Going fallow. Need some advice please.

[huckjai]

Hey Reefers. Got ich on my system unfortunately. So I have a few questions for going fallow. I'll probably go fallow for 80+ days.

I have a tube anemone and a long spined urchin in the tank. They are ok to stay inside?

When going fallow, should I raise the temps up a bit, to around 80?

I'm setting up a 36 gallon tank for my fish for quarantine. My lfs recommended me to use water from my DT to start the QT so the fish are less stressed when moved. Good idea? How often should I be doing water changes in the QT with copper? Lfs said just to change when cloudy.

Thanks!

 

[Big G]

Sorry for your troubles. We hate Ich.

The inverts, etc. will be fine. Feed as usual. Just don't add anything "wet" during the fallow period.

Doesn't help to raise the temp on marine Ich.

I would find another LFS.

My standard QT is a tank with the back and two ends covered with something (I painted mine) to give the fish some privacy and calmness. And a few plastic plants to hide among.
Leave off the lights. Use ambient room lighting initially.
HOB filter with the foam pad soaked in BioSpira; a mesh bag filled with Fluval Biomax ceramic media soaked in BioSpira; and a foam bubble filter with the foam pad also soaked in BioSpira. All soaked for 24 hours in a bowl and then pour the liquid into the QT. Alternative is to keep all of the above "soaking" in your parasite free display tank's sump to have ready as needed. But that depends on the bioload too.
With the above soaked materials I seldom have to do water changes.
A Seachem ammonia alert badge.
A high quality mix of foods + vitamins like Selcon +++ Beta Glucan (see more on BG below)

Feature Article: Beta Glucan As A Biological Defense Modulator: Helping Fish To Help Themselves

Wouldn’t it be great if there were one thing that we could give any sick fish that could help it? Aquarists dream of a “magic bullet” that could be used as a treatment for a plethora of problems.

www.advancedaquarist.com

 

[piranhaman00]

Sorry for your troubles. We hate Ich.

The inverts, etc. will be fine. Feed as usual. Just don't add anything "wet" during the fallow period.

Doesn't help to raise the temp on marine Ich.

I would find another LFS.

My standard QT is a tank with the back and two ends covered with something (I painted mine) to give the fish some privacy and calmness. And a few plastic plants to hide among.
Leave off the lights. Use ambient room lighting initially.
HOB filter with the foam pad soaked in BioSpira; a mesh bag filled with Fluval Biomax ceramic media soaked in BioSpira; and a foam bubble filter with the foam pad also soaked in BioSpira. All soaked for 24 hours in a bowl and then pour the liquid into the QT. Alternative is to keep all of the above "soaking" in your parasite free display tank's sump to have ready as needed. But that depends on the bioload too.
With the above soaked materials I seldom have to do water changes.
A Seachem ammonia alert badge.
A high quality mix of foods + vitamins like Selcon +++ Beta Glucan (see more on BG below)

Feature Article: Beta Glucan As A Biological Defense Modulator: Helping Fish To Help Themselves

Wouldn’t it be great if there were one thing that we could give any sick fish that could help it? Aquarists dream of a “magic bullet” that could be used as a treatment for a plethora of problems.

www.advancedaquarist.com

Why can’t he use DT water? I would say that’s a great idea. Doesn’t matter if he transfers Ich over to the QT.

 

[Big G]

Why can’t he use DT water? I would say that’s a great idea. Doesn’t matter if he transfers Ich over to the QT.

A new tank with zero free swimming parasites can be a great advantage while raising copper to therapeutic levels. Copper only kills the parasites in the "free swimming" stage of life and it doesn't kill them instantly. It takes time for the poison to work. So the only parasites will be the ones already attached to the fish during transfer to the QT. Those will drop off. Encyst. And then will be killed after hatching and looking to re infect a fish. But by then the tank should be at full therapeutic levels.

In an emergency, for velvet which usually kills very quickly, and the clock is ticking, quickly setting up a hospital tank with tank water can work even though the water can be full with untold numbers of parasites. Especially if you pre dose the tank with copper to about half way to therapeutic levels. But it can be tough on some fish that may be copper sensitive as you quickly, within 24-48 hours push to therapeutic level while new parasites are attacking the fish, usually within the gills doing great damage.

 

[theMeat]

Using display water is fine, and so is using new water at same temp, salinity and ph

 

[artieg1]

Start the QT with DT water, assuming that you will ultimately be using copper at therapeutic levels throughout the possible life cycle. It's like just using copper in your system, if you had no concerns. I am at a loss, Big G, on why not to use DT for the initial QT tank fill? Any swimmers would die from copper, unless they attach to a fish, in which case they will eventually die from the copper when they release. After the initial fill, you want to replace with new water carefully calibrated at the copper level.

Also, I would err on the side of water changes 2x per week. The main problem with a QT is lack of bio filter. Don't wait for the water to be "cloudy". Agree on adding bacterial supplements, and perhaps starting with a sponge filter or other simple media from your sump (but be aware those can absorb copper, so check copper levels every day).

 

[jy808]

The main problem with a QT is lack of bio filter. Don't wait for the water to be "cloudy". Agree on adding bacterial supplements, and perhaps starting with a sponge filter or other simple media from your sump (but be aware those can absorb copper, so check copper levels every day).

Sorry you hijack your post OP.

I am currently going through the same processes as OP. And noting your comment regarding bacterial supplements. The only thing I brought over from my DT to my QT is the water. I did not bring over any sort of media to the QT. Now is this a concern?
I have placed some (new) matrix in there and a sponge filter in the tank.

I am 3 days into my copper treatment and the ich seems to be gone. Given the QT will be running for up to 76 days would it be beneficial to bring over one of the live rock in my DT to help with the bacterial supplements in the QT moving forward?

 

[huckjai]

Sorry you hijack your post OP.

I am currently going through the same processes as OP. And noting your comment regarding bacterial supplements. The only thing I brought over from my DT to my QT is the water. I did not bring over any sort of media to the QT. Now is this a concern?
I have placed some (new) matrix in there and a sponge filter in the tank.

I am 3 days into my copper treatment and the ich seems to be gone. Given the QT will be running for up to 76 days would it be beneficial to bring over one of the live rock in my DT to help with the bacterial supplements in the QT moving forward?

If you bring the live rock over, you cannot reuse it. How many fish currently in your QT? How many gallons? I would get some bio media and put it on your tank to house more beneficial bacteria. That's what I did. I'm using something similar to this that I got from my lfs: