15 months in

[NaCl addict]

The first 8-9 months of my first reef tank (65gal) were pretty brutal. Swamp tank ( so green, couldn't see through it), ick breakout that wiped out all my fish (heartbreaking). I couldn't keep any coral, not even the "beginners" alive, even though I would test, test, test. Now, I have figured out a lot and fine tuned things. Inverts & coral are thriving but I just went through another heartbreaking ick infestation. I get my fish from one source. The thing I'm lacking is a quartentine tank which I'm now in the process of cycling. I have about 5-6 favorite fish that I hope to replace in 6 months. It's hard to wait but for now my focus is the coral and inverts.

 

[blaxsun]

Did you lose all your fish to ich?

 

[NaCl addict]

Did you lose all your fish to ich?

Twice

 

[NaCl addict]

The first 8-9 months of my first reef tank (65gal) were pretty brutal. Swamp tank ( so green, couldn't see through it), ick breakout that wiped out all my fish (heartbreaking). I couldn't keep any coral, not even the "beginners" alive, even though I would test, test, test. Now, I have figured out a lot and fine tuned things. Inverts & coral are thriving but I just went through another heartbreaking ick infestation. I get my fish from one source. The thing I'm lacking is a quartentine tank which I'm now in the process of cycling. I have about 5-6 favorite fish that I hope to replace in 6 months. It's hard to wait but for now my focus is the coral and inverts.

Oh, and I dip all coral.

 

[blaxsun]

Twice

A UV may not be a bad investment long-term. Polyp Lab Medic is also a fairly effective in-tank treatment for ich and velvet (it won't necessarily save every fish, but it will minimize losses).

 

[NaCl addict]

I keep going back and forth with the UV sterilizer idea. It's so 50/50 on the things I've read.
Polyp Lab Medic must be reef safe?

 

[bstodds15]

Where do you get your fish from? And are there other options nearby?
If all of the fish have had ick, I would try not to limit purchasing from there.

 

[NaCl addict]

I keep going back and forth with the UV sterilizer idea. It's so 50/50 on the things I've read.
Polyp Lab Medic must be reef safe?

I'll check it out. Thanks!

 

[NaCl addict]

Where do you get your fish from? And are there other options nearby?
If all of the fish have had ick, I would try not to limit purchasing from there.

Agreed, but the ich took 4 months to show up. Maybe I had an unstable parameter I wasn't catching.

 

[NaCl addict]

Agreed, but the ich took 4 months to show up. Maybe I had an unstable parameter I wasn't catching.

I blame myself.

 

[blaxsun]

I keep going back and forth with the UV sterilizer idea. It's so 50/50 on the things I've read.
Polyp Lab Medic must be reef safe?

Myself, I run an oversized UV and never quarantine my fish. I have Medic for emergencies only (used it to treat an outbreak of velvet, which ironically, rode in on a batch of quarantined fish - hence why I don't QT anymore). And yes, it's reef safe.

I have a bit different approach with my fish selection, feeding and supplements. When combined with the UV it seems to be very effective. I don't necessarily advocate this route for everyone - but it works for me.

 

[bstodds15]

UV definitely won’t hurt - but don’t skip the quarantine process. Setup the QT tank so you can vet the fish first, or find a LFS that has a thorough QT process. That will help prevent issues in your display tank

 

[NaCl addict]

I knew in the back of my mind I was taking a risk. One I won't do again

 

[NaCl addict]

Twice

I take that back my 2 PJ cardinals are hanging in there. Man are they tough!

 

[Lavey29]

There are those that believe every tank has ich in it but it takes other factors to make it go from dormant to active state. I'm 50 50 on this concept. I think fish can build up and have immunity to disease such as ich but stresses cause them to lose their immunity. I really focus on my fish health with proper food and vitamin sources while trying to maintain a stress free environment for them. I think the whole tank ecosystem plays a role in this as PaulB has posted about his decades of success.