To be more precise...TTM does not eradicate ICH...it interrupts the life cycle and if performed correctly rids the fish of attached parasites. The potential for cross-contamination still exists.
Ich returns after 76 day fallow
- Thread starter Rick Cavanaugh
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To be more precise...TTM does not eradicate ICH...it interrupts the life cycle and if performed correctly rids the fish of attached parasites. The potential for cross-contamination still exists.
lagatbezan
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TTM is my first personal choice of qt for ich and I have been doing it for over 6 years BUT I have to say that I did have failures when doing the transfers every 3 days (the max 72 hours period) so I switched to doing it every 48 hours instead and always had positive results since. for some reason i didn't have 100% success rate when doing the transfers every 3 days. Thats just my personal experience.
Empress
Valuable Member
When doing TTM, it's always a good idea to give a 5 minute fresh water dip, then 90 minutes of Ruby Rally; 2 rounds of Prazi a day or two apart and then into a sterile and quiet 2 or 3 week observation tank. Not all in the same day of course.
It's worked for me so far. And I have another 2 fish coming in on Wednesday in which I'll be doing the TTM.
The fresh water dip dislodges external parasites (80%). The Rally is an antiseptic and helps the fishes skin feel better. The first round of Prazi removes invisible flukes and other worms. The second round of Prazi kills any leftover eggs. A water change afterwards helps to remove any uglies left behind.
You should wait longer then 2 days for eggs to hatch before applying 2nd round of prazi
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/prazipro.247598/
+1 Using this calendar removes all guesswork as when to redose: http://www.marineparasites.com/paratreatmentcal.html
Makers Marc
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If you keep doing 76+ day quarantines and keeping your DT fallow for the majority of the calendar year again (like some die-hards keep advising), you will drive yourself crazy and out of this hobby, while you also kill a bunch of fish by stressing them out with constant meds and tank transfers.
Man I feel bad for you. My fallow period ends in 3wks. I have my fishes in qt since the start of the fallow period. I used cupramine for the first 6 wks. Since then I’ve removed the copper with no signs of ich. Crossing my fingers ich will not come back when I put the fishes back in DT.
+1 Better safe than sorry: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/freshwater-black-mollies-vs-marine-fish-diseases.312166/
chipmunkofdoom2
Always Making Something
This is categorically untrue. There's nothing inherently stressful about a fish being in quarantine. If there is, the quarantine tank is not properly set up. Additionally, while medications and copper treatments can be stressful, if done properly, the treatments needn't (and shouldn't) be "constant."
There's nothing excessive or "die-hard" about recommending a 76+ fallow period. If you want to be sure the tank is completely ich-free, you must do it. Something happened here where that either wasn't enough or the parasite wasn't completely eradicated from the fish, but this is an unusual case. Any advice that does not involve 76 days of fallow after ich is advocating for ich management over ich eradication. While I would personally never go the ich management route, that is what some reefers choose to do. If that's what the OP chooses to do, that's their decision. Let's just be very clear about what we're advocating when we give advice. If you're advising against 76 days of fallow, then you're advising that the tank have ich forever and the aquarist must take special steps to manage it.
Makers Marc
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My post was directed exactly toward tge reefer diehards like you.
"Nothing inherently stressful about a fish being in quarantine" - Really? Brainwash as well as illogical if one thinks even a little about it from the fish perspective.
"Something happened here where that either wasn't enough or the parasite wasn't completely eradicated from the fish, but this is an unusual case. " - Not as unusual as you're making it seem. Many of our best local reefers have gone through what OP has, chasing that holy grail of ich free only to have:
1. Ich reappear in DT on powder blues or other highly suspectible livestock, driving themselves and their family crazy as they catch all the fish for another 90+ days and throw into an ugly tub sitting in the living room.
2. Through this process they manage to stress out even more livestock that die. Some then blame "velvet" or other disease that may have been introduced after they forgot to powerwash the LFS water from under their finger nails /inside that clams guts.
3. Scratching their heads and going crazy, they realize they haven't sat down and enjoyed their tank for going on half a year, maybe almost a year. Then they get burned out and quit the hobby.
In the end, do the best you can do and hopefully you can limit stressors to the point your fish can eat their way back to health. Im all about ich management, if that isnt clear at this point lol.
But OP, don't drive yourself crazy chasing this grail. If you keep doing this you'll get burned out and very likely have just as many many fatalities re-catching and dosing the hell out of all your livestock.
Ich management is a die hard reefer approach too. Unless your going all natural I think there’s valid proof that in a closed system like ours ich eradication is more rewarding then ich management. Yes it’s harder to achieve but don’t let anyone tell you that your not able or that it’s not worth it, or better yet IMPOSSIBLE. that’s for you to decide with all the facts and opinions on R2R to Help tip the scales. And QT is only stressful if done incorrectly. for the most part the fish already know they are in a glass box, it’s our job to make them comfortable with that. So just add more space and more hiding places just like you would a DT
Makers Marc
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Define "more rewarding." In what sense?
So putting a leopard wrasse into a 20g with a tupperware of sand and transferring him into tank after tank with various medicines vs. Observe or even straight into a 180g display with 3 inch sand bed/pods is the same? Tell me how?
Most importantly, ill challenge someone who claims to have, say a 75g ich free display. Put 2 powder blues in there for a few days after your QT method, and prove no ich shows up..
Hey, I’ll take that challenge. You send me one of your PBs (two would be too aggressive in a smaller tank), I will prophylactically treat it and place in my ICH-free 75 gal system. Happy to report results.
Not attempting to blame anyone. I learned the hard way to quarantine everything wet before it goes into my DT. Fish are prophylactically treated.
I said I would take the challenge. I have faith in Humblefish’s recommended procedures. In the event I fail you get the PB back.
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