New Reef Ich Problem

[fabbroc]

I have recently started up my first reef tank, a 33 gallon tank with 25-30 pounds of live rock and I'm already having some issues.
I recently had a clownfish die (one of two) due to ick. At the time I didnt realize that it was in fact ick, and that ick in a reef tank is a very big problem. Now my other clown is infected along with my engineer goby. There is also two green chromis and a pink spotted goby who still look healthy. I was recommended Herbtana by microbe lift to treat my tank and I started treatment on the 13th. My tank now smells good and I am waiting on the results.
Hopfully this treatment works but I want some oppinions on the use of quarantine tanks.
-Do you quarantine new fish or corals?
-If you had an ich outbreak in your display what would you do?
-If not using a quarantine how would sick fish be dealt with and how would sickness controlled?

Hopefully I can get some insight into what others are doing with their tanks

[fabbroc]

Another question I had was, is a hospital tank (removing fish from the display after they get sick) effective enough at preventing an ick outbreak?

[hillegom]

I voted always.
I did not do this before, but after my last outbreak, and in reading the recent horror story on here, I will now do this.
Certainly do not want all my fish to die.
So everything is going into the QT and fish will get a hypo-salinity treatment

[Aquattro]

I voted never. I'm a horror story, all my fish died...

[rastaangel]

Nothing goes into my tank without going threw a month min QT and all the corals are dipped then observed for a week

I never used to but with all the greif it saves Its worth it to qt. ick is minor when you compare it to velvet. One case wipes out the entire thank and thousands of dollars down the drain if you have expensive fish. The best way to get rid of your current issues is to remove ALL your fish and treat them. Removing one will do nothing.

[Reef Pilot]

This probably won't sound right..., but I think it was good that Brad and a few other highly experienced reefers recently had this problem. When a newbie has ich or velvet break out, people are sympathetic, but I'm sure many just think it was due to inexperience and less than perfect tank conditions. And they go on thinking it won't happen to them, if they practice good reef husbandry. Well, as we now know, it can happen to anybody.

I don't want to sound like the Tang or Copperband police, but I do think good quarantine practice is an important part of our reef keeping hobby. You might get away without it 8 out of 10 times, and it's true that healthy unstressed fish have a better chance fighting it (ich, that is). But the consequences can be huge, so why take the chance.

[jtbadco]

I also have a 33 gal reef and developed an ich outbreak about 3 mnths after I started. I tried different 'reef safe' meds with little to no effects.

I fed garlic and selcon regularly and let it run its course.

If I had a larger tank I would definitely QT any new fish and/or corals

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

This probably won't sound right..., but I think it was good that Brad and a few other highly experienced reefers recently had this problem.

Honestly, I think it happens more often that people say. It's a bit embarrassing, you know, I've been doing this stuff a long time and damn, I know what I'm doing. I know a sick fish from a healthy fish, blah blah blah. And that worked for a lot of years. Ich schmich, not worried about a little ich, one little bit. But....velvet is a different story. Pretty much by the time you admit you might have a problem, your fish are dead.
Now, I'll still likely not use a Q tank, but I will collect all my must have fish at once, treat in the tank while it's up and that's that. I suppose if I come across a free Achilles one day, I might think about quarantining, and will keep a foam block in the sump just in case one day I need it. That alone would have saved most of my fish, IMO.

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by fabbroc

I have recently started up my first reef tank ...

I'm curious as to whether you have ich or, worse, velvet. Ich doesn't always kill so fast. Care to post a pic of your infected fish? Maybe one of us could confirm it for you.