I'm back..need help again

[Breakthecycle2]

Some might remember my numerous threads about velvet..I've had three times, the last was December. Here I am again, this time I believe it's ICH. I took everything out again and they are in QT. I do not fully understand what is happening. All fish go through 4-6 weeks of copper/observation. I understand coral skeletons can carry out, but I do not have a frag system set up. I went 86, 60 and 82 days the last times I went fishless. Here I am again, ready to give up in all honesty. My wife is getting sick of it. I'm getting sick of it. It's not fun anymore. It's just pure stress. I mean, how can rid this system of everything. People are talking me into to doing Hypo, while my fish are in QT and then go the 6 weeks in case it's velvet (in all honesty, I don't know what it is this time. Looks like both). Do I just get the inverts out and run RO through it for awhile and start over?

 

[Brew12]

Some might remember my numerous threads about velvet..I've had three times, the last was December. Here I am again, this time I believe it's ICH. I took everything out again and they are in QT. I do not fully understand what is happening. All fish go through 4-6 weeks of copper/observation. I understand coral skeletons can carry out, but I do not have a frag system set up. I went 86, 60 and 82 days the last times I went fishless. Here I am again, ready to give up in all honesty. My wife is getting sick of it. I'm getting sick of it. It's not fun anymore. It's just pure stress. I mean, how can rid this system of everything. People are talking me into to doing Hypo, while my fish are in QT and then go the 6 weeks in case it's velvet (in all honesty, I don't know what it is this time. Looks like both). Do I just get the inverts out and run RO through it for awhile and start over?

I understand your frustration. This hobby can be very unforgiving. I bit the bullet and maintain 3 tanks right now as I stock my DT (fish and invert/coral QT) and it isn't much fun. I keep telling myself that once I get my DT stocked I'll break down the QT's and that is when the enjoyment will really start.
Have you considered changing which fish you plan on stocking and trying to run an ich management system? If you can keep your tank very low stress and get a high quality UV filter this might be your best method. High quality food and good husbandry will be critical and there will be some Tangs you won't want to try to keep (not sure what your system size is) but it might be what is best for you.

 

[4FordFamily]

I had the exact same issue but for me, it was several things:

1st time: I didn't test copper enough and kept adding fish to qt and didn't always restart the clock

2nd time: small fish in my sump I didn't find until later (a tiny goby I thought had been dead) so the tank didn't actually go fallow.

3rd time: I assumed washing my hands when going tank to tank to add nori for my various tangs would prevent parasites - NOPE reinfected my DT

4th time: I used the same hose for a water change in my ich management tank one week before doing a water change on my display tank -- reinfected everyone.

No more ich management tanks. No more hands in and out of tanks or shared equipment. No cutting corners for me anymore.

Really, really frustrating. But now, everything is great. That is until my power went out. My remaining tangs are all doing great in their temporary quarters at a friend's house until my new one is completed.

Sorry for the troubles, but I know exactly how you feel.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

I understand your frustration. This hobby can be very unforgiving. I bit the bullet and maintain 3 tanks right now as I stock my DT (fish and invert/coral QT) and it isn't much fun. I keep telling myself that once I get my DT stocked I'll break down the QT's and that is when the enjoyment will really start.
Have you considered changing which fish you plan on stocking and trying to run an ich management system? If you can keep your tank very low stress and get a high quality UV filter this might be your best method. High quality food and good husbandry will be critical and there will be some Tangs you won't want to try to keep (not sure what your system size is) but it might be what is best for you.

I have a 250 gallon system. I also run an Aqua Ultraviolet UV thats always on. I've done ICH management before but never had fairy wrasses develop ICH..ever. This time they did. All of them. I knew at that point ich management wasn't an option. I also have a black tang that has not show symptoms until yesterday.

 

[4FordFamily]

I have a 250 gallon system. I also run an Aqua Ultraviolet UV thats always on. I've done ICH management before but never had fairy wrasses develop ICH..ever. This time they did. All of them. I knew at that point ich management wasn't an option. I also have a black tang that has not show symptoms until yesterday.

More than likely you're dealing with velvet, again. It's a really ugly parasite, as you know...

 

[Brew12]

I have a 250 gallon system. I also run an Aqua Ultraviolet UV thats always on. I've done ICH management before but never had fairy wrasses develop ICH..ever. This time they did. All of them. I knew at that point ich management wasn't an option. I also have a black tang that has not show symptoms until yesterday.

Ouch. Yeah, with a beautiful system like a 250g has a chance to be it would suck to restrict your livestock.

