Catching ALL my fish in 300 gallon reef tank

[Miami Reef]

My entire tank is full of ich because I didn’t quarantine ;Facepalm

Now I’m trying to deal with the consequences of my mistakes, and I want to treat them. The only problem is that this tank is around 300 gallons and I have about 14 fish with a lot of rock work.

I don’t know how I’m going to catch it. I want to start treatment ASAP because I already lost over 9 fish (mostly new ones) and I can’t have this going on anymore, but they are impossible to catch, and I really really love my rock work. I do not want to tear it down.

The net won’t work, I’ve tried it and failed. Only managed to catch 2 super slow fish and that was luck, the big fast tangs are not going to be possible.

Please help me (the fish are not in view in photo, but they are there definitely in there. I’m just trying to show the rock work.

Edit: here’s a video with better lighting:

 

[cracker]

How many & what kind of fish are left? Get a fish trap that will work on the tangs . They really do work well . Are You in Florida?
I see what Ya mean about the aquascape looks real nice !

 

[Miami Reef]

I have 5 clowns, 5 tangs, 2 anthias, and 1 sixe line wrasse. Yes, I’m in Florida.

I’m really considering the traps at this point, what do you think about draining almost all the water and just scoop the fish from the sand bed?

 

[Dr. Reef]

Best to isolate the fish in one area by moving net around in tank and using egg crate or acrylic sheet trapping then in a smaller section then moving the rocks only out of that isolated area and or lowering water down to few inches.

 

[Sashaka]

I really like Dr Reef's suggestions to corner the fish moving only the rock necessary to trap and net. Wish I had thought of that! I was in the same boat a year, year and a half ago with my 180 gal. I didn't want to go to all the work of removing my aquascape that I loved, but I found it too stressful for the fish...chasing them around...and too stressful for me...because I couldn't catch them! Once I had removed all the rock and transferred it to my 75 gallon, I decided to leave the fish in their tank, so I remove the sand, added PVC, and treated the fish right in the main display. I ramped up meds over a period of several days so as to keep my biological from completely crashing. Luckily, I use Marine Pure blocks in my sump, so my bio load stayed stable throughout the treatment. After treatment, I did a 3/4 tank water change, added CupriSorb, and after 76 days I put the sand and rock back in the tank. I'm not sorry I chose to do the breakdown. It was a lot of work, but I have not had a case of ich, velvet, or other disease since...knock on wood!

I say go for it. It will be a lot of work in the beginning, but a lot fewer headaches in the end. Eradicating ich and velvet from my system was the best thing I ever did for my tank.

Good luck.

 

[408Dartfish]

The aqua medic fish trap worked for me. Sometimes takes a day or 2 for fish to not be scared of it. Draining the water out works great also.

 

[User1]

Let me take a different tact...you can take a photo and reset rock to the original place, close enough not to really worry, or find something new. The fish, on the other hand, for every day you leave them be is another day of risk, weak fish, and cycle of the pest. Which means, sadly, is more death, destruction, etc.

The way I see it move the rock to a brute bin, drain water, and catch fish, place in a bucket. Then put your rock back into the tank, in any way for now, and go back to treating the fish. Next day after the dust has settled arrange rocks and corals to your liking and then tape a piece of paper to your tank with the date. This begins your fallow period. Do not pass go, do not add anything, let nature take its course while you look back and see what maybe happened or what you might do differently.

What I'm saying is who cares about the rock. Either move the fish properly or leave them be and let God sort it out.

 

[Miami Reef]

I think I’m going to try to drain the water first. I didn’t set up the rocks, I had a reef person do it for me while he set up the new system for the tank. I can not replicate his work, and I’m an extereme perfectionist with the rock work.

If the draining doesn’t work (which it really should, I might do the traps. The rocks are the last thing I’ll touch.

 

[xaflatoonx]

Just feed heavy. Keep em full and happy.
Most will fight it off.

Its what I would do.

 

[User1]

Just feed heavy. Keep em full and happy.
Most will fight it off.

Its what I would do.

It is a valid option. Visit sea food counter / butcher at local store, buy some oysters, clams, and prawns, shuck and toss into a cup, use fork to make a mush, add a bit of selcon, algae, and pellet food. Let soak. Feed fix 3 times a day, cover cup, refrig, and call me in the morning. Gut load fresh food + a bit of vitamins is good.

By the way to the OP. I may have come across a bit hard but that was not my intent. I just looked at the problem statement and attacked it with a hammer. While I personally do not have a spare tank to treat let alone a QT when faced with such I tend to go right for the hammer. So rocks, corals, etc would have been pulled out, water drained, and then fish tossed into a bucket or two so I could treat and isolate. I do like the food idea better that @xaflatoonx noted. In either case good luck.