who used to work at the Waikiki aquarium regarding it. She said they don't even try to use that anymore. If your salinity crawls back up, even momentarily, you have to restart your clock.

Personally TTM was the best method for myself. Copper is another option but I've stayed away from it. HTH!

hey Wayne, dropping you a message here because RC won't let me PM. I'm sure iSeeMax101 here won't mind :spin1:

Do you still have your Lennardni wrasse? Do you keep it in cold water? I'm picking up a large one this week. wondering how well it will do in normal tank temperature.. 76-78 thanks!

 

[CoralsAddiction]

I've had great results with hypo and copper. Hypo is much easier on wrasses than copper.
You can use Prazipro concurrently with hyposalinity. Hyposalinity is my go-to prophylactic treatment. I use copper when ich is already so advanced that the fishes need faster relief than hypo can offer.
I've treated helfrichi and purple firefishes with hypo. They did great.
I usually keep salinity at 1.010. Daily top offs are key to keeping salinity level stable.
I turned my Biocube 32 into a quarantine tank with two clowns and a blue tang. I am running hypo right now because I don't want to use copper in that particular tank.

 

[iSeeMax101]

I will be able to maintain a stable 1.009 with my Tunze ATO no problem. I do not want to run copper in the tank because after the 90 days (thanks Monkie) is complete I will either be selling the tank to another reefer or setting it up for my son. Don't want the copper to effect inverts or anything else with someone else's new setup.

As far as TTM I honestly do not have the time nor the water storage to attempt the method. Plus I'm transferring all LR and LS from old tank to new so honestly I think that low salinity is my only option and I'm going to have to keep my fingers crossed that it works.

I'll probably grab a few more fish on my fish list so I can QT everything at once so I don't need to continue the cycle. Might as well start looking into the prazipro as well.

 

[pciscott]

In my limited experience Hypo is very tough on fish, and can cause long term health issues. Look close at your fish gill areas, many will hemorage during Hypo. I tried tank transfer and I did not have the patience for it. I now Formalin dip using 37% Formalin 1 mil to gallon 45 minutes with air stone any time I move fish around. If I have aggression I get the fish that is the problem out and I never have any ick issues. My quarantine is more for observation and making sure my fish are fat and healthy before I move them to display. I also run a large Pentair UV which helps keep algae and ick down when plumbed properly.

 

[55ocin]

Hi. Speaking from many years of experience, I can almost guarantee you that low salinity is not a reliable method of eliminating icy. I've tried several times myself and spoken to Karen who used to work at the Waikiki aquarium regarding it. She said they don't even try to use that anymore. If your salinity crawls back up, even momentarily, you have to restart your clock.

Personally TTM was the best method for myself. Copper is another option but I've stayed away from it. HTH!

I agree with Wayne regarding hyposalinity not being reliable, I started a QT tank about a month ago because I too was tired of losing fish from ich. The salinity level in my QT is off the chart, Believe it or not the salinity level is at 1.030-1.032 and I'm also using coppersafe by Mardel at the same time. I've had success with this method and I'm going to stick to it. IMO and this is just my personal take on hyposalinity, I think the stress level is higher because of the lower salinity. Again, my method works for me but it might not work for you. You just have to find the right option for you. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[pga7602]

In my limited experience Hypo is very tough on fish, and can cause long term health issues. Look close at your fish gill areas, many will hemorage during Hypo. I tried tank transfer and I did not have the patience for it. I now Formalin dip using 37% Formalin 1 mil to gallon 45 minutes with air stone any time I move fish around. If I have aggression I get the fish that is the problem out and I never have any ick issues. My quarantine is more for observation and making sure my fish are fat and healthy before I move them to display. I also run a large Pentair UV which helps keep algae and ick down when plumbed properly.

Where did you find formalin?

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Where did you find formalin?

Try eBay

 

[Zik]

For thos asking about formalin:

I got this some time ago from Aquarium Connection
https://fritzaquatics.com/product/quick-cure/
https://fritzaquatics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Quick-Cure-SDS-2014.pdf

----------------------

I had a good experience with copper in QT, using Coppersafe w/ API Testkit (must be that kit for that brand copper), keeping it at 2ppm for 30 days.

