Ich cycle with fish in tank??

[Jack Eskay]

My tank recently broke out with ich and I lost 2 of my 5 fish. The three survivors were my chevron tang and two clowns. I treated the tang in a qt for 3 weeks then sold him as he was going to out grow the tank within the year( didn't want to have to tear the tank apart again). It's now been 5-6 weeks since the ich was last seen in my dt but I never removed my clowns. My question is can I start adding fish again or do I need to to qt the clownfish and wait another 2 months. Thanks to all who can help!

 

[blkhwkz]

76 days of no fish to make sure ich is gone

 

[Jack Eskay]

76 days of no fish to make sure ich is gone

So I should take the fish out and wait another two months

 

[nervousmonkey]

76 days of no fish to make sure ich is gone

+1 to this.
Yes, to have 100% confidence that any and all strains of ich are eradicated from your DT requires specific conditions be met; one way to do that is to go for 76 days of your DT without fish, so the trophonts and other forms of ich cannot survive. That being said, almost all forms of ich (or velvet, brook, uronema, etc) will not survive past about 30, but there is a strain (at least one we know of) that can survive at least 75 days, so 76 is considered the number of days required to be ich-free. So to repeat what the Chicago hockey fan stated (;Smuggrin), 76 days to being ich-free. There are things you can do to make your fish healthier so ich becomes manageable but not a killer, but that's for another post or PM.
@john.m.cole3 , can you help by moving this to the Fish Disease and Diagnosis section? Jack, I'm just making sure that there isn't anything that the fish disease experts would add. I'm not a fish disease expert in the slightest.

 

[Jack Eskay]

+1 to this.
Yes, to have 100% confidence that any and all strains of ich are eradicated from your DT requires specific conditions be met; one way to do that is to go for 76 days of your DT without fish, so the trophonts and other forms of ich cannot survive. That being said, almost all forms of ich (or velvet, brook, uronema, etc) will not survive past about 30, but there is a strain (at least one we know of) that can survive at least 75 days, so 76 is considered the number of days required to be ich-free. So to repeat what the Chicago hockey fan stated (;Smuggrin), 76 days to being ich-free. There are things you can do to make your fish healthier so ich becomes manageable but not a killer, but that's for another post or PM.
@john.m.cole3 , can you help by moving this to the Fish Disease and Diagnosis section? Jack, I'm just making sure that there isn't anything that the fish disease experts would add. I'm not a fish disease expert in the slightest.

Thank you so much for the detailed description! I will defiantly qt them for the next 2 months!
Thanks again!!!

 

[john.m.cole3]

#mods can we get this moved to the fish disease discussion forum?

 

[Jack Eskay]

My apologies I forgot there was an forum for that subject!

 

[john.m.cole3]

Yeah these guys have you steered in the right direction, thanks guys. I've been in your shoes before brother, it's no fun, but we'll help you get through this! All you need is a 10 gallon tank, HOB filter and a heater for a QT system. An ammonia badge is a great addition as well. Move the fish over and have plenty of salt on hand as you'll be doing a 50% WC every 2 to 3 days until the cycle is completed in the QT tank. Get a spomge to toss in the HOB filter for surgace area for the beneficial nitrogen cycling bacteria to live in. Monitor the fish for a few days and feed them well. Buy some coppersafe and the seachem copper test kit. that is a chelated copper and is safer on fish compared to cupramine. dose copper to a therapeutic level and maintain it there for 30 days. Then do a big water change and let the fish stay in the QT tank for 76 days before returning the fish to the DT.

 

[john.m.cole3]

My apologies I forgot there was an forum for that subject!

You're good buddy, we're here to help.

 

[Jack Eskay]

Yeah these guys have you steered in the right direction, thanks guys. I've been in your shoes before brother, it's no fun, but we'll help you get through this! All you need is a 10 gallon tank, HOB filter and a heater for a QT system. An ammonia badge is a great addition as well. Move the fish over and have plenty of salt on hand as you'll be doing a 50% WC every 2 to 3 days until the cycle is completed in the QT tank. Get a spomge to toss in the HOB filter for surgace area for the beneficial nitrogen cycling bacteria to live in. Monitor the fish for a few days and feed them well. Buy some coppersafe and the seachem copper test kit. that is a chelated copper and is safer on fish compared to cupramine. dose copper to a therapeutic level and maintain it there for 30 days. Then do a big water change and let the fish stay in the QT tank for 76 days before returning the fish to the DT.

Thanks for the great information!
I have a nuvo 10 already set up that I plan to add the clowns to for the next 76 days. I'm not going to add copper as they arnt affected or have any ich. The tank itself just did about a month back, they were never affected. If I do see signs though I already have Cooper and will dose butt needed.
Thanks again!!

 

[Humblefish]

Moved to fish disease forum.

Excellent advice given above.

 

[john.m.cole3]

Despite the clowns not showing signs of ich, I think you should treat them for it anyways. Clowns are very resilient to ich with their thick slime coats, but they could be a carrier of the parasite without showing symptoms. Better safe than sorry. You wouldn't want to go through another fallow period, right?

 

[Jack Eskay]

Despite the clowns not showing signs of ich, I think you should treat them for it anyways. Clowns are very resilient to ich with their thick slime coats, but they could be a carrier of the parasite without showing symptoms. Better safe than sorry. You wouldn't want to go through another fallow period, right?

Agreed. So I should set up a 10 gal qt with small filter, add 10 gallons of dt water and then do water changes to it every day for 2-3 days. Then add the clowns and copper. Wait 76 days, add back to display.

 

[john.m.cole3]

Agreed. So I should set up a 10 gal qt with small filter, add 10 gallons of dt water and then do water changes to it every day for 2-3 days. Then add the clowns and copper. Wait 76 days, add back to display.

mot exactly. 10 gallon with new fresh SW, put a new and clean kitchen sponge in the HOB filter, add clowns, feed well for a few days, do a 50% WC every 2 to 3 days to keep ammonia down, run copper for 30 days while still changing water with appropriate amounts of copper in new water to keep copper levels stable, then just water change without copper until you reach 76 days. Read the stickies in this Frish disease and treatrment forum to fully understand this process. also please ask as many questions as needed so we can assist you.

 

[nervousmonkey]

Good luck Jack! This isn't easy but can be done. If you want to use CP (chloroquine phosphate), it is safer than copper is, at least not as poisonous, but you have to get a prescription from a vet. If you would like to go that route, let us know and we'll give you some articles to take to a vet that will help a vet understand what you are doing. You can also buy food with CP in it from Dr. G.'s: Link Here for the anti-parasitic fish food with CP in it. But that won't get you to the therapeutic levels you need to kill ich, however, it really helps your fish as it does kill ich that's in or on your clowns.

 

[Brew12]

I happen to have my QT set up right now since I am adding fish to my DT. The picture isn't the greatest since I use white PVC pieces in the tank but it shows a simple QT setup that works great for treating with medications.
I did pull the macro algae prior to adding the copper but otherwise this is how I keep my tank when I treat fish.