Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board - How many QT new or sick fish for ich?

Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/index.php)

- Reef (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=8)

- - How many QT new or sick fish for ich? (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=47565)

Hmmm...should have started a poll!

Seems like its pretty one sided so far though...most people do not QT new fish.

A few years ago I would of been one of most people who never quarantine but after the heartbreak of losing all my fish to marine velvet I'll do everything I can to make sure it doesn't happen again

Quote:

Originally Posted by marie (Post 370037)

A few years ago I would of been one of most people who never quarantine but after the heartbreak of losing all my fish to marine velvet I'll do everything I can to make sure it doesn't happen again

Yeah I have been there too...velvet kills fast. It almost always is on the fish when you buy them though. Not something that shows up days later usually, IME.

I used to be much more carefree when choosing fish but recently I have done very, very close inspection and made sure they are eating before buying anything. If I am unsure at all, I pass no matter how badly I want the fish. It has been working so far. Probably not adding anymore fish to my tank just to be safe. I feel lucky at this point and don't want to add that one last fish that brings them all down.

I have gotten Ich in my reef tank a few times but with pristine conditions the fish never passes it on and they shake it within 3 days max.

My fowler however hasn't had that luck with bigger fish I add, they seem to pass it to the other fish like a marathon runner passing a baton. however If I don't add sick fish, once they are all well no problems.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tang daddy (Post 370067)

Yeah actually I have noticed the same thing over the years. Is the water quality in the FOWLR as good as the reef? I think most FOWLR's have less than perfect water and that gives the fish less of a chance to stay healthy enough to fight it off.

I quarantine everything and subject it to hypo treatment while in quarantine. I have never seen Ich in my tank, and never lost a fish to disease that another fish brought in. I attribute this to my quarantine practice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer (Post 369796)

I also kind of wonder how the myth that a fallow tank with have no ich after 6-8 weeks??? I did a search on google scholar a while back and there was a study where ich lived for almost 3 months without a host and then they stopped the study. They don't even know how long that strain was going to make it with NO FISH. So treating for 8 weeks and then putting the fish back in the tank may not do a thing. It will get the numbers of ich way down but not necessarily eliminate it.

Quarantine can only help. That I am sure. However, what GreenSpottedPuffer said about QT time is interesting. For how long do you QT your fish? If what he said is right, my QT give me nothing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrice (Post 370191)

Quarantine can only help. That I am sure. However, what GreenSpottedPuffer said about QT time is interesting. For how long do you QT your fish? If what he said is right, my QT give me nothing.

Well QT always does something and always helps. My belief is that it gives the fish a chance to get strong and healthy enough not keep ich away.

The point was that if you do a quick search with google scholar, you can find all kinds of studies where ich lived without a host for longer than 6 weeks...in one it was almost 3 months and then they stopped the experiment. So I was saying in that case, your tank may still not be ich free even after going through all the pain of QT for 8 weeks. I hear it quite often..."I had my tank fishless for 8 weeks and I still get ich"...thats because ich can live longer without a host. I am not sure where the 8 week thing came from. I assume most will die after 6-8 weeks without a host.

How do we know it does not live inside a fish's stomach much like a tapeworm? Could ick be ingested and lie dormant inside the host to be expelled in feces. I did some research and found nothing to confirm or dismiss the theory. Maybe they attach to food when they are mobile and just wait it out inside the fish. I could explain why it seems to show up for no reason at all sometimes. There are many insect larvae or eggs that can stay dormant for years or decades and appear when conditions are just right.

I'm just grasping at straws and thinking aloud I suppose.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer (Post 369818)

Actually something else that has been kind of brought up is quarantine tanks and hospital tanks--different things. My QT tank (rubbermaid) is full of LR, macro algae, crabs, ect. My hospital tank is a different rubbermaid that stays dry in case I need it.

I use 40G rubbermaids since I find them a bit easier to have around than a 40G tank and IMO a 10G is WAY too small to QT most any fish.

I also keep a sponge in my DT sump that can be used in the hospital tank as a filter if needed. If you do this though, make sure you "rinse" out the sponge every now and then (I do it every water change) to make sure it doesn't accumulate detritus and large amounts of bacteria that will lead to high nitrates. You just need it to have enough bacteria to keep a hospital tank cycled...although most meds will kill the filter anyways :neutral:

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer (Post 370194)

Could you please point us to where you found the article stating Ich can live without a host for 3 months? Here is what I base my quarantine practices on

http://atj.net.au/marineaquaria/marineich.html

I like this site because it cites SCIENTIFIC studies from multiple sources. I don't mean to be rude, but "I read somewhere..." just doesn't cut it. Without backup in the form of sources/research, all it is is an opinion. I googled Marine Ich and couldn't find a single site agreeing with your 3 month hypothesis.