Ich destroyed my tank

[PNW_reefer]

i just finished dealing with a terrible ich outbreak, seemingly out of nowhere.. no new fish had been added to the tank in months, only things new were corals from WWC and a new calcium reactor I’ve been dialing in. Any ideas on what happened?

Wiped out 4/7 fish: clown pair, kole tang, and royal gramma.

Treated with Polyp Lab Medic, took all 20 days before the issue disappeared. I’m now going on about a week with no visible issues on the six line wrasse, yellow tang, and sleeper goby. (Wrasse and goby never seemed to get sick at all in the first place).

What should I be doing now to avoid it coming back? And how long should I wait before adding more fish back into the tank? I’m in no rush to add fish btw. Thanks

 

[jimmyzhou]

Keep you tank empty for 3 month u should be good
Remember qt them. Before add to display tank

 

[dealseer]

Sounds like you didn’t qt the corals to me.

 

[Crabs McJones]

i just finished dealing with a terrible ich outbreak, seemingly out of nowhere.. no new fish had been added to the tank in months, only things new were corals from WWC and a new calcium reactor I’ve been dialing in. Any ideas on what happened?

Wiped out 4/7 fish: clown pair, kole tang, and royal gramma.

Treated with Polyp Lab Medic, took all 20 days before the issue disappeared. I’m now going on about a week with no visible issues on the six line wrasse, yellow tang, and sleeper goby. (Wrasse and goby never seemed to get sick at all in the first place).

What should I be doing now to avoid it coming back? And how long should I wait before adding more fish back into the tank? I’m in no rush to add fish btw. Thanks

Your best bet is to let the tank sit fishless for 76 days so that all the ich dies off. If you don't already have one, set up a quarantine system. And any new fish you get you can either run observation for 6 weeks as I do, or run copper treatment for 30 days.

 

[ZachR32]

If you want it gone you have to remove the remaining fish and treat them. Ich might not appear present at first glance, but they will carry it, especially the yellow tang. Treat them in QT using either copper, CP, hypo, or TTM and leave your display fallow for 72 days minimum. It's a pain in the butt but better to deal with it now than to have your fish sick in the future.
If you choose not to treat, any fish added in the future has a great potential of bringing in new ich and also catching the existing ich that's in your tank.

 

[PNW_reefer]

Sounds like you didn’t qt the corals to me.

I’ve never put any corals in qt from wwc. I doubt that caused the issue right?

 

[PNW_reefer]

If you want it gone you have to remove the remaining fish and treat them. Ich might not appear present at first glance, but they will carry it, especially the yellow tang. Treat them in QT using either copper, CP, hypo, or TTM and leave your display fallow for 72 days minimum. It's a pain in the *** but better to deal with it now than to have your fish sick in the future.
If you choose not to treat, any fish added in the future has a great potential of bringing in new ich and also catching the existing ich that's in your tank.

I don’t have a qt system nor really the room for one. The Polyp Lab Medic worked well, and I might go another 20 day treatment schedule just because. Literally the only thing added since December has been coral from world wide coral, and I wouldn’t think that would carry ich...

 

[HotRocks]

I’ve never put any corals in qt from wwc. I doubt that caused the issue right?

I wouldn't trust any coral to be parasite free. All it takes is them to have a fish in their frag tanks (Which you see all the time), and then the corals could transfer the parasites to your system. I have attached a link for you on coral and invert QT times, great read by @Humblefish. It explains in grave detail how the contamination may have taken place in your given situation.

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/coral-invert-quarantine-time-frames.382/

 

[PNW_reefer]

I wouldn't trust any coral to be parasite free. All it takes is them to have a fish in their frag tanks (Which you see all the time), and then the corals could transfer the parasites to your system. I have attached a link for you on coral and invert QT times, great read by @Humblefish. It explains in grave detail how the contamination may have taken place in your given situation.

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/coral-invert-quarantine-time-frames.382/

Thanks for this, I appreciate it. Any ideas for a simple qt setup for the fish I currently have? And what about the coral banded shrimp, copper won’t work there ha. Also for a frag tank for incoming corals, I don’t really wanna buy another Radion light... any ideas for corals?

 

[HotRocks]

Thanks for this, I appreciate it. Any ideas for a simple qt setup for the fish I currently have? And what about the coral banded shrimp, copper won’t work there ha. Also for a frag tank for incoming corals, I don’t really wanna buy another Radion light... any ideas for corals?

Fish QT go craigslist all the way. @4FordFamily and I have set up 2 in the last year. One 55, and a 40B. Got both tanks used on CL for under 100 bucks each with stands and canopy's. Then just a cheap light, heater, wavemaker, airstone, and HOB filter off amazon. We probably have under 225 bucks in each setup total. If you want I can send you the links for the equipment we use.

Coral QT. Nothing special at all. Look at my profile pic. That is my daughters looking into my Coral QT's. Rubbermaid bins, again cheapo heat and flow (or old still working equip you have laying around). One light suspended from ceiling covering it all (I use just a cheap grow light, it works fine for the amount of time it stays in QT). Does not have to be elaborate or anything. Granted I have an unfinished portion of my basement (Deemed fish room) for all this stuff to keep my wife from wanting to kill me LOL!

 

[ZachR32]

Polyp lab medic has a thread somewhere here, in it it's stated that it only works to kill the free floating stage. It cannot kill tomonts, and since it is not safe to run treatment for the life cycle of all tomonts it is not a sufficient treatment to eliminate it

 

[Big G]

I’ve never put any corals in qt from wwc. I doubt that caused the issue right?

Ich/velvet parasites can encyst on the coral or the plug. Dipping the coral helps to get rid of pests, but the only way to know for sure that you are not importing Ich/Velvet is to QT your corals for 76 days in a fishless QT to starve the parasite and end the cycle.

 

[4FordFamily]

I am in agreement with what’s been said about QT, fallow, and coral.

 

[PNW_reefer]

Ill see even if petco is having another sale soon on their tanks, but idk where to put it so the wife doesn’t kill me for buying more stuff haha

 

[HotRocks]

Ill see even if petco is having another sale soon on their tanks, but idk where to put it so the wife doesn’t kill me for buying more stuff haha

Highly recommend it! Its a great insurance policy, not to mention even if you aren't adding livestock at the given time. Keep the QT up and running so if a fish develops a bacterial infection or whatnot, you can move him there and treat separately of your Display. If you are able to set up a QT, you can leave the shrimp in your main display with your corals for the fallow period, you will be good to go.

 

[HairyGary]

Ill see even if petco is having another sale soon on their tanks, but idk where to put it so the wife doesn’t kill me for buying more stuff haha

I heard March 18 is the start of another dollar per gallon sale.