All my fish are sick with ich and internal parasites

jaxredsoxfan

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I think you have the best suggestions here,
Having been in this exact same place, I strongly (STRONGLY) urge you to... slow down. You need a 4 month plan, not a 4 minute plan. I find that some survive Velvet and some don't, and I'd be shocked if interventions at this stage will change that outcome. I am assuming you want fish in the future, so your only plan is a four month plan. Get *all* the fish out of the tank, one way or another. Not to save them (although that may be a secondary benefit), but to save your tank for future fish and starve out the parasite. It is ok if it takes 2 weeks with a fish trap to catch them all (again, been there, done that, shirt is for sale on Ebay). Or take out the water until there's just a little left. Once the last fish is out, you let the tank go fish-fallow for the requisite time period (search other forums). Treat all fish in QT while you wait out the fallow period. This is a long haul approach, but you won't regret it. I am one year out from the protocol above, and there's not a spot on any of my fish. Not saying your LFS lied; but whatever they did, it clearly didn't work.

Sorry you have had to go through this, but at least if you get the fish out you'll have a definitive time frame (fallow period) to know you're safe going forward.
 
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Figsreef

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That is what I'm going for. Will attempt the fish trap after starving my fish for three days and hopefully that will get the last fish out. If there's any fish left after, I'll just let it starve or have the parasite kill it. Just thinking ahead for the future of the tank. Thank you @artieg1 for your advice as that is what I am aiming for. The trick is getting these guys out without messing up the aquascape or coral.
 
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Figsreef

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The blue hippo is in qt but don't think he'll make it. Just wondering what yall think he might have and confirm its velvet.

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CDavmd

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Just went through this myself- I quarantined meticulously. Nothing went into my system without a quarantine/copper/General Cure x2. Despite this I had an outbreak and lost quite a few fish including two that I had for over 5 years.

I thought I'd ride the storm out but that was a mistake. I also figured it would be impossible to get the fish out given the aquascape and SPS.

Well, I purchased a couple traps- one large and one small. I also purchased a red large 12 inch net. Using Red LED's only or deep blue I was able to catch everyone. It took about 3 weeks but I finally managed to catch the last and most difficult shrimp goby. I am now fallow- all my fish are in copper.

I strongly suggest getting them all out and going fallow- its not as impossible as it seems at first.

Good luck!
 

4FordFamily

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Unfortunately there is not an easy button. I’ve disassembled and drained tanks this size when I have cut corners in the past. It’s no fun but your fish are counting on you.

That hippo has velvet...
 

artieg1

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If you take down the water level below the corals, it will stress them. I lost some corals to that process, but would not have been possible to get the fish out otherwise. Some went to the trap right away (the smarter ones who recognize me for food, like tangs and angels). Smaller fish refused.
 
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Figsreef

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Just bought a trap that is arriving tuesday to get the remaining fish out. The red leds with the net were only able to get 6 of the 15 fish out since the fish went into night mode the second I turned on the reds. I know how important it is to get all these guys out but it might take some patients on my end. In the worst case, all the fish left in my dt die of velvet and I take them out once theyre dead. Only problem is only some fish are showing signs of velvet so not sure it will kill everyone. Especially my sohal which seems bullet proof.
 

artieg1

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Unfortunately, there is only one issue that matters: the date that the last fish comes out (belly up or otherwise!). That starts your fallow period. I had to take all the water out of my 200 gallon DT to get the final two wrasses, and they buried in the sand in the middle of my rockwork. So I was sitting there with 2 trash cans full of water and all my coral drying out, and I reversed the water pump and just squirted the rockwork cavity at full blast, and they came flying out. I quickly refilled, and that started Day 1 of fallow (and I spent easily 15 hours over 2 weeks prior to that getting all the fish out). I do not want to repeat that. A year from now you will look back on this with wonder and amazement...
 
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Figsreef

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If there are dead fish left in my dt that I can't get out, will the parasite still feed on that and live or would that technically count towards the 6 week time of a fishless tank?
 
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Figsreef

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The trigger happened to die in the most inconvenient place where I can't get him out, even if i took out the water. Would it be okay if I just left him there?
 
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Figsreef

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I have some turbo snails and some other types of snails for algae but thats really it. Any CUC that is recommended to help decompose and clean up any dead fish?
 

Frtdrmrose7

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I have some turbo snails and some other types of snails for algae but thats really it. Any CUC that is recommended to help decompose and clean up any dead fish?

Crabs but it would take quite a few with the size of the trigger. I think it’s in your best interest to get him out to avoid a possible ammonia spike
 
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Figsreef

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Got the trigger out of my dt. One of my clowns died in qt last night but was showing no symptoms of anything. Tested the ammonia in qt this morning and it showed up as .5 ppm. Immediately did a 50% water change and re-dosed the cupramine. The sailfin in qt looks like he's the next one to go, even though I though I thought the copper would have killed off some of the disease on him by now.
 

Frtdrmrose7

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Got the trigger out of my dt. One of my clowns died in qt last night but was showing no symptoms of anything. Tested the ammonia in qt this morning and it showed up as .5 ppm. Immediately did a 50% water change and re-dosed the cupramine. The sailfin in qt looks like he's the next one to go, even though I though I thought the copper would have killed off some of the disease on him by now.
Get a bottle of biospira and pour it into a filter sponge in QT. I would also strongly recommend a seachem ammonia badge. Traditional ammonia tests can give you inaccurate results because of the copper.
 
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Figsreef

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So it's been two weeks with all the fish except my flame angel in qt. Couldn't get the flame out of my dt and so I gave up. Now I'm wondering if I just leave the tank as it is for another month and the flame doesn't get the velvet, would that mean that I'm in the clear to put my fish back in the dt?
 

Awesome Dennis

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Your not and you need start reading and researching some of the disease forum stickies.
 

drstardust

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So it's been two weeks with all the fish except my flame angel in qt. Couldn't get the flame out of my dt and so I gave up. Now I'm wondering if I just leave the tank as it is for another month and the flame doesn't get the velvet, would that mean that I'm in the clear to put my fish back in the dt?
Absolutely not. If the flame survives that's impressive because it's one tough bugger. However, as long as a fish host exists, the life cycle of the parasite will continue, and future additions will be infected.
 

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