Getting Ich off liverock and sand

[Jay Williams]

Hey everyone I just lost 4 fish to velvet in my saltwater system so I decided to reset my system and start over I’ve removed both canister filters and all the liverock and live sand. I cleaned out the tank, got all the algae off the glass and plan to start up the tank again (100g) if anybody knows the best way to clean off the Rock and sand suggestions would be helpful. Also does anybody know if ich/velvet stays in the filter after rinsing with freshwater? Do I need to bleach my equipment, or does the parasite come off if I clean everything with freshwater.

 

[blaxsun]

You can go fallow (fishless) for a predetermined length of time and that should eliminate all traces of the parasite. It's 42 days for velvet and 72-76 days for ich. As you've already removed everything, I'm not sure the full fallow length completely applies. In terms of cleaning the equipment though, hot water with either vinegar or something like EzeClean (for anything with buildup) should sterilize/kill everything.

Since you're starting over with cycling the tank (etc.) you may want to look into a UV sterilizer to help keep any future parasitic outbreaks at bay. You also have options for HOB (hang-on back) filtration systems that can significantly reduce your cleaning and maintenance.

 

[Jay Williams]

You can go fallow (fishless) for a predetermined length of time and that should eliminate all traces of the parasite. It's 42 days for velvet and 72-76 days for ich. As you've already removed everything, I'm not sure the full fallow length completely applies. In terms of cleaning the equipment though, hot water with either vinegar or something like EzeClean (for anything with buildup) should sterilize/kill everything.

Since you're starting over with cycling the tank (etc.) you may want to look into a UV sterilizer to help keep any future parasitic outbreaks at bay. You also have options for HOB (hang-on back) filtration systems that can significantly reduce your cleaning and maintenance.

Yeah I’ve removed everything and I’m starting over, vinegar for the filters and maybe the pipework for my Canister filters. Should I rinse the sand and rock with freshwater or will parasites not survive on them?

 

[blaxsun]

Yeah I’ve removed everything and I’m starting over, vinegar for the filters and maybe the pipework for my Canister filters. Should I rinse the sand and rock with freshwater or will parasites not survive on them?

I think thoroughly cleaning the sand and letting the sand and rocks bake in the sun for a bit should suffice.