Dreaded ich

[Saaqib_Ansari]

Have been battling ich since the first day I started reefing 1 year ago. Have had 3 different infestations- pretty sure the first one was marine velvet. Each time have tried doing copper treatment (cupramine) for 2 weeks. All seems well then placing them back into my DT which would be fallow for 76 days. But few months later BOOM ich.
This was the last time I’m dealing with ich because the effort of trying to catch all the fish and going fallow is just too much.

intially I did the same as before just a copper treatment for 2 weeks. all the fish were fine, except the blue tang who had ich multiple times throughout the trestment all the way up to the 12th day of treatment. Made me come to the conclusion cupramine doesn’t work for me; be it my lack of testing and keeping parameters in check. Have decided to do the most make shift tank transfer method ever using old boxes and buckets I have. Current have Serpentes my fish isn’t two groups to reduce aggression and have as much separate equipment As I can. After every transfer am planning to put everything into boiling water submerged to sterilise it best I can. Hope this time it works.
don’t really know the point of this post just wanted to rant. Love you all.

 

[jmcdona6]

Multiple fallow period failures makes me think something else might be going on here. A few questions:

1.) How deep is your sand bed? There are some partially substantiated theories that ich can get buried in deep sand, go dormant and then be uncovered months later becoming active.

2.) Are you adding anything else (inverts/corals) between ich occurrences? I have personally seen sick fish being kept in frag or invert tanks in store, as well as stores who keep fish and coral mixed all the time. Coral dips are not likely to be effective in removing the risk of encrusted ich. If you are adding hard surface organisms without their own QT period then you may be undercutting your efforts.

3.) I know you probably already have by this point but have you really gone over your QT/TTM process? I had a few TTM batches go bad. Upon review, I realized that 48-72 hours may not enough time to sanitize air stones from drying so I purchased a lot so that I reused them every month or longer instead of every few days. I also decreased the transfer window from 72 hours to ~48 hours to decrease the risk of lapse. Don't know if either was the problem, but haven't had an issue since.

4.) Do you have completely separate equipment and proper spacing? Common lapses include sharing refractometer and water test sample tools, tanks being too close together, water change hoses and feeding with wet hands/tools.

 

[nereefpat]

I really like TTM, and it has served me well in the past. Of course the trouble with it is that you need somewhere for the fish to go after TTM while the display remains fishless for a while.

Good luck.

 

[Saaqib_Ansari]

Multiple fallow period failures makes me think something else might be going on here. A few questions:

1.) How deep is your sand bed? There are some partially substantiated theories that ich can get buried in deep sand, go dormant and then be uncovered months later becoming active.

2.) Are you adding anything else (inverts/corals) between ich occurrences? I have personally seen sick fish being kept in frag or invert tanks in store, as well as stores who keep fish and coral mixed all the time. Coral dips are not likely to be effective in removing the risk of encrusted ich. If you are adding hard surface organisms without their own QT period then you may be undercutting your efforts.

3.) I know you probably already have by this point but have you really gone over your QT/TTM process? I had a few TTM batches go bad. Upon review, I realized that 48-72 hours may not enough time to sanitize air stones from drying so I purchased a lot so that I reused them every month or longer instead of every few days. I also decreased the transfer window from 72 hours to ~48 hours to decrease the risk of lapse. Don't know if either was the problem, but haven't had an issue since.

4.) Do you have completely separate equipment and proper spacing? Common lapses include sharing refractometer and water test sample tools, tanks being too close together, water change hoses and feeding with wet hands/tools.

1) I’m sure the fallow period isn’t the problem, I’m thinking the copper treatment was a fraud, as I don’t have a reliable test kit (salifert) so most likely am not even keeping up the therapeutic levels to eradicate ich from the fish.
2) haven’t quarantined any coral

3) il be honest the TTM that I’m doing right now is horrible.I have two TTM going on at the same time and only 3 heaters. The PVC pipes I’m using I put in boiling water submerged for a few minutes let them dry for 24 hours then add them to the next Box ready to swap the fish over.
4) spacing is a problem both the boxes I’m using are near each other but I have no other place to put them and OMG I didn’t even think about the wet hands thing ahh.

 

[Saaqib_Ansari]

I really like TTM, and it has served me well in the past. Of course the trouble with it is that you need somewhere for the fish to go after TTM while the display remains fishless for a while.

Good luck.

I have a tank for the fish to go after while the DT is fallow I’m more worried about the small boxes I’m using for the TTM I’m playing it so risky

 

[nereefpat]

I have a tank for the fish to go after while the DT is fallow I’m more worried about the small boxes I’m using for the TTM I’m playing it so risky

Just keep them aerated and watch for ammonia.

 

[Saaqib_Ansari]

Just keep them aerated and watch for ammonia.

Being in a tank for 3 days would ammonia really be that big of an issue, if fish can be shipped for 24-48 hours in a small bag surely they can be in a box for 1 extra day?

 

[nereefpat]

Being in a tank for 3 days would ammonia really be that big of an issue, if fish can be shipped for 24-48 hours in a small bag surely they can be in a box for 1 extra day?

Usually that is correct. I would suggest daily testing though, just to be safe.

 

[jmcdona6]

Usually that is correct. I would suggest daily testing though, just to be safe.

So I am a bad boy and don't test daily, granted I tragically lost 3 beloved anthias a while back because of it.

I prefer to change out my water more often to combat the ammonia risk. I tend to only feed an hour or so before I intend to transfer that way food does not sit in the bucket/tank and rot. Keeping to 48 hours and feeding that way I have never had an ammonia issue doing TTM, and that's saying something considering the fact I use buckets with only 1.5-3 gallons of water depending on the size of the fish.

I say I never had a loss from TTM then brought up the anthias. They were actually complete with TTM and I was keeping them in a full fresh bucket until my "clean" tank was ready for them to go in until fallow was over. They were in with two clownfish that between all of them accounted for my most active eaters so I fed them generously. I make my own food, in my own food is good-sized chunks of krill, shellfish and squid. I accidentally fed them a piece of food with a larger chunk of meat that they couldn't eat...let it sit for a few days not even thinking twice. Lost the anthias (clowns survived).

I think one thing you can use as a judge, especially in a bucket, is the water viscosity. As the nutrient levels in the water get higher the bubbles from the air stone stop popping right away and start to accumulate on the surface. Once you start seeing this (usually during the 36-72 hour period) it is time to do something about it.