Tank transfer failed?

[Kurkis493]

Had went to the route of hyposalinity and then went to the tank transfer method as a means to get rid of ich on some fish I have for QT....

Due to the amount of fish being QT'd, it took place over 4 bins, 4 heaters, 4 sets of pvc fittings. All filter floss, air stones and tubing was thrown away.

I typically had to do these transfers between 11am and 3pm because of a current work schedule. While I understand early AM is best, I was always within the 72 hour window.

I did not use bleach when cleaning things. I used vinegar and a tooth brush on the heaters and pvc fittings. Then I would fill my sink with boiling water and all the fittings would be there (poured the boiling water over the fittings, with 5-6 pots of boiling water each time filling the sink). To clean the rubbermaid bins, I would do the same - Multiple pots of boiling water.

I used fresh paper towels to thoroughly wipe down all of the fittings / heaters.

I've done this in the past the same way without problems. After moving a hippo tang into new tank I noticed him scratching... He hasn't scratched since I had started hypo.. After inspecting each fish during the transfer process none of them show any visible signs of ich...

Do you not kill the eggs with boiling water and wasted the last week of my life transferring these fish around?

Do I need to do this all over again?

 

[bc1281]

Do you not kill the eggs with boiling water and wasted the last week of my life transferring these fish around?

Do I need to do this all over again?

You mean two weeks right? Because one week would be a problem.

 

[Kurkis493]

Yes it was done for a total of 12 days~

 

[Dmorty217]

Not sure how you feed but if anything transfers that is wet between transfers you need to prolong the TTM. That's the only way it doesn't work, extending it for another transfer just increases the chance of success

 

[Deinonych]

Did you thoroughly dry all equipment before reusing? All equipment must be completely dry for at least 24 hours to ensure all cysts are destroyed.

As far as the tang flashing, it could be "ghost symptoms" from the prior infection. One of my clownfish flashed a couple of times during the first few days in the DT after going through TTM. I knew for a fact there were no parasites because it had been through 6 weeks of observation post TTM (yes, I was really paranoid at the time). Still freaked me out at the time.

If you are sure you thoroughly dried all equipment and stayed within the 72-hour period, my recommendation would be to continue to observe the fish for several more weeks to make sure they have been cleared.

 

[Kurkis493]

I have 6 sets (bins / heaters / air stone / pvc pieces) so I can 3 TTMs at a time. My problem was based on the amount of fish this time around, I am using 4 of the 6 sets.

So I couldn't get a 24 hour dry time unless I staggered things (which I probably should have done in hindsight) on all the transfers..

Two sets got 24 hours of dry time, I'd transfer 2 tanks over then drain those 2 tanks one a time, vinegar wipe down everything then add it to the sink where I added constant boiling water for about 30 minutes.

While doing that, I was adding boiling water to the rubbermaid bins I use to house the fish and moving that around and up the sides as well as using vinegar to wipe those out.

I rinsed it all out, paper towel dry and then used my fish tank towels (always dry) to wipe them out the rest of the way.

So I guess my question here is, if boiling water isn't capable of destroying the cysts then I may need to simply do this again, and stagger the process...

I've never read of anyone using boiling water to clean the bins.. Usually vinegar or mild bleach so maybe what I thought was a common sense thing to do was not smart in this instance.

 

[ThRoewer]

... One of my clownfish flashed a couple of times during the first few days in the DT after going through TTM. I knew for a fact there were no parasites because it had been through 6 weeks of observation post TTM (yes, I was really paranoid at the time). Still freaked me out at the time.
...

Sometimes fish just feel itchy and the need to scratch. I had that with many of my percula and ocellaris. You usually can tell the difference between a ich scratch and the feeling itchy scratch.
People scratch themselves several times a day without even noticing it but that doesn't mean they have fleas or lice.

 

[snorvich]

Sometimes fish just feel itchy and the need to scratch. I had that with many of my percula and ocellaris. You usually can tell the difference between a ich scratch and the feeling itchy scratch.
People scratch themselves several times a day without even noticing it but that doesn't mean they have fleas or lice.

I agree.

 

[snorvich]

I use bleach/water to clean. I cannot speak to boiling water.

 

[Deinonych]

The lack of dry time would give me cause for concern, especially since you were treating an active infection (vs. preventative).

 

[Mishri]

ensuring it dries to me would be the most important part of the process, you could skip the bleach/vinegar, but not the dry time.

 

[Dmorty217]

I use bleach/water to clean. I cannot speak to boiling water.

This is what I do too

 

[Mishri]

Oh, and if you do want to use boiling water, you can use that for your tubing/airstones/filter media. boil for a few minutes to disinfect. I don't think you can keep the water hot enough for long enough and reach all the areas in a tank to ensure it's sterile, but if you can submerge equipment/the tank in boiling water yeah, that would work.

 

[Deinonych]

This is what I do too

Same.

 

[Spar]

Oh, and if you do want to use boiling water, you can use that for your tubing/airstones/filter media. boil for a few minutes to disinfect. I don't think you can keep the water hot enough for long enough and reach all the areas in a tank to ensure it's sterile, but if you can submerge equipment/the tank in boiling water yeah, that would work.

would this have any ill impact to the silicone lining holding the glass together and sealing in water?

so much easier to just use bleach, IMO/E. or actually IME, just letting it dry for a couple days.

 

[Mishri]

nope.. silicone caulk can withstand high temps(most are rated for around 175C), boiling water should be just fine. - but yes.. I agree would be a difficult to do, not worth it.

 

[NTP66]

If you're hard-pressed on drying time, running a fan at the equipment can go a long way to help speed up the process, FWIW.

 

[ThRoewer]

nope.. silicone caulk can withstand high temps(most are rated for around 175C), boiling water should be just fine. - but yes.. I agree would be a difficult to do, not worth it.

I wouldn't worry about the silicone but rater about the glass.
Pouring boiling water into a glass tank may cause high localized strain and crack or shatter the glass.

 

[Nina51]

Oh, and if you do want to use boiling water, you can use that for your tubing/airstones/filter media. boil for a few minutes to disinfect.

those things are so cheap to buy, i pitch them and use new with every transfer. just not worth taking a chance.

 

[Spar]

those things are so cheap to buy, i pitch them and use new with every transfer. just not worth taking a chance.

i dont throw my tubing away, but rather just have 6 strands that I rotate through, so it gives almost a month+ to dry. i also always pull out the tubing before turning it off so that water never enters the inside of it. mainly this is just laziness on my part not wanting to re measure and cut every time.

airstones are tossed.