How do I rid my tank of disease

[TamrynLea]

Hi everyone

I have just lost my two new clownfish to disease (seems like they were already diseased when I bought them, though not visibly at the time). They were the only fish in my 10 gallon nano tank and I am now left with a cleaner shrimp, some snails and a small young zoa colony. The tank is 6 months old, properly cycled, no ammonia and stable water conditions.

My question is how to I eradicate the disease from my tank before I get new fish? Should I remove the inverts and coral and treat the tank or should I drain it, rinse everything and start again?

Any advice would be most helpful. Thank you!

 

[AetherealKnight]

Hi everyone

I have just lost my two new clownfish to disease (seems like they were already diseased when I bought them, though not visibly at the time). They were the only fish in my 10 gallon nano tank and I am now left with a cleaner shrimp, some snails and a small young zoa colony. The tank is 6 months old, properly cycled, no ammonia and stable water conditions.

My question is how to I eradicate the disease from my tank before I get new fish? Should I remove the inverts and coral and treat the tank or should I drain it, rinse everything and start again?

Any advice would be most helpful. Thank you!

No need to start over, simply leave the tank fallow (no fish) for 76 days. This will starve out the disease. You can leave your corals and inverts.

 

[Tamberav]

Hi everyone

I have just lost my two new clownfish to disease (seems like they were already diseased when I bought them, though not visibly at the time). They were the only fish in my 10 gallon nano tank and I am now left with a cleaner shrimp, some snails and a small young zoa colony. The tank is 6 months old, properly cycled, no ammonia and stable water conditions.

My question is how to I eradicate the disease from my tank before I get new fish? Should I remove the inverts and coral and treat the tank or should I drain it, rinse everything and start again?

Any advice would be most helpful. Thank you!

Turn temperature up to 81 degrees and go no fish for 45 days so the disease starves out.

Temp increase speeds up lifecycle of the parasites so you don’t have to do the 76 days.

 

[AetherealKnight]

Turn temperature up to 81 degrees and go no fish for 45 days so the disease starves out.

Temp increase speeds up lifecycle of the parasites so you don’t have to do the 76 days.

This is also an option, however some suggest 76 days as a way to ensure maximum assurance.

But 45 days is also acceptable as Tamberav has said. But you need to ensure the water is at 81 degrees for the duration.

 

[TamrynLea]

No need to start over, simply leave the tank fallow (no fish) for 76 days. This will starve out the disease. You can leave your corals and inverts.

Thank you! Yes, I was thinking about this option too!

 

[TamrynLea]

Turn temperature up to 81 degrees and go no fish for 45 days so the disease starves out.

Temp increase speeds up lifecycle of the parasites so you don’t have to do the 76 days.

And the increased temp won’t negatively affect the inverts?

 

[AetherealKnight]

And the increased temp won’t negatively affect the inverts?

No, they will be fine.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi everyone

I have just lost my two new clownfish to disease (seems like they were already diseased when I bought them, though not visibly at the time). They were the only fish in my 10 gallon nano tank and I am now left with a cleaner shrimp, some snails and a small young zoa colony. The tank is 6 months old, properly cycled, no ammonia and stable water conditions.

My question is how to I eradicate the disease from my tank before I get new fish? Should I remove the inverts and coral and treat the tank or should I drain it, rinse everything and start again?

Any advice would be most helpful. Thank you!

The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off. No need to go 76 days which is an old recommendation and the 81 degree while it will speed the cycle slightly applies more to velvet.

 

[AetherealKnight]

The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off. No need to go 76 days which is an old recommendation and the 81 degree while it will speed the cycle slightly applies more to velvet.

Really? I’m just curious. Because I still do the 76 days but that was in 2017 when that was the standard I guess. So I stuck with that. Is there a new coral/invert QT thread that I can look at? There’s couple threads but I guess they’re outdated now.

 

[AetherealKnight]

Really? I’m just curious. Because I still do the 76 days but that was in 2017 when that was the standard I guess. So I stuck with that. Is there a new coral/invert QT thread that I can look at? There’s couple threads but I guess they’re outdated now.

Nvm I found it, I still have to do 60 days for myself. I got my cleaner shrimp for $20 which was a great deal but it came from a velvet and ich infested Petco tank.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Really? I’m just curious. Because I still do the 76 days but that was in 2017 when that was the standard I guess. So I stuck with that. Is there a new coral/invert QT thread that I can look at? There’s couple threads but I guess they’re outdated now.

The 76 days came from a paper published ~30 years ago - at cool temperatures, with no bacteria, they found some tomonts survived 76 days. Somebody read that paper and started spreading that date around. However, it does apply to real life.

Here is a thread about that:

45 Day Fallow periods

I've been doing some research into the "76 day fallow period". I never heard of that prior to coming to Reef2Reef this past summer. I had always used 32 days as the maximum time for a tomont to remain viable under tropical conditions, and then I would round up to 45 days to help ensure that...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Uncle99]

More is always better.
Depends on your patience and taste for risk.

Sorry to hear of your loss.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Nvm I found it, I still have to do 60 days for myself. I got my cleaner shrimp for $20 which was a great deal but it came from a velvet and ich infested Petco tank.

45-60 days is the range where the life cycle of parasites are extinguished without a host fish.

 

[threebuoys]

Hi everyone

I have just lost my two new clownfish to disease (seems like they were already diseased when I bought them, though not visibly at the time). They were the only fish in my 10 gallon nano tank and I am now left with a cleaner shrimp, some snails and a small young zoa colony. The tank is 6 months old, properly cycled, no ammonia and stable water conditions.

My question is how to I eradicate the disease from my tank before I get new fish? Should I remove the inverts and coral and treat the tank or should I drain it, rinse everything and start again?

Any advice would be most helpful. Thank you!

I see no mention of how you diagnosed the fish died from a disease.

How do you know the fish were diseased? Did you see signs of ich or velvet or brooklynella? Were the fish 6 months old? What were you feeding them?

 

[TamrynLea]

Thank you for advice everyone!

 

[Paul B]

You could take out the inverts and run the tank to 90 degrees for a couple of days.
I didn't
I make that up, it was "Robert Straughn" the Father of Salt Water Fish Keeping.

This also won't hurt the bacteria