Ich returns after 76 day fallow

Rick Cavanaugh · Jan 12, 2018

Tank was fallow- no fish for 76 days. Only 1 fish survived the first round a powder blue tang.

TTM and then QT for the Powder blue. No issues in the tiny QT tank for the entire QT period. There were 2 other fish in the QT that were in there before the tank got ich. So one of those fish was in qt for over 3 months.

Fallow period was up and I put fish back in.......

The Powder blue has ich again after 5 days.

Jose Mayo · Jan 12, 2018

There are cases where there are already cystic forms of Cryptocaryon in the quarantine by the previous presence of other fish, that resist the treatment of copper of 30 days, hatch and re-infect the treated fish, still in the quarantine. If the fish is already resistant after the first infestation, it will not show the typical signs while in quarantine, but when this fish returns to the tank after the resting, by stress of the change can restart the cycle and recontaminate the aquarium.

Best regards

Rick Cavanaugh · Jan 12, 2018

The qt tank had about a 6 month fallow period. Any fish going to QT first go through the TTM method.

NowGlazeIT · Jan 12, 2018

Rick Cavanaugh said:
The qt tank had about a 6 month fallow period. Any fish going to QT first go through the TTM method.

I’m really sorry and I can’t imagine your frustration. Is there anyway you can get a picture.

Best Fish-Jake · Jan 12, 2018

If you're looking for a best course of action, I'd recommend to re-QT your fish and allow your tank to sit fallow for another 76 days (so long as you're positive that it is ich you are dealing with). CP treatment would be optimal for ridding the fish of parasites if you believe that you could have a copper resistant strain of ich.

Mark Derail · Jan 12, 2018

I would be soooooo P.O.'ed I swear it up non-stop for 5 minutes in French Québecois.

I did 2.5 months, such a pain, as my 30g with 20g of water needed a WC every 2-3 days of 5g, emptied the Cupramine bottle rather quick. I had to reduce the total water in the QT to make it last long enough.

My the copper treatment wasn't long enough in the QT?

Man I would be so angry. Feel sorry for you.

Smo · Jan 12, 2018

Perhaps review your QT procedures to minimize potential for cross-contamination. Separate cleaning utensils, feeding, etc. Wash and dry hands before working in the next tank.

Rick Cavanaugh · Jan 12, 2018

I am 90% sure it is ich. I volunteer at a public aquarium and I will have the marine scientists there microscopically verify. It is only a few scattered spots now. Hard to see with actinic lighting

Rick Cavanaugh · Jan 12, 2018

Smo said:
Perhaps review your QT procedures to minimize potential for cross-contamination. Separate cleaning utensils, feeding, etc. Wash and dry hands before working in the next tank.

QT tank was in the garage. DT was in the house. zero cross contamination. Always washed and dried hands between tanks, any tools used would be bleach dipped and dried before switching tanks. Fish had zero issues in a VERY small 20 gallon tank which had to be stressful for such a long period

I am wondering if this is a variety that needs well beyond 76 days fallow

Rick Cavanaugh · Jan 12, 2018

My typical treatment is tank transfer method not copper. However, the tang was coppered for 2 weeks and then tank transfer method. I know the copper treatment was too short, seemed stressed and stopped eating so I went to a full TTM which seemed to cure him as there was no signs of ich during the whole QT time.

GoldeneyeRet · Jan 12, 2018

Were those other two fish treated for ich or just observational qt?

Rick Cavanaugh · Jan 12, 2018

GoldeneyeRet said:
Were those other two fish treated for ich or just observational qt?

all fish going into QT go through a full TTM and are dipped in paraguard before entering the QT tank

Smo · Jan 12, 2018

Rick Cavanaugh said:
QT tank was in the garage. DT was in the house. zero cross contamination. Always washed and dried hands between tanks, any tools used would be bleach dipped and dried before switching tanks. Fish had zero issues in a VERY small 20 gallon tank which had to be stressful for such a long period

I am wondering if this is a variety that needs well beyond 76 days fallow

Possible, but would be an outlier to say the least. More likely process.

Fr4nkthet4nk · Jan 12, 2018

When you don't have the right dosage of cupramine in your hospital tank, the ich will hide and reshow up after you place your fish back in the main display. That is what happens with the fish you bring from LFS. They are under low dosage in their tank. They call that therapeutic dose but won't kill or cure ich.

Smo · Jan 12, 2018

Rick Cavanaugh said:
My typical treatment is tank transfer method not copper. However, the tang was coppered for 2 weeks and then tank transfer method. I know the copper treatment was too short, seemed stressed and stopped eating so I went to a full TTM which seemed to cure him as there was no signs of ich during the whole QT time.

Two weeks in Cu should be enough provided it was continuously at a therapeutic level. Then into a clean freshly prepared QT at least 10’ away. The TTM process should have cleared it too.

Humblefish · Jan 12, 2018

Any new corals/inverts added during the fallow period?

Rick Cavanaugh · Jan 12, 2018

Fr4nkthet4nk said:
When you don't have the right dosage of cupramine in your hospital tank, the ich will hide and reshow up after you place your fish back in the main display. That is what happens with the fish you bring from LFS. They are under low dosage in their tank. They call that therapeutic dose but won't kill or cure ich.

That is why I did the tank transfer method which will erradicate ich

Mark Derail · Jan 12, 2018

Fr4nkthet4nk said:
When you don't have the right dosage of cupramine in your hospital tank, the ich will hide and reshow up after you place your fish back in the main display. That is what happens with the fish you bring from LFS. They are under low dosage in their tank. They call that therapeutic dose but won't kill or cure ich.

That is good to know. One LFS said it was like the flu, all have ich somewhere. Thank goodness for R2R - I followed the advice and I am now Ich Free, one month later with five fish.

Though it was the hardest thing I've ever done - hobby-wise.