Ich returns after fallow... suggestions?

CakeOrCrayons

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Hey all,

I recently finished a 50 day fallow period and it appears ich has returned in my DT. Today (day 7 after adding fish back into the tank) I noticed spots on my lieutenant tang that are symptomatic of ich. My assumption is that ich remained in the DT during the fallow. All fish were QT'd with chloroquine phosphate, treated with API general cure, then transferred to different sterile observation tanks with black mollies for 30 days. The fish looked great, ate great, and showed no signs of parasite or disease during observational QT.

I am looking for suggestions on how to proceed and successfully eradicate ich from my DT. I dont want to go the ich management route.

My options:

1: Another 45 day or longer fallow. Move fish to QT and treat with Chloroquine Phosphate
2: Move snails/inverts to QT, soak rockwork in RODI in brute bins to kill ich, and treat fish and DT with Chloroquine Phosphate
3: Fully drain the DT, let dry for 72 hours, fill with new saltwater, replace inverts, and pay LFS to QT fish in copper power
4: Remove inverts and run hyposalinity in the DT with fish for 30+ days
5: Another option?

Current fish:
Yellow Tang
Purple Tang
Lt. Tang
Vlamingi tang
Bristletooth tang
Cleaner wrasse
2 Clownfish
2 lawnmower blennies

Current inverts:
7 red fire shrimp
Assorted astrea and turbo snails

Other info:
Tank was ghost fed once/day during fallow to feed the bacterial cycle
Started tank in November 2020
Bare bottom, no sand
275-280 gallon DT with 2 trigger CR44 sumps
Running skimmer, refugeum/chaeto, copapods and marinepure
Only 2 coral frags in DT, can be easily removed
Alk: 8.75-9.25
Cal: 465-475
Mag: 1430-1450
Temp: 77-78

Pics below of DT and fuge:

IMG_1490.jpeg


IMG_1492.jpeg


Any suggestions on how you would proceed? What would you do?

Thanks!

-Cake
 
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JumboShrimp

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Several years ago I had to go fallow 3x in one tank. Talk about maddening! But the 3rd time I stretched it to 80 days (mind over matter), and that was the end of that, problem solved.
 

JumboShrimp

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Two follow-up things come to mind. Were you careful not to add as they say, “anything wet“? (Meaning if you bought even a snail or a hermit crab, or a coral and added it during the 76 days, you could have caused the trouble right there.) And secondly, were you using any nets or tongs or air stone, etc., anything else from another tank during the 76 days that could have carried water and made a cross-contamination?
 

Shirak

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Two follow-up things come to mind. Were you careful not to add as they say, “anything wet“? (Meaning if you bought even a snail or a hermit crab, or a coral and added it during the 76 days, you could have caused the trouble right there.) And secondly, were you using any nets or tongs or air stone, etc., anything else from another tank during the 76 days that could have carried water and made a cross-contamination?
The OP did a 50 day fallow
 

Bepis

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Two follow-up things come to mind. Were you careful not to add as they say, “anything wet“? (Meaning if you bought even a snail or a hermit crab, or a coral and added it during the 76 days, you could have caused the trouble right there.) And secondly, were you using any nets or tongs or air stone, etc., anything else from another tank during the 76 days that could have carried water and made a cross-contamination?
First of all I agree with everything you said here. Secondly he didn’t do a 76 day fallow he did a 50 day and @CakeOrCrayons i think that was your problem, I would’ve done a minimum 70 day fallow due to the simple prospect that a ich tomont can stay dormant for a extended period of time in which the introduction of fish would expose this. Additionally another 45 day fallow may be even less effective due to you already re-contaminated the tank, I would pull all fish and resume a full extra 70-80 day fallow period.
 

Bepis

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@Jay Hemdal I don’t know your exact stance on all this but have seen you make posts regarding fallow periods, perhaps you can provide some insight
 

mehaffydr

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I remember in one of Jays posts that if you go less than the 76 days, Some only do 45 days tank temp needs to be 81deg. OP says tank is 77-78
 
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CakeOrCrayons

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First of all I agree with everything you said here. Secondly he didn’t do a 76 day fallow he did a 50 day and @CakeOrCrayons i think that was your problem, I would’ve done a minimum 70 day fallow due to the simple prospect that a ich tomont can stay dormant for a extended period of time in which the introduction of fish would expose this. Additionally another 45 day fallow may be even less effective due to you already re-contaminated the tank, I would pull all fish and resume a full extra 70-80 day fallow period.
Correct I did 50 days at 80 degrees. I bet the chances of success would have increased drastically if I waited a couple more weeks...

CP in the tank, worth it? Or QT and go fallow again? ugh...
 

Bepis

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Correct I did 50 days at 80 degrees. I bet the chances of success would have increased drastically if I waited a couple more weeks...

