I'm an Idiot

[Reefie]

So sorry to hear about Doofus!

I just had a recent battle with ich, completely my fault though. I didn't quarantine and picked up the 3 Tangs within 2 days of their arrival and then after a 4 hour drip-acclimation into my tank. They did fine for the first week or so, and then the Blue Hippo showed ich, and then the Powder Blue, and then finally the Yellow. I fed them Garlic drenched food for about 10 days, and the ich looked like it was receeding. Then I noticed my McCosker's Flasher Wrasse showed ich spots, so I kept up the Garlic drenched food for another few days. I went overnight to Seattle, only to come home to................all 3 Tangs dead, all 4 Dispar Anthias dead, Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse dead, and the McCosker's Flasher shows ich but is hanging on by a thread. Did an emergency 60% WC to clear out an Ammonia. The McCosker's is still hanging on, and the rest of the fish are no longer panting for air.

So, back to the theory of "healthy" fish not contracting ich.........all of the fish were healthy and not stressed even after the introduction of the Tangs. A parasite is a PARASITE, it's life cycle to infect and reproduce until it can no longer continue to do so.

My previous Tangs did have small outbreak of ich when I first got them about a year ago. I treated with Proto Marin, as it was the only reef-safe medication I could find. I didn't use the Proto Marin this time because I now have clams, which I didn't before and I read that clams may or may not react to it.

So now, every day I come home from work, I check to see if anything else has died. Pretty sad, yes I know..........

I'm not planning to re-stock for at least a few months, maybe even half a year to let the ich life-cycle run it's course. What I have learned is to QT anything new before adding it to the DT. So, if anyone knows where I can get a small 5 Gal all-in-one tank, it would be used to QT any new additions.

Marie, I really hope Doofus pulls through for you!!!