I recently had a Magnificent Foxface come down with Ich. He never stopped eating, but did look pretty bad for a while. He looks better now but I understand the parasites are still in the tank and will remain there. It’s the second time this particular fish has gotten sick in a year and recovered. I did not quarantine him or any of the other fish, it’s just not an option right now. I know for most of you this is a felony offense and I should be stoned to death, but catching and quarantining all of my fish is not practical. I have 2 Yasha gobies that rarely stick more than their heads out of holes in the rock and lots of others that would be nearly impossible to catch. I would have to tear down the entire tank to get all the fish. I would probably have lost coral and fish in the process . I know quarantining is the best and most effective way to go, but I cannot be the only person who has chosen to see if the fish can fight it off on their own. Especially people with big 200-500 gallon tanks. I do not want this to turn into a lecture that quarantine is the only way to go, I already know that. However, I do want to hear other people’s experiences. I find it difficult to believe that people with 200, 500 or even larger tanks tore them down completely just to snag all the fish to quarantine. What do public aquariums with mixed reef tanks do? Any new fish I add are quarantined and treated as needed. New fish get Prazi and Metro automatically and cupramine if they show signs of ich.
