I need some help. This is my second time running a QT. The first time everything went smoothly saved several of my fish after and ich outbreak that took out about 1/3 of my fish. This time I have my QT setup up and running for introducing new fish to a new aquarium. The problem I'm having is that I had(past tense fount it dead this morning) a royal gramma in my QT for about 6 weeks and it showed ich spots 3 separate times. It seemed as if it would get it, then they would drop off, then get it again and drop off. It was eating the whole time exept the past 2 days. Also one of my clowns that was in QT also was dead this morning with some ich spots but was swimming around fine and eating the whole time. I'm following a modified version of @Humblefish technique as I did last time. The only difference I'm doing is that I am not using copper but instead Paraguard. My QT is 29g, I have a HOB filter with seeded sponge from my other established aquarium. I have a heater, several pvc pipes, light. Can ich fall off and live in the sponge? Can if fall off and live on algae. I've noticed a lot of algae growing on the bare bottom and on the pvc pipes. Any advice would help please. @Humblefish if you can shed some light on this I'd appreciate it.
Ich in quarantine for weeks
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Sleeping Giant
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Ammonia spike?
I just tested the water with an API test kit and it was reading 0.5 . I've been doing a 10g water every week and I have 2 ammonia alert badges on there for redundancy and they are both showing at zero. I'm not sure if this was caused due to the 2 dead fish that were in there because I just noticed them this morning so I'm not exactly sure what time they died as they were ok last night at lights out at 9pm. Currently mixing water to change 20g out. This still doesn't explain the constant ich cycle my royal gramma was going through.
FL Gator
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I QT all of my fish that go into my tank, with that said I use copper for ich between 2.0 and 2.5 is the sweet spot with copper power. I do 30 days at that level. Most even not all people normally use copper over paraguard.
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Marine Ich
Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) - Updated 6-9-2023 What You Need To Know: * Fish parasite which is sometimes managed in a DT by utilizing a UV Sterilizer, Ozone, Diatom Filter, Oxydator, herbal remedies, enhanced nutrition, etc. etc. * Can be treated in a quarantine tank by using...
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Hugh Mann
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That's what happens with ich, you're seeing the life cycle. When it starts out, all the parasites and in sync, so you'll see the spots come and then go as they infect and drop off the fish. As time progresses the parasites drift out of sync and that is when you'll see the spots constantly.
Ich can totally survive in a sponge. Absolutely anything wet can hold ich, whether free swimmers or the encysted stage. It only takes a single droplet of water to contaminate a system. A lesson I learned quite recently.
In between batches of quarantine the tank and all equipment should be run with a bleach solution of I believe a half cup of bleach per 5 gallons, but that's worth a double check, run for 24 hours, drained and left completely dry, not drying, but actually dry for 24 additional hours. Use fresh sponges and air stones every time.
Ich can totally survive in a sponge. Absolutely anything wet can hold ich, whether free swimmers or the encysted stage. It only takes a single droplet of water to contaminate a system. A lesson I learned quite recently.
In between batches of quarantine the tank and all equipment should be run with a bleach solution of I believe a half cup of bleach per 5 gallons, but that's worth a double check, run for 24 hours, drained and left completely dry, not drying, but actually dry for 24 additional hours. Use fresh sponges and air stones every time.
I was confident on my QT method because I had previously done it. My fish were on the verge of dying if not dead already and I saved all the ones that were alive still. I was told by my LFS that using copper is very harmful to the fish. The example they used is that it's like treating a common cold with chemo. I used paraguard before and went FALLOW for 9 weeks and I haven't added anything new since to my 75g and everything has been perfect (knock on wood) for 2 years. Here's what my fish were looking like before I pulled them out to treat.
FL Gator
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So the answer the velvet question. It doesn’t always kill fast. And the chemo analogy from the LFS is a little much to be honest. It’s a poison but if used right works. But if you don’t wanna use copper you can go TTM. Humble fish has a great write up on it. You’ll need two tanks and you basically out running the life cycle for ich and velvet. No medicine or copper at all. I used this on my regal angelfishI was confident on my QT method because I had previously done it. My fish were on the verge of dying if not dead already and I saved all the ones that were alive still. I was told by my LFS that using copper is very harmful to the fish. The example they used is that it's like treating a common cold with chemo. I used paraguard before and went FALLOW for 9 weeks and I haven't added anything new since to my 75g and everything has been perfect (knock on wood) for 2 years. Here's what my fish were looking like before I pulled them out to treat.
artieg1
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Paraguard is not going to eradicate ich or velvet. Read the stickies on ich and velvet, and choose a course. As a data point, I only use copper (Cupramine) and have had no issues. As you can tell, since this has returned, this is a long term issue, not a short term one. Choose a path, order the product(s), and then stick to it. But don't substitute something like paraguard for copper, that was a waste of time, sorry to say. This actually is not complicated; people make it complicated because they don't want to follow the proven advice (which, I admit, is time consuming).
Jay Hemdal
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I've stopped using Paraguard. A LFS owner that I've known for 40 years swears by it, but in *multiple* test cases at my facility, for both FW and SW protozoan treatments, I was unable to resolve the issues. I've gone back to straight formalin for FW and chelated copper for SW.
Common wisdom is that Cryptocaryon cysts can remain viable in tanks without fish for 75+ days. Personally, I think there is an almost complete loss of viability after 45 days, but since so many people quote the higher number, and since that is of course safer, I just concede (grin).
Jay
I could have sworn by paraguard after my first QT and seeing the results myself but this time it's been a much different outcome. Might do TTM with some tubs or buckets. The hardest thing for me is working 12hr shifts and basically being out of the house for 14+ hours a day then to come home help kids with online school problems, having dinner. Testing copper and dosing copper is just one more thing to add to the list of things I already can't get to on my work days. TTM might afford me some extra time especially if I mix water in larger batches to it's ready to use on tranfer days.
artieg1
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For what it is worth, copper is easier than TTM in my opinion. Ramp up over 4 days, then you are good. I do 25% water changes every 4-5 days in QT, because of concerns over ammonia. Just make sure you add enough copper back with new water. Once you have your copper level set, I don't check every day. So long as you don't have absorptive media in the tank, the copper has no where to go.
jelazar
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I keep a couple pieces of live rock in a bucket so they stay bacterially active. Then I plonk them into my hospital tank when I need one. This means I don't have to do water changes because ammonia stays very low or undetectable. I monitor ammonia with an ammonia badge in the hospital tank, so I don't have to test that, either.
I test copper once or twice a week, max.
I test copper once or twice a week, max.
Jay Hemdal
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Coppersafe using an API test kit read on a spectrophotometer.
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