One of the best ways to tell what you are dealing with is to look at the shape of the parasite. If it is oval then it is likely ich. If it is a white circular dot, it is likely velvet.

 

[blkhwkz]

I am going through this again too. November had tank wiped out from velvet and ich. Since then everything gets QT, either copper or pharmaceutical CP depending on the fish. Today I noticed the purple tang has ich, so I get to go through another 11 weeks of fallow. This weekend will be draining the tank, catching the fish and moving them to my 2nd QT in the basement. The other QT has some anthias that just went through copper. I run 4 tanks and this is the only one that I have had issues with. I was so irritated earlier today I was ready to break down all my tanks and just sell it all and be done. My wife is upset and asking how this is possible when everything goes through meds and no new corals/inverts, etc. No cross contamination, always wash my hands and all that. The PT went through CP from Diamondback so I know that wasn't the issue. It went through the CP over a month ago, been in the DT for 15-16 days.

This will be the 2nd 11 week fallow period for this tank in under a year so over half the time fallow. It's not fun, it's frustrating, but I'll try to learn from it again and keep going. I do get why people leave the hobby over things like this. I am just to stubborn apparently. It's a long 11 weeks, but way better than ich management.

 

[ezell_tonya]

I am going through this again too. November had tank wiped out from velvet and ich. Since then everything gets QT, either copper or pharmaceutical CP depending on the fish. Today I noticed the purple tang has ich, so I get to go through another 11 weeks of fallow. This weekend will be draining the tank, catching the fish and moving them to my 2nd QT in the basement. The other QT has some anthias that just went through copper. I run 4 tanks and this is the only one that I have had issues with. I was so irritated earlier today I was ready to break down all my tanks and just sell it all and be done. My wife is upset and asking how this is possible when everything goes through meds and no new corals/inverts, etc. No cross contamination, always wash my hands and all that. The PT went through CP from Diamondback so I know that wasn't the issue. It went through the CP over a month ago, been in the DT for 15-16 days.

This will be the 2nd 11 week fallow period for this tank in under a year so over half the time fallow. It's not fun, it's frustrating, but I'll try to learn from it again and keep going. I do get why people leave the hobby over things like this. I am just to stubborn apparently. It's a long 11 weeks, but way better than ich management.

I'm sorry to hear of the troubles several of you are having. I have a question. 9 months in the hobby. I've never experienced these issues. I've bought all my livestock from my local LFS. They have a QT process and I don't buy until after QT is complete. If I don't add anything new to my tank is there still a possibility of developing ICH or Velvet in my tank?

 

[Maritimer]

I've never knowingly been to a LFS that properly quarantines fish.

Do they keep all hard-shelled invertebrates in a fish-free system for the 76 days it would take ich to die of starvation? If not, then yes - you could definitely carry a tomont (encysted ich or velvet parasite) home on a frag or in a hermit's shell.

~Bruce

 

[blkhwkz]

I'm sorry to hear of the troubles several of you are having. I have a question. 9 months in the hobby. I've never experienced these issues. I've bought all my livestock from my local LFS. They have a QT process and I don't buy until after QT is complete. If I don't add anything new to my tank is there still a possibility of developing ICH or Velvet in my tank?

My LFS have a QT process too, and I got velvet and ich from fish I bought there. I had been getting fish from them for almost 2 years and no issues until last November when I bought tangs. Very few LFS (if any) actually run proper QT protocol, it is not cost effective. Some are better than others, but I would still quarantine everything no matter where it comes from. Ich and velvet need to be brought into the tank which could happen with crabs, snails, rock, coral, etc and not just fish.

 

[melypr1985]

I'm sorry to hear of the troubles several of you are having. I have a question. 9 months in the hobby. I've never experienced these issues. I've bought all my livestock from my local LFS. They have a QT process and I don't buy until after QT is complete. If I don't add anything new to my tank is there still a possibility of developing ICH or Velvet in my tank?

yes. Assuming they are running a proper QT (which I highly doubt) then you can still bring parasites into your tank via inverts and corals. My advice is to Never Trust Any QT But Your Own.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

Ouch. Yeah, with a beautiful system like a 250g has a chance to be it would suck to restrict your livestock.

One of the best ways to tell what you are dealing with is to look at the shape of the parasite. If it is oval then it is likely ich. If it is a white circular dot, it is likely velvet.

It still hard to tell.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

I do not trust any LFS period. The one I mainly go to is the most widely known one around the tri state area. They run copper at .15 which isn't going to do anything.