Ick... again...

[TangsRLife]

I'm a high schooler about to go to college (close to home so I won't leave my tank) so I'm on a budget with money and time. Maybe ick management would be easier for me rather than QT everything.

 

[Joey waid]

I understand the concept of UV sterilizer but does it matter how big it is or how much water moves through it per day? I have around 140 gal with my tank and sumo. Can I get a small sterilizer with high flow thought it or do I need a big sterilizer?

Bigger is better with low flow for contact time. If the bugs fly through there it will not kill them.

 

[melypr1985]

I'm a high schooler about to go to college (close to home so I won't leave my tank) so I'm on a budget with money and time. Maybe ick management would be easier for me rather than QT everything.

It's a choice you have to make for yourself. You'll need to be careful what fish you add later since there are some that will not survive in an ich management system like acanthurus tangs for example. A UV is going to be expensive too, so you might look into different methods of managing ich. These are good articles to read for this.
Ich eradication vs. Ich management
Ich and Acanthurus tangs - Years of experience and ich management

 

[DLHDesign]

Maybe ick management would be easier for me rather than QT everything.

Ich management will always be a thing you'll be doing - even when you visually can't see it and no matter how careful you are with everything. Having a sound QT process that has the best change of eliminating as much incoming problems as possible is, ideally IMO, part of this management.

Think on this a bit, too; the most expensive place to take care of problems is in your display tank. In that tank, you have the smallest margin of error and the greatest cost if something goes wrong. There are also many medications and treatments that you may (will very likely) need to use that are not reef-safe nor feasible in your display tank. Even something as simple as lowering the temperature of the tank to increase the absorbed oxygen is problematic in a large display tank - and I do that in every QT that I run.

 

[Joey waid]

I'm a high schooler about to go to college (close to home so I won't leave my tank) so I'm on a budget with money and time. Maybe ick management would be easier for me rather than QT everything.

Ich management is like playing Russian rullet. You can get a ten gallon qt tank for cheap or free.

 

[DLHDesign]

It's a choice you have to make for yourself.

Yes; this. Above all; this is YOUR tank. We're all just throwing out our ideas here. Rest assured that we will all be here to help you no matter which path you choose (though some choices will leave more options open than others).

 

[Lowell Lemon]

I understand the concept of UV sterilizer but does it matter how big it is or how much water moves through it per day? I have around 140 gal with my tank and sumo. Can I get a small sterilizer with high flow thought it or do I need a big sterilizer?

What you you have to look at is the contact time and the flow rate. Many U.V. systems are undersized to the pump flow. There are tables that give you the 45,000 micro watt kill rate you need. If you use it on your return pump it will be a big Sterilizer to handle the flow rate and provide the contact time to kill the parasite or prevent it from reproducing. Use one with a quartz sleave if possible since it prevents water from actually contacting the U.V. lamp. TMC is a good brand to consider (Tropic Marine Center). There are a few importers and distributors in the U.S. Lifeguard makes some good units in the commercial size range as well.

 

[Mr_Banana_Pants]

This right here can introduce ick/velvet into a display. As part of their life cycle these parasites will create a cyst on any hard surface that a coral dip, freshwater dip, ect will not remove. Not even copper can kill them while in this cyst stage. QT everything to be sure these things arn't introduced into the tank.

I didn't know ich can become encrusted in corals... is it actually the coral or the frags? And if you have a wrasse in your frag tank how can you actually qt the corals without killing your wrasse?

 

[melypr1985]

I didn't know ich can become encrusted in corals... is it actually the coral or the frags? And if you have a wrasse in your frag tank how can you actually qt the corals without killing your wrasse?

It will land and cyst on any hard surface including crab and shrimp shells, frag pluges, sps and lps skeletons. To QT your corals you simply keep them in a fishless frag tank for 76 days before going into the display. You can do dips and what-not for coral pests during this time, but that's not going to effect fish diseases.

 

[Mr_Banana_Pants]

It will land and cyst on any hard surface including crab and shrimp shells, frag pluges, sps and lps skeletons. To QT your corals you simply keep them in a fishless frag tank for 76 days before going into the display. You can do dips and what-not for coral pests during this time, but that's not going to effect fish diseases.

now what about qt for crabs and shrimp, do they need any sand or rock in the qt tank for them or just feed seaweed?

 

[melypr1985]

now what about qt for crabs and shrimp, do they need any sand or rock in the qt tank for them or just feed seaweed?

The crabs and shrimp can go into the coral QT as well. You might need to feed them directly but maybe not if you have algae growing in the frag tank. I know I do.

 

[Mr_Banana_Pants]

The crabs and shrimp can go into the coral QT as well. You might need to feed them directly but maybe not if you have algae growing in the frag tank. I know I do.

I'm attempting to run my frag as a very low nutrient tank to control hair algae that started growing on my frags [emoji31] so how do you directly feed crabs and shrimp?

 

[aquamn1999]

I don't QT coral or inverts. But I do a double rinse. I have three containers. One for my coral dip, one to rinse off the dip and one to rinse the rinse. I bleach any equipment that moves to the display tank. And I do wash my hands after working with each tank.

Than this is how you introduced ich back into your tank as it can be on the coral rock , plugs, etc.

 

[melypr1985]

I'm attempting to run my frag as a very low nutrient tank to control hair algae that started growing on my frags [emoji31] so how do you directly feed crabs and shrimp?

A bit of nori tied to a plug will do it.