Does everyone REALLY go the length to prevent ich with multiple tanks and a dedicated QT for everything?

[MnFish1]

Ich infection rate in the wild

I read all the time people saying how infection rate in the ocean is low because the fish are healthy and have strong immune systems. Well, this study mirrors what I've read from other parts of the world (e.g. Great Barrier Reef): The Prevalence of Cryptocaryon irritans in wild marine ornamental...

humble.fish

Most of us buy our fish from the LFS which comes from the wild. There is little doubt that the fish in crowded LFS tanks are riddled with parasites.

Unless you treated or observed the fish for a while, I think it’s safe to assume it carries ich.

1. This was a test from specific areas in Vietnam.
2. significant differences were found between species - and seasonally.

I think with a low-stocking density and a resistant fish, ich will die off. However, what you're missing, is that people that rapidly stock fish - to high levels in especially a new tank, ich can be devastating - due to the more rapid multiplication.

 

[Dierks]

Do you have evidence that they don’t?

Well per Aquabiomics its only in 6.2% of their results... And truthfully if you are sending in a test most of the time you think you have something so I think you may be way off here.

Marine_Ich

Microbiome testing for aquariums and aquaculture

aquabiomics.com

 

[AquaLogic]

75 days is based on an old study that showed tomonts hatching as late as 75 days in a colder water system in one case. Unless you have a huge investment or are running a public aquarium, I personally think 75 days is utterly ridiculous. You will, however, find many folks in the disease forum that stick to it strictly for even coral. Unless you are protecting a system worth many of thousands of dollars, 75 days is pretty extreme.

I do the HumbleFish 14 days in copper method, followed by a week of prazi for fish. Soft corals I remove from the plug, attach to new plug, dip and put in. Hard corals I wait 45 days, which should be long enough and I believe there has been one single study where it wasn't.

Life is all about managing risk. I'm not personally going to wait extreme amounts of time. Who knows how much time we each have? I'm not old enough or obsessive enough to do 75 days.

 

[Miami Reef]

I think I need to clarify myself.

It’s my opinion that many tanks have ich in them.

I apologize for misspeaking. I do not know for certain.

 

[Dierks]

I think I need to clarify myself.

It’s my opinion that many tanks have ich in them.

I apologize for misspeaking. I do not know for certain.

I would say this... I simply wanted to reference the only data point I could reference to show you that the folks who are hard-core into the hobby are pretty unlikely to have it in their tanks. Now with that being said, all the guys you see buying fish at petco and some local fish stores that don't do/allow any sort of pre-treatment/copper in their tanks and placing them in their DT, I would agree their levels of getting it goes way up.

I would say all us fish nerds who sit around and talk about these things are in the minority as well.

 

[Miami Reef]

Now with that being said, all the guys you see buying fish at petco and some local fish stores that don't do/allow any sort of pre-treatment/copper in their tanks and placing them in their DT, I would agree their levels of getting it goes way up.

That’s what I was trying to say but it came out wrong.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Tank transfer, copper, all the things for fish. But also corals? Do you keep a tank fallow and running for 75+ days whenever you get a new coral, for example? A new anemone? And then transfer to your tank with all the fish?

My last successful tank, I only stocked it with super hardy fish. I would see a tiny ich spec on my purple dottyback once in awhile, for example, but that fish was fine for 5+ years. My next tank I'm planning anthias, genicanthus, as well as a few of my previous fish. I'm going to go through a tank transfer method with them, but stocking the new tank is going to be hard. I'll need to get things in waves of 75 days and have a fully separate running system.

Does everyone really do that?

It all boils down to a biosecurity issue that must be managed. I hold new invertebrates in a fishless system for 30 to 45 days and that has always worked well for me.

Biosecurity

A short introduction to aquarium biosecurity

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Paul B]

No, I don't quarantine, observe or medicate anything. My reef is about 54 years old and some of the fish are over 30. I keep them immune from probably everything except maybe the occasional headache.

 

[Paul B]

I hold new invertebrates in a fishless system for 30 to 45 days and that has always worked well for me.

I do something similar but instead of keeping them in a fishless system for a month, I hold them in the bag they came in for the trip home from the store, then throw them, gently, into my tank where they generally die of old age.

 

[kinetic]

Some have said that they would only do it if they invested a lot into the tank. "A lot" is relative, but to me, anything I care about, regardless of money or time spent, is worth doing correctly. It just seems interesting that some people, like @Paul B just throws things into tanks without ever having any issues. Whereas I spent months QT'ing and spending thousands trying to get a perfect system, and an ich outbreak from who knows where just wipes everything out. Paul can't be *that* lucky for 60 years, and I can't be *that* unlucky for 15+ years.

