Lost Coral Beauty to Ick- next step?

Lorna · #1 02-12-2006, 05:57 PM

Well I have a 20 gallon tank that is not in use and I am going to see if it leaks or not. So how do I get the tank cycled fast? Also when I move the fish to the QT tank I have to leave the tank fishless for 4 to 6 weeks. is that right? Will the ick effect the cleaner shrimps and crabs or not?

Ruth · #2 02-12-2006, 06:18 PM

Lorna if you have a sump just throw a piece of sponge - make sure it is just sponge and preferably get it at a LFS - in your sump (or tank if you don't have a sump) for 3 or 4 days and it should colonize with bacteria that you can then move into your quarentine tank.
I have crabs advise was right on the money though. I see time after time people advising to feed garlic and use cleaner shrimp to battle ich. It simply does not work. My theory on garlic is that it encourages fish to eat more thereby boosting their immune systems to be better able to fight of diseases and parasites. Cleaner shrimp just cannot get ich parasites, that burrow into the skin, off the fish. Copper is probably the best and quickest way to treat remaining fish. You will have to leave your main system fish less for 6-8 weeks in order to eliminate the parasite from your system.
The ich parasite will continue to live in your system as long as there are fish in there. If they are strong and healthy it probably won't affect them unless they get stressed or weak. I think a lot more of us have ich in our systems than we know. I have never had an outbreak of ich in any of my tanks but I am willing to bet that it is probably in at least one of them

Beverly · #3 02-12-2006, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruth

Lorna if you have a sump just throw a piece of sponge - make sure it is just sponge and preferably get it at a LFS - in your sump (or tank if you don't have a sump) for 3 or 4 days and it should colonize with bacteria that you can then move into your quarentine tank.

If you are going to colonize a sponge or two with bacteria, do it in a tank/sump/refugium that does NOT have ich in it. There is a great likelihood that ich will travel with the sponge.

Lorna · #4 02-12-2006, 06:45 PM

Only other tank I have is a freshwater tank. Could I put the sponge in there for a few days or would that be a big mistake?

Ruth · #5 02-12-2006, 06:53 PM

See if you can find another person in your area or even ask the LFS. Someone may already have a piece of sponge that's been in their system for a while that they will let you have.
One word of advise that is my experience is that unless you take great care to be very dilegent in cleaning any sponge that is in your system (ie just passive or in a canister filter) they quickly become nitrate factories. The only tanks that I have sponges in are my 2 JBJ Nano tanks and I clean them at least once a week when I change the water.

Lorna · #6 02-12-2006, 07:01 PM

Ok thanks for the advice, I will have to see if I can get some from the LFS. Once the QT is up an running will my tank cycle by adding the 5 fish all at once?

i have crabs · #7 02-13-2006, 01:39 AM

get some filterfloss or sponge from a friend tank if possible lfs have ich too sometimes,take a scoop of sand from another tank too just for the bacteria,.
i would leve the tank for mabey 3 days do a waterchange add mabey half the fish if you can catch them easily wait another 3 days waterchange and add the rest of the fish and start coppering,
if the fish are showing alot of ich i would move all 5 after the first 3 or 4 days and start coppering.

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