Do you have an ich-less aquarium?

[drblakjak55]

90g mixed reef. Reefing six years. Total crash August 2018. Electrical outage. Same rocks. Same sand. Just rinsed and rinsed with lots of water changes until tank recycled and restarted. Has never seen ich and have four tangs including hippo and purple. Given the hippo covered in velvet and ich to my than empty QT. Looked like death for three days but hyposalinity and increased temp and he came around. No meds. No copper. No prazo. Never used the stuff. Every fish and coral go into the QT (empty for six months after the hippo). No meds. All in. Live or die. From what I read here, meds do more harm than good as immune suppressants. Nice warm rocky tank, good food, nobody chasing them. They get better. Experiment: two fish infected at same time. Showing symptoms. Separated. One medicated in a sparse tank with pvc tubes for how long? Copper Prazo two weeks? Vs warm, rocks to hide, sand good food. could someone send me a link to research

 

[jeff williams]

My fist 3 fish I ever bought came down with ick two died before making it to my dt I still have the other one and she has showed no symptoms like when she had ick. All other fish in the tank have either went through copper, ttm or showed no signs of ick before going into my dt after a long qt process. But there’s still times I look at my fish and say what’s that spot.

 

[WVNed]

There is a place you can get to where you get a fish and just put it in your tank. It can come from the internet, the LFS or Petco, doesn't matter.

All of these fish were simply acclimated by pouring water into the bag they came home in.
A few of them have been through 2 tank upgrades and a move from our old house to the new one.

 

[Sharir]

Ich free for me! I did not quarantine but the tank has only 1 osilaris clownfish and nothing else. I believe that if there is no source of infection then your tank is definitely free of Ich. NB:he is 5 years old, I call him Vishafter all I live life dangerously.

 

[atoll]

A healthy tank isnt an itch free tank in fact I would venture to say the opposite. The difference isnt whether there is itch in the tank or not but if the fish are able to fight it off and keep it at bay or at least from taking hold. I don't QT as its counterproductive IMO. I float the bag to equalise temperature the release the fish ASAP. Feed the fish often and with quality food, create a natural environment for them (well as much as possible) to limit stress. Stress, poor food and environment are IME the real issues not the itch itself.

 

[Squidward]

There is a place you can get to where you get a fish and just put it in your tank. It can come from the internet, the LFS or Petco, doesn't matter.

All of these fish were simply acclimated by pouring water into the bag they came home in.
A few of them have been through 2 tank upgrades and a move from our old house to the new one.

Ok so you've been lucky so far. Good for you.

 

[tony'stank]

I have not had an ich outbreak in over ten years. I quarantine all fish and treat prophylactically with copper. I make sure the tank is not overcrowded. I feed a variety of frozen and live foods with vitamin supplementation to boost their immune system.i try to maintain my tank as stable as possible . I have chosen my fish very carefully to reduce stress and aggression. And yes I do have ichprone fish such as a yellow Tang and a Hepatic Tang

 

[Squidward]

A healthy tank isnt an itch free tank in fact I would venture to say the opposite. The difference isnt whether there is itch in the tank or not but if the fish are able to fight it off and keep it at bay or at least from taking hold. I don't QT as its counterproductive IMO. I float the bag to equalise temperature the release the fish ASAP. Feed the fish often and with quality food, create a natural environment for them (well as much as possible) to limit stress. Stress, poor food and environment are IME the real issues not the itch itself.

An ich free tank where fish dont have to be irritated and fight it off is more suitable for fish and less worrisome for the owner. Seems obvious which way is better.

 

[atoll]

An ich free tank where fish dont have to be irritated and fight it off is more suitable for fish and less worrisome for the owner. Seems obvious which way is better.

Not at all. I am pretty certain I have itch etc etc in my tank not that I can see it mind. My fish fight it off ( your words not mine) by being healthy, living long lives and spawning. Simply because I don't see any sign of it does not mean it's not there in any working numbers to be of concern. My experience or should I really say lack of experience with the likes of itch has taught me the best way to keep my fish healthy over the last 30 years or so. Call it itch/disease management rather than itch irraducation. I practice similar ways to @Paul B on here which is more of a coincidence than anything else.

 

[User]

Also only treats ich...

Unless you add h2o2 in which case it treats everything. Pretty sure I mentioned it in context of 'hybrid TtM'

 

[User]

Also only treats ich...

And since the title literally asks about an ich free system, your point is...?

 

[Paul B]

An ich free tank where fish dont have to be irritated and fight it off is more suitable for fish and less worrisome for the owner. Seems obvious which way is better.

It also seems obvious to me too. The oldest tanks where the fish only die of old age seems obvious.

 

[WVNed]

Ok so you've been lucky so far. Good for you.

LOL
I have been lucky. 1296 times in a row.
Or maybe luck has nothing to do with it.

 

[AcroNem]

Ok so you've been lucky so far. Good for you.

Exactly what I was thinking.

LOL
I have been lucky. 1296 times in a row.
Or maybe luck has nothing to do with it.

What is this number? Have you had that many fish through their entire known life span?

 

[WVNed]

LOL. Actually I use magic. An old family spell.

The number is made up I admit. It is the number of separate additions, bags things came in since I started in 2007. Coral, rock, fish, coral, macros, clean up crew and all the other wet additions to the tank.
All the magical places you think disease comes from.

Here I am getting ready to place the spell on these bags.

 

[Marc2952]

Im currently going fallow and will QT my fish from now on, but i will never QT corals thats just more hassle and i dont have more space to put another tank.

 

[AcroNem]

LOL. Actually I use magic. An old family spell.

No seriously I was just asking what number that was

 

[atoll]

It also seems obvious to me too. The oldest tanks where the fish only die of old age seems obvious.

Yeah but your just one lucky so and so........ hmmmm come to think of it that's a whole bunch of us. The ones who aren't so lucky are the many who loose fish in QT or soon after and despite QT. Some even report another outbreak after QTing all their fish and even after a fallow period. Now that is unlucky, some might say foolish, I would never suggest such a thing.

 

[User]

Im currently going fallow and will QT my fish from now on, but i will never QT corals thats just more hassle and i dont have more space to put another tank.

IF your not Qting corals- what's the point of going fallow

QT is literally an 'all or nothing' deal, otherwise it's pointless.

 

[AcroNem]

Yeah but your just one lucky so and so........ hmmmm come to think of it that's a whole bunch of us. The ones who aren't so lucky are the many who loose fish in QT or soon after and despite QT. Some even report another outbreak after QTing all their fish and even after a fallow period. Now that is unlucky, some might say foolish, I would never suggest such a thing.

No one has started taking jabs at the anti quarantine people on this thread, let's not start this mess.