CP in the tank, worth it? Or QT and go fallow again? ugh...
I would pull, cupramine in the DT ended in fish casualties for me. Put a clear vase in the tank and start feeding in eat, whether with a veggie clip or mysis.
 

Jay Hemdal

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A couple of observations - the temperature needs to be 81+ for shorter fallow periods. I'm not sure why a few degrees makes a big difference, but it does. Also, although I wrote an article on it back in the day, I'm no longer a big fan of chloroquine, and treatment of the fish during the fallow period is key, you don't want to mistakenly be "managing" the ich, only have it break after the fish go back to the DT simply because they had a simmering infection.

Seems to me it would be easier to pull the inverts and cheato and treat the DT at this point....

Jay
 

Bleigh

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When I went fallow, I did 76+. Not sure how far past the 76 it was because I was well past it. Now I run a big uv sterilizer as a fall back plan. That being said, I moved my fish into the new tank and haven’t hooked the up back up yet, but they’re super happy and healthy.
 

Dom

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After going fallow, did you QT your new inhabitants, or did you go from bag to display?
 

Bleigh

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After going fallow, did you QT your new inhabitants, or did you go from bag to display?
I’m not sure the OP truly went fallow. 50 days is short IMO.
 

Paul B

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I am not a big fallow and quarantine type of guy but in your case I think there is a very easy way to get that tank back up and healthy with no more fallow or medications.

If it were my tank The first thing I would do is re arrange that rock work and add a lot more. Your fish, or any fish will be stressed in that tank with bare bottom and no where to hide.

I realize there are a few holes in your aquascape but that won't do it because if you can see the fish, they can see you and will never feel secure and never be ich free. Just my opinion of course as almost everyone here will disagree but the first thing you need to do is to make those fish feel safe.
You should probably triple the amount of rock just for a start.

The way to eliminate ich in that tank is very easy. Get, borrow, buy or steal a diatom filter. They are old school ways to remove everything from the water and will easily and in about an hour remove any free swimming parasites before they infect your fish.

You may see a couple of spots at first, but in a bare tank such as yours your fish will be ich free in a couple of days with no poisons or "medications" guaranteed.

I use this myself if I buy an infected fish and cleared out a few stores and wholesalers tanks of ich the same way. It is very simple, so simple that most people shun it thinking it is to simple so it can't work.
 

Sharkbait19

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I went 90 days fallow, just to be 100% safe. Haven't seen ich since. Like others have said, the 50 day fallow was unfortunately inaffective, because to go shorter than 76 days would require the temperature of the tank to be boosted.
 

Jay Hemdal

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I am not a big fallow and quarantine type of guy but in your case I think there is a very easy way to get that tank back up and healthy with no more fallow or medications.

If it were my tank The first thing I would do is re arrange that rock work and add a lot more. Your fish, or any fish will be stressed in that tank with bare bottom and no where to hide.

I realize there are a few holes in your aquascape but that won't do it because if you can see the fish, they can see you and will never feel secure and never be ich free. Just my opinion of course as almost everyone here will disagree but the first thing you need to do is to make those fish feel safe.
You should probably triple the amount of rock just for a start.

The way to eliminate ich in that tank is very easy. Get, borrow, buy or steal a diatom filter. They are old school ways to remove everything from the water and will easily and in about an hour remove any free swimming parasites before they infect your fish.

You may see a couple of spots at first, but in a bare tank such as yours your fish will be ich free in a couple of days with no poisons or "medications" guaranteed.

I use this myself if I buy an infected fish and cleared out a few stores and wholesalers tanks of ich the same way. It is very simple, so simple that most people shun it thinking it is to simple so it can't work.
Paul,
I have never been able to control Cryptocaryon using a diatom filter, and not from lack of trying: both vortex filters, that one that was sold as a HOB back in the 1980’s as well as a commercial system at the Shedd aquarium. I can’t say there wasn’t some reduction in theronts, but the epizootics weren’t controlled. It is the same issue as with UV sterilizers, the dwell time is too long. There is also the strong suspicion that Crypt. and Amyloodinium tomonts can stick to the fish themselves and some theronts never go out into the water column.
Jay
 

Dom

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I’m not sure the OP truly went fallow. 50 days is short IMO.

Agreed. I believe 76 days is the number. But 90 days is a magic number for me with everything from QTing new inhabitants to eradicating disease (although, I've never had to go fallow since being in the hobby).

I sense some impatience may be a contributing factor.
 
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CakeOrCrayons

CakeOrCrayons

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Agreed. I believe 76 days is the number. But 90 days is a magic number for me with everything from QTing new inhabitants to eradicating disease (although, I've never had to go fallow since being in the hobby).

I sense some impatience may be a contributing factor.

Tank ran at 80 degrees during the fallow, and nothing wet was added. I read the sticky at the top of this forum and opted to go for 50 instead of 45. In retrospect it may have been better to wait longer.
 
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