What would you do?

[RockyMtnReef]

My 450 gal tank has ich. Its a FOWLR (for now) so no corals to protect. This weekend I am planning to catch all the fish and place them into a hospital tank for observation/treatment. My question I guess is: Would you do either of these as a next step? Better ideas are welcome.

#1: Stir up the substrait, do a bunch of water changes and then leave the tank fallow for 8-10 weeks. I figure this will keep all my rock "live" but potentially run risk the chance of ich coming back.

#2: Move the live rock to a container with new salt water (not DT water) and then drain the DT and allow the tank, sump, pumps etc to completely dry out before refilling with new salt water? I figure drying everything out will kill all parasites but is there a way to ensure the live rock itself is ich free while keeping it "live"?

#3: Throw in the towel and dry out the entire system, sell my fish and then go through a whole new cycle.


A more complete and lengthy quarantine process going forward is a given because clearly mine didn’t work.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

#1 8-10 weeks fallow is not a guarantee of eradication. I would go 12 weeks fallow.
#2 You could do that but you would either need to completely dry out the LR or let it stay in a container for at least 72 days.
#3 Why not cure the fish you have?
I'm sure you read the stickies on crypto and its' treatments. What is/was your quarantine protocol?

 

[RockyMtnReef]

Thanks, I appreciate your feedback. My quarantine practice has been more to focus on observation and confirming health via appetite/feeding behavior. I recently moved across country thus am new to the area (not new to the hobby however-check my gallery). I have now learned the hard way that the LFS in my area that runs low level copper and hypo salinity is clearly quite effective in masking an infected system. In the past I have had several very healthy tanks so I think it’s the source that the cause but ultimately I am to blame. I plan to go more "by the book" in terms of quarantine procedures going forward.

So I am clear. Based on your opinion its really #2 that would be better overall option? 72 days vs 84 fallow.

 

[Dmorty217]

I would get some Chloroquine Phosphate and treat the entire tank with all inhabitants inside

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Thanks, I appreciate your feedback. My quarantine practice has been more to focus on observation and confirming health via appetite/feeding behavior. I recently moved across country thus am new to the area (not new to the hobby however-check my gallery). I have now learned the hard way that the LFS in my area that runs low level copper and hypo salinity is clearly quite effective in masking an infected system. In the past I have had several very healthy tanks so I think it's the source that the cause but ultimately I am to blame. I plan to go more "by the book" in terms of quarantine procedures going forward.

So I am clear. Based on your opinion its really #2 that would be better overall option? 72 days vs 84 fallow.

If it were me (and it has been in the past) I would leave the tank fallow for no less than 72 days. Obviously longer is better. IMO pulling all the LR, sterilizing and drying the entire system then going through cycling process again is a lot of work, especially on a tank as big as yours. Keeping in mind you can't add your LR back in to aid in the cycling process. But that's just me. Will it work, yes.