TTM is it 4 or 5 transfers?

[andrewkw]

Do they have to move again before 72hrs on the last transfer or can they remain in the same spot as the 4th transfer indefinitely?

 

[snorvich]

Please read this. It would be desirable to move to an observation quarantine after the last transfer cycle.

 

[andrewkw]

I did read that, I still don't know if I have to move them again or not. Desirable yes, but necessary?

 

[snorvich]

I did read that, I still don't know if I have to move them again or not. Desirable yes, but necessary?

Well, if I were doing it, I would move them.

 

[andrewkw]

The reason I am asking is because I have so many fish that need tank transferring and limited resources to do it. Out of the 16 fish I have that were exposed or possibly exposed (i had one in qt prior to ich getting in my tank) only one fish ever actually got ich. He is being treated with copper, the rest are going through tank transfer however using a fish trap I only caught 3 fish and one killed himself banging into the acrylic so hard that it knocked him out I decided to tear down the reef. At this time I caught the achilles who is the one who showed moderate ich so that he could go in my hospital tank and be treated with copper. I tank transferred the 2 surviving fish trapped fish one of which is my other tang. I still have 10 or 11 fish in the ich infested reef thankfully none of them are showing any signs but I still want to get them out asap so I can start the follow period. I also have corals under rocks, stuff getting too much flow / not enough ect. If I wait too long I risk an all out tank crash.

By not moving the 2 fish a 5th time I can start on the tank transfer for the other fish now, 72hrs has unfortunately passed so I'd have to start all over again. So I can either start from scratch again or once the Achilles is done his copper treatment and the copper is removed from the tank I could put the Naso in the hospital tank with him to see if he gives him ich. If he does not then the 5th transfer was not needed and they can go back in the reef when the 72 day fallow period is over. If he gets ich I will notice right away and can forgo another round of copper and tank transfer them together. I should point out none of these less the one fish I had in QT prior to this are new fish and they are all eating well and behaving normally.

 

[snorvich]

I would not trust copper to treat the Achilles tang as you are betting on nailing the infective life cycle stage which is part of the back end of the CI life cycle. The 72 hour deadline is to prevent any chance of the infective life cycle stage emerging.