 

[Largeangels]

Yes for fish and inverts. 30-45 days.

 

[Paul B]

It just seems interesting that some people, like @Paul B just throws things into tanks without ever having any issues.

Of course before you just throw fish into your tank it has to be set up "correctly" and fed "correctly" for that method.

I believe, and from reading these forums since way before they were invented, very few people have their tank set up correctly and feed correctly to allow you to do that "and" keep the fish immune from just about everything. Maybe people like going on the disease forum, I really don't know but fish know how to stay healthy as long as we get out of their way. "We" make them sick, no one else.

Many people tell me they do exactly as I do and keep losing fish, then I see their tank and it's not even close. Many people also feed dry foods and that is a big no no for my method to work. I just wrote a thread on how to do that but don't read it because otherwise there won't be a need for disease forums and that probably uses more ink than any other forum. I have never been on it for myself and don't plan to be.

I especially think all this quarantine, observation and medication for no reason is counter productive and almost forces fish to get infected with something. Just read the disease forums and see how many fish get infected with something after they have been "cured" from something else. (but I don't want to argue about it)

IMO how to set up a tank to be healthy and immune

Remember, I am an electrician, (a really good electrician) and I am not a researcher or scientist, I also don't have as many degrees as a thermometer. I did not even go to college, there was that war thing and besides that I hate school and would rather learn what I want to learn when I want to...

www.reef2reef.com

I am also not the God of fish and a lot of people have very healthy tanks and do the exact opposite of what I do.

 

[Mwatts12]

Since day one I have bought fish and dropped them in. Never any issues. Just feed them well. Fat fish is the goal.

 

[kenchilada]

I do full profilactic quarantine on fish. Copper and prazi at a minimum, and usually 2-3 weeks of medicated food plus observation afterwards.

I also QT all inverts, coral, rock, everything. Those go in a separate 20G system at 80.5F for 45 days. Corals get dipped.

Going on 5 years now, never any illness in my display.

 

[Spare time]

There is evidence - HOWEVER, the evidence doesn't translate well to reef tanks (the research was done (I think) on Mullett - and in cold water. Even in those experiments, only 1 strain out of several was still alive at 72 days - so to be 'careful' - people chose 76 days (my understanding)

Wasn't the water also sterile?

 

[Spare time]

I think I need to clarify myself.

It’s my opinion that many tanks have ich in them.

I apologize for misspeaking. I do not know for certain.

I definitely agree a long of tanks get marine ich. However, how long these tanks stay running smoothly afterwards is up for debate. I suspect most fish deaths (outside equipment failure) in the hobby are from common parasites like ich, velvet, brook, and flukes.

 

[carbasaurus]

Early on had marine velvet wipe out all my fish. Since then 100% of fish go through QT before entry into display. Also had monti nudibranchs wipe out my montis and since then all montis go into soft coral tank first for several weeks before going to main

 

[C_AWOL]

I quarantine stuff for all my tanks for various reasons.
Every fish i acquire goes through it to reduce any risk of introducing velvet (in particular),ich, and flukes along with allowing the fish to fatten up and adjust better to aquarium life (without having to deal with established tank mates)

All corals (and inverts to a lesser degree) go through it for fish related diseases and to allow for enough time to catch and (hopefully adequately) eradicate potential pest that can cause massive and expensive headaches down the line that dips won't solve (aiptasia and flatworms +:eggs in particular)

Frankly I find it to be a low stress ~45 day quarantine process that saves me the potential X days of extreme stress of trying to fixing the problem so theres no reason to skip it.

 

[blawndie]

Tank transfer, copper, all the things for fish. But also corals? Do you keep a tank fallow and running for 75+ days whenever you get a new coral, for example? A new anemone? And then transfer to your tank with all the fish?

My last successful tank, I only stocked it with super hardy fish. I would see a tiny ich spec on my purple dottyback once in awhile, for example, but that fish was fine for 5+ years. My next tank I'm planning anthias, genicanthus, as well as a few of my previous fish. I'm going to go through a tank transfer method with them, but stocking the new tank is going to be hard. I'll need to get things in waves of 75 days and have a fully separate running system.

Does everyone really do that?

I currently had a huge with Uronema. I bought some formalin so I plan to give a bath to all future additions

 

[kenchilada]

How about bobbit worms? Is that a good reason to quarantine? I literally JUST found what I’m pretty sure is a bobbit worm in my coral quarantine tank!

I’ve been mysteriously losing new snails in this tank during QT, and I picked up a rock and there’s a huge worm 8” long worm hanging out of the rock. I’ll try to get some pictures of it.