Treating ich for the first time. Help

[PghReef]

Hey guys title says it all. Somehow in the 7 years I've kept saltwater fish I've never had to treat ich or any disease before. I guess I got lucky and was super diligent about anything I put in the tank.

So my plan is to capture the 2 percula clowns and the baby blue hippo tang. The clowns are a pair that are 7 and 1 year old. The blue hippo is maybe an inch in length so still a baby, had only a week or 2. So far all are very active, fat, and eating well. I plan to use a spare 26 gallon bowfront I have to qt and treat. Currently leak testing in the garage, if it fails I have a 29 gallon I can use. The fish will be treated and the dt left fallow with corals and inverts only for 76 days.

What copper do I use? Should I used chelated or non chelated? I want to use the hanna checker to test with.

I know rocks and sand are usually a no go with medications. What about Texas holy rock? It is so dense I doubt it can absorb like reef rock and it is a limestone like rock so wont dissolve in high pH. Thinking of just a couple pieces I have laying around. If this is a hard no will kill my fish then do tou treat the PVC to make sure it isn't coated with oils from production?

Lastl5 the qt qill be in the same room as the dt. This will allow me to monitor the qt the closest. I did read about aerosol transmission, the tanks qill ve 9ft 8inches apart closest corner to closest corner. I did read you need 10 feet but if the qt is at therapeutic copper and the dt left fallow can the parasites spread via transmission from a tank with therapeutic levels? Or is this more so a risk for observation qt and not ones under going treatment?

Can buckets, nets, etc be allowed to dry out and then used on the dt after being used on the qt? Or can the parasites survive extended periods of time outside of water?

 

[HotRocks]

Chelated copper like copper power is your best bet for using the Hanna checker as it is pretty forgiving and easy to dose.

I would just use PVC fittings and no rock. You can bleach and rinse the PVC before placing in QT.

Your tank should be far enough away at almost 10ft. Just make sure you don't have heavy air movement from the infected tank toward the treatment tank. It's not an issue during therapeutic levels. Once you remove the copper from QT that's when it could occur.

You can use your instruments again on DT once completely finished up with QT. I would highly advise bleach, rinse, and then a 72 hour air dry. That should take care of anything.

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Copper power kept at 1.75ppm (1.50ppm therapeutic minimum). Ramp copper up over 72 hours or so unless it’s an emergency.

Rock and sand will absorb copper and cause fluctuations in your levels. Treat with copper for 30 days or 14 if you can transfer to a sterile tank after 14.
My QT buckets dry out then get a bleach wipe out, rinse then completely dry out again. Keep at least 10 feet between tanks to avoid possible aerosolization.
If you buy. The Hanna checker get two extra boxes of reagents as it only comes with six.
Can you a pic of the fish just to confirm ich?

 

[PghReef]

Chelated copper like copper power is your best bet for using the Hanna checker as it is pretty forgiving and easy to dose.

I would just use PVC fittings and no rock. You can bleach and rinse the PVC before placing in QT.

Your tank should be far enough away at almost 10ft. Just make sure you don't have heavy air movement from the infected tank toward the treatment tank. It's not an issue during therapeutic levels. Once you remove the copper from QT that's when it could occur.

You can use your instruments again on DT once completely finished up with QT. I would highly advise bleach, rinse, and then a 72 hour air dry. That should take care of anything.

Thanks hot rocks I was hoping you or humble would reply. I'll get some copper power and pvc pieces.
The qt qill be set up in a corner where the cold air return vent is so if anything are movement should be minimal. I keep the vent closed on the supply as its such a warm room. Would the risk be the dt reintroducing the ich via aerosol transmission to the qt ans reinfecting the fish?

 

[PghReef]

Copper power kept at 1.75ppm (1.50ppm therapeutic minimum). Ramp copper up over 72 hours or so unless it’s an emergency.

Rock and sand will absorb copper and cause fluctuations in your levels. Treat with copper for 30 days or 14 if you can transfer to a sterile tank after 14.
My QT buckets dry out then get a bleach wipe out, rinse then completely dry out again. Keep at least 10 feet between tanks to avoid possible aerosolization.
If you buy. The Hanna checker get two extra boxes of reagents as it only comes with six.
Can you a pic of the fish just to confirm ich?

Thank you I think I'll do a 30 day treatment to be sure. I dont have good pictures but am pretty sure its ich. The white dots started on the tail and dorsal fin and disappeared over 3 days but are now back. If velvet I'd suspect a baby tang would be dead by this point since it's been sick for a week no?

 

[HotRocks]

Thanks hot rocks I was hoping you or humble would reply. I'll get some copper power and pvc pieces.
The qt qill be set up in a corner where the cold air return vent is so if anything are movement should be minimal. I keep the vent closed on the supply as its such a warm room. Would the risk be the dt reintroducing the ich via aerosol transmission to the qt ans reinfecting the fish?

Correct the risk comes from whatever tank is infected.

This time it would be your DT infecting your QT.

Once your DT is clean, if you order new fish and place them in QT now the risk is infecting your DT from QT. Make sense?

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Thank you I think I'll do a 30 day treatment to be sure. I dont have good pictures but am pretty sure its ich. The white dots started on the tail and dorsal fin and disappeared over 3 days but are now back. If velvet I'd suspect a baby tang would be dead by this point since it's been sick for a week no?

Probably but not always, either way the treatment is the same.

 

[PghReef]

Makes sense. I have filter sponges from the display that are a month old I can use and another dirty tank I'm taking down they're at least 4 months old. Just rinse them real good in saltwater to get denitrus out and then use right? Does copper effect bacteria levels or is that only antibiotics that can wipe out the beneficial bac teria.?
Just use a regular hob filter or should I use my old penguin with bio wheels?

 

[PghReef]

Also after 30 days treatment I would do a large water change and add carbon then I can put some holes rock in the tank while the dt is fallow no problems right? Since they're in qt so long I might as well just treat them for flukes with prazipro as well to be certain right?

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Makes sense. I have filter sponges from the display that are a month old I can use and another dirty tank I'm taking down they're at least 4 months old. Just rinse them real good in saltwater to get denitrus out and then use right? Does copper effect bacteria levels or is that only antibiotics that can wipe out the beneficial bac teria.?
Just use a regular hob filter or should I use my old penguin with bio wheels?

I would just use a HOB and those sponges should be good.

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Also after 30 days treatment I would do a large water change and add carbon then I can put some holes rock in the tank while the dt is fallow no problems right? Since they're in qt so long I might as well just treat them for flukes with prazipro as well to be certain right?

Yes, get rid of the copper after 30 days, then dose Prazi twice 5-7 days apart for flukes if you think they have them.

 

[PghReef]

I dont believe they do but if I'm going to go fallow and know my dt is free from all diseases I might as start a qt protocol for all fish moving forward. I'll have to read up on some of these stickies to see what else I should do.

Told my wife the good news about having a second tank to treat is we can buy a fish from anywhere if it looks healthy and not just from a lfs or 2 I trust. If they all get treated i guess it doesn't matter where it comes from as long as they eat and swim.