How to ensure an eel isn't an ich carrier

[Awolartist]

Hi friends, long time lurker first time poster. I recently had a FOWLR tank have a terrible ich outbreak and lost several fish, a lunare wrasse and hippo tang survived and have been successfully treated in a quarantine tank. I have a snowflake eel from the same tank who is in a separate quarantine who hasn't been treated with anything. He doesn't have any signs or symptoms of ich but I know they can be carriers and reintroduce it to a tank. What can I do to ensue this doesn't happen when they go back to the DT?
Also ranges to clear ich in a fallow tank seem all over the map. It's been empty for about two weeks so far, at 84 degrees and about .20 salinity. Thoughts on when it will be clear and anything else I can do to aid in it?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi friends, long time lurker first time poster. I recently had a FOWLR tank have a terrible ich outbreak and lost several fish, a lunare wrasse and hippo tang survived and have been successfully treated in a quarantine tank. I have a snowflake eel from the same tank who is in a separate quarantine who hasn't been treated with anything. He doesn't have any signs or symptoms of ich but I know they can be carriers and reintroduce it to a tank. What can I do to ensue this doesn't happen when they go back to the DT?
Also ranges to clear ich in a fallow tank seem all over the map. It's been empty for about two weeks so far, at 84 degrees and about .20 salinity. Thoughts on when it will be clear and anything else I can do to aid in it?

Good news is they are generally resistant, not immune to ich. If the display tank has been fowler (fishless) at least 6 weeks, should be safe to go back in. Moving forward, prevention is your friend -quarantine all new arrivals

 

[Awolartist]

Certainly learned that lesson the hard way!

 

[Awolartist]

Good news is they are generally resistant, not immune to ich. If the display tank has been fowler (fishless) at least 6 weeks, should be safe to go back in. Moving forward, prevention is your friend -quarantine all new arrivals

Certainly learned that the hard way! You feel there's no chance of him reintroducing it back into the tank? I've heard varying things.

 

[littlefoxx]

Certainly learned that the hard way! You feel there's no chance of him reintroducing it back into the tank? I've heard varying things.

Ive done similar as you with 4 morays, never had them being it back in the tank!

 

[Awolartist]

Certainly learned that the hard way! You feel there's no chance of him reintroducing it back into the tank? I've heard varying things.

Oh that's great to hear, thank you so much!

 

[littlefoxx]

Oh that's great to hear, thank you so much!

Youre welcome! Eels are super hardy.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi friends, long time lurker first time poster. I recently had a FOWLR tank have a terrible ich outbreak and lost several fish, a lunare wrasse and hippo tang survived and have been successfully treated in a quarantine tank. I have a snowflake eel from the same tank who is in a separate quarantine who hasn't been treated with anything. He doesn't have any signs or symptoms of ich but I know they can be carriers and reintroduce it to a tank. What can I do to ensue this doesn't happen when they go back to the DT?
Also ranges to clear ich in a fallow tank seem all over the map. It's been empty for about two weeks so far, at 84 degrees and about .20 salinity. Thoughts on when it will be clear and anything else I can do to aid in it?

That's a tough question. Eels are resistant to marine ich, but not totally immune. They often go off feed when dosed with copper (not always fatal though). You could treat it with hyposalinity, just to be sure.

The normal fallow period for ich is 60 days. Your tank is warmer than normal, so it could be as short as 45 days.