High Tide Aquatics

ich or velvet?

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First noticed it yesterday and only visible on the Anthias. Treating them with Polylab Medic while I do a little more research. Watching the BRS ich video with documents from humblefish. Interesting for sure.
 
Hey guys, follow up question. Been doing a lot of reading and research, the opinion is that the only way to get rid of Ich is to eradicate which means the tank needs to go fallow for a period of 76+ days. What are your opinions?

Also, Ich is only on my Anthias. Research tells me that medicine will displace the Ich from the fish onto the ground. This is where it will repopulate and attack the fishes again at a later time. Just wanted to see how others have treated Ich.

thanks
 
The fallow period is the only way to remove it completely. The other option is to manage it. That’s what I did in my 55g tank. I started to feed with Selcon and added a UV sterilizer. Never saw spots again even though it was still there.
 
Hey guys, follow up question. Been doing a lot of reading and research, the opinion is that the only way to get rid of Ich is to eradicate which means the tank needs to go fallow for a period of 76+ days. What are your opinions?

Also, Ich is only on my Anthias. Research tells me that medicine will displace the Ich from the fish onto the ground. This is where it will repopulate and attack the fishes again at a later time. Just wanted to see how others have treated Ich.

thanks
That is correct. Ich is a Protozoa and has a cyst form as part of its life cycle.it is this cyst form that can survive up to 76+ days on a hard surface before infecting again. .it is this form that is impractical to kill in a reef tank. The only way I got rid of it was to remove the fish from the DT for 3 months.
 
yeah I personally did the ich management method. The downsides to this are you basically have to avoid certain ich prone fish (acanthurus, etc) because ich is more or less a death sentence for them most of the time
 
Hey guys, a couple of follow up questions as I am thinking of a plan and a how to.

I feel that 3 months is a long time, but understand it is needed.

The plan.
  1. Get a 20 gallon tank, fill it up with corals for quarantine - while corals in quarantine main DT is under Ich management.
  2. Once quarantine for corals is complete, move the corals to main DT and move the fish to the 20 gallon tank.
  3. Fallow period starts in the main DT, while Ich treatment in the 20g for 76+ days.
How do you get the bio load ready from main display to a smaller quarantine, the bacteria wouldn't be able to handle all the fish? Any issues with this plan?

thanks,
 
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You don’t need the first step. Corals can stay in DT the whole time. Just take the fish out, treat them with copper in QT while the fallow period kills ich in the DT.
 
I meant I currently don’t have any corals. NVM, I am just making things more complicated than it is. :) Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
 
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I have also given in to the management strategy. After strictly ttming all new fish additions, some began to show signs of ich. My best guess is it came in through corals or other wet things like macroalgae or other inverts. Personally, I would only go through the fallow period if you plan to 76 day quarantine any non fish (corals, clams, snails), and ttm or copper treat any additional fish. Otherwise, its just a matter of time before it is reintroduced.

As mentioned above, feeding a good diet goes a long way with preventing symptoms. I believe the initial stress trigger that caused the fish to first show signs was a short vacation before I added a auto feeder.
 
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