My 2x hovens wrasses & potters angelfish all made it through ok - but I did take about 4x days total to raise to copper levels to therapeutic, so it wouldn't be a bit shock on them

 

[WayneL333]

hey Wayne, dropping you a message here because RC won't let me PM. I'm sure iSeeMax101 here won't mind :spin1:

Do you still have your Lennardni wrasse? Do you keep it in cold water? I'm picking up a large one this week. wondering how well it will do in normal tank temperature.. 76-78 thanks!

I just sold it and broke down my tank. I kept my tank between 76 and 78. Good luck with it.

 

[WayneL333]

I will be able to maintain a stable 1.009 with my Tunze ATO no problem. I do not want to run copper in the tank because after the 90 days (thanks Monkie) is complete I will either be selling the tank to another reefer or setting it up for my son. Don't want the copper to effect inverts or anything else with someone else's new setup.

As far as TTM I honestly do not have the time nor the water storage to attempt the method. Plus I'm transferring all LR and LS from old tank to new so honestly I think that low salinity is my only option and I'm going to have to keep my fingers crossed that it works.

I'll probably grab a few more fish on my fish list so I can QT everything at once so I don't need to continue the cycle. Might as well start looking into the prazipro as well.

The fact that you're using an ATO guarantees you won't be able to keep a stable salinity. If you want to truly want to establish a true stable salinity, you need to figure out what your evaporation rate is then use a dosing pump to constantly replenish the evaporated water. Anyway, good luck w it.

 

[iSeeMax101]

The fact that you're using an ATO guarantees you won't be able to keep a stable salinity. If you want to truly want to establish a true stable salinity, you need to figure out what your evaporation rate is then use a dosing pump to constantly replenish the evaporated water. Anyway, good luck w it.

Gzz! Completely didn't think of it this way!!! I think the only way to have a less margine of error with the hypo would be to have it .01 lower than reccomended so if it rises slightly the ATO would kick in if the dosing pump didn't keep it spot on!

 

[iSeeMax101]

In my limited experience Hypo is very tough on fish, and can cause long term health issues. Look close at your fish gill areas, many will hemorage during Hypo. I tried tank transfer and I did not have the patience for it. I now Formalin dip using 37% Formalin 1 mil to gallon 45 minutes with air stone any time I move fish around. If I have aggression I get the fish that is the problem out and I never have any ick issues. My quarantine is more for observation and making sure my fish are fat and healthy before I move them to display. I also run a large Pentair UV which helps keep algae and ick down when plumbed properly.

Formalin will kill and remove the ich in all stages?? Any video links I can reference to get more information?

Thanks Scott

 

[iSeeMax101]

I agree with Wayne regarding hyposalinity not being reliable, I started a QT tank about a month ago because I too was tired of losing fish from ich. The salinity level in my QT is off the chart, Believe it or not the salinity level is at 1.030-1.032 and I'm also using coppersafe by Mardel at the same time. I've had success with this method and I'm going to stick to it. IMO and this is just my personal take on hyposalinity, I think the stress level is higher because of the lower salinity. Again, my method works for me but it might not work for you. You just have to find the right option for you. Good luck and keep us posted.

I don't believe 1.030-1.032 is low salinity. That sounds pretty high. Am I missing something??

 

[WayneL333]

Formalin will kill and remove the ich in all stages?? Any video links I can reference to get more information?

Thanks Scott

Formalin doesn't kill ich in all stages. The QT protocol I employed, which is quite involved, involved the initial Formalin dip which Scott described. Then I used TTM. Depending on how the fish responded (i.e. looked healthy and is eating), I would add Prazipro the last two exchanges of TTM. Then finally I would put my fish in a separate observation system for at least two months. If it was healthy after all was said and done, then I would add it to my main system.

There's a lot more scarier diseases out there than just ich! Another side note is is if you add any corals straight into you main system, you risk introducing the same water-born diseases straight into your system. That's why I had another separate QT system for my corals which I kept my corals for at least 3 months. QT'ing corals is whole other topic.

I know this sounds like a pain but I feel like it's the only way if you really want to protect your reef.