Reef Tank - I can't win

[Craigdillman]

As above here is another link describing it

http://atj.net.au/marineaquaria/3daytransfer.html

[daplatapus]

I forgot to mention as well that this is why you'll see the recommendation of allowing an existing set up to go fallow for 6-8 weeks without any fish to makes sure all the cryptocryon cysts are dead from starvation before re-introduction of any fish back into the system.
As long as you have any fish that they can host on in the tank, you'll never get rid of it.

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by daplatapus

The tank transfer method of QT for Ich is a systematic routine that catches the Cryptocaryon mid life cycle when it's no longer on your fish.

+1 to this method. This is what I've done since I lost all my fish in November, 2012 and I dare say my tank is ich free. People are freaked out by this method because it involves handling the fish which seems stressful, but the scoop and transfer is over in 20 seconds. Comparatively, copper or hypo both expose fish to either a serious metabolic poison or chemistry far outside their optimal range for extended periods of time. Fish have evolved all sorts of physiological mechanisms to cope with the fight or flight response without it causing any long term harm, but hypo and copper both put tremendous sustained pressure on their kidneys and other organs. I've never had a fish not go back to behaving as if it never happened within an hour of the transfer. It's also guaranteed to work if you do it right, and takes 12 days as opposed to several weeks.

Downside is the labour involved. It's the most time consuming of the treatment protocols on your part, which really puts a curb on impulse purchases (a good thing for me...).

Only thing I do differently than daplatapus is that I don't bleach anything because I wrecked too many shirts cleaning my QT tanks. I have two complete sets of everything (two heaters, two power heads, two tanks, two sets of PVC pipes for decoration, two thermometers). After I thoroughly clean everything in just plain tap water I dry them with a hand towel and let them sit out like you would dishes. C. irritans tomonts (the encysted stage that's the most persistent and hardest to kill) can't survive drying out for more than 24 hours, so the three days in between a set of equipment being used should be more than enough to kill them.

[BackPackHunter]

With my transfer tanks , I had them drilled in the front , so draining is very easy
And just wet vac the rest out ....

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by BackPackHunter

With my transfer tanks , I had them drilled in the front , so draining is very easy
And just wet vac the rest out ....

Genius idea. In my dream build, my fish room would have built in tank transfer tanks with sloped bottoms and valved holes at the bottom for draining. I'd also have one of those hand held restaurant style kitchen sprayers installed so I could just leave the valve at the bottom open and hose out the tank.

[Antrias]

Yeah I really like the idea of these transfer tanks! You guys have given such great information! I think I'm going to do this.

My flame has been eating lots and I've been feeding smaller amounts a few times a day when I can. My.flame now eats all three types of food I feed now which I feel like is a good sign. I see no visable spots but I know that doesn't mean I'm clear yet.

[asylumdown]

Ich is tricky like that. There's lots of people who reach stability with it in their system, rarely seeing so much as a single cyst for months or years. Fish can develop a partial immunity to it over time, and there's a bunch of different strains, some probably less virulent than others. Even if you don't treat these fish and fallow the tank for months, doing the TT on all future arrivals limits the potential to introduce a new strain to which your fish have less immunity and is more virulent.

You might have a hard time adding certain fish to this tank, and if you do add an "ich magnet" it will be possible for the levels of parasite to climb high enough to affect even your otherwise healthy fish, but it's entirely possible to manage a tank with ich. Lots and lots of people do it.

I went through the headache of fallowing my tank because I couldn't add new fish. New arrivals would be overwhelmed and die within a week, while my resident fish were pretty much ok. I lost several otherwise healthy fish to the treatment, then lost all of them when the QT tank crashed a few days before they were supposed to go back in the display. The treatment ended up being way worse than the disease. Since then I've worked hard to keep it out so I never have to deal with it again.

[dino]

You guys know your stuff great info provided. I would say stay calm and observe.

[trilinearmipmap]

When I had ich I raised the temperature a couple of degrees (to like 81 or something) and just waited and it cleared up. Also I would recommend really slowing down on any tank additions. One thing at a time and 6 months apart. It may sound like overkill but I think tanks need time to adjust.

[BackPackHunter]

Originally Posted by asylumdown

Genius idea. In my dream build, my fish room would have built in tank transfer tanks with sloped bottoms and valved holes at the bottom for draining. I'd also have one of those hand held restaurant style kitchen sprayers installed so I could just leave the valve at the bottom open and hose out the tank.

I'm in the middle of plain and picking up gear for my last aquarium build, so a lot of tought has been going into it, I considered a slope n bottom bulk head, but didn't want a whorl pool affect, and wanted to be in front of the tank turning valves, and the space I have for it , made me go with this design.
I'm going to have a garden hose for the sprayer to reach any part of the room.

I'm also QT'ing after the transfer to watch for other problems, and to interdouse fish that I want to add into the DT at the same time .....
I don't want to be doing more then 2 fish together in the transfer at one time

For my transfer tanks I went with 25g cubes (18x18x18)