Marine Ich wiped out my hole Tank...

[Briggz]

May have other parasites in the tank... I have live rock and live sand in my setup what do i do now? F*&%$#!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

( One fish I got from LFS had a white spot on its face i thought It was a scratch but after time passed i noticed it was moving around like a Leach! NASTY! anyway everyone is dead what now)

 

[KathyC]

Sorry to hear

There are only 2 things you can do to effectively be rid of Ich for good -

1- Do NOT add ANY fish in the tank for the next 8 weeks. The Ich parasite must have the chance to die off. Period, end of conversation.

2- Buy a QT tank and let it cycle completely and when you buy your 1st new fish, put him in there for 3 or 4 weeks and make sure he is not bringing and diseases back into your tank.

Tough lesson

 

[Briggz]

If something other then Ich is in the tank will it also die after 8 weeks??? thanks for the response.

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Like Kathy said run the tank fallow for 8 weeks and let the ich die. If there are any other parasties you may notice them. If the parasites that will kill your fish have nothing to host and feed off theyll all die off. Extremely sorry to hear about your loss, BUT look at the little bit of a bright side you have. You lost everything so there is nothing to host the ich and it WILL die off, and youre tank will be completely clean and healthy for the new additions in the future.- Qt them from now on so you dont have the problem again. Best of luck man

Also I know you probably wont but DONT set up your QT tank with water from your tank, since it will have ick cycts freefloating and if they survive and you buy a fish 3 weeks from now and QT it the ich will then have a host again and youll reintroduce it into your display tank

 

[Briggz]

Thank you very much for the advice guys....

 

[Avi]

Briggz....I have a reef and a FO also. I've never had a problem with the reef but I had a very prolonged and repeated problem with ick and velvet in my FO. I lost a ton of very beautiful and costly fish. Eventually, I did quarantine (where I treated with copper successfully) for 8-weeks and when I put the fish back into the FO display tank the velvet re-appeared within days. So, I am very cynical of the 8-weeks suggested...In fact, I don't know if anyone knows precisely how long it would be before all of the parasites would take to die. I eventually decided to treat the FO tank with copper and then maintain low levels of prophylactic copper which has been very successful.

 

[UnknownWaters]

I know every1 is gonna hammer me on this 1 but I know all new fish in QT but some of us dont have time or whatever the reason maybe to QT a fish. But at least inspect the fish well before it goes in im not sure if you said the white spot was there when you added or after the fact but be more careful and maybe buy fish from other MR members its much safer. And be sure and thank that local fish shop for giving you that poison fish maybe if your a repaet customer they might give you some credit or deals when the tank gets better I went thru this same problem and I just stopped buying fish from the dude I have better luck with fish from petco. good luck

 

[NYreefNoob]

Also flukes have been coming in left and right on fish, i dont have a qt but i do freshwater dip { ph adjusted } all my fish and blue meth dip after that

 

[Awibrandy]

Briggz, so sorry you had to go through this, and I sincerely hope you don't let this episode turn you away from this great hobby/obsession.
Kathy & JimmyRider already stated to leave your tank fallow for 8 weeks. I would go for 12 weeks, but that is just me, and tough to do.
Someone else stated something about treating the tank with copper. DO NOT do this unless this is a FO (fish only) tank. Wouldn't do this in anything other then an FO, not even a FOWLR. If you treat the tank with copper you will kill all the beneficial bacteria in the live rock & live sand. I speak from personal experience - I did this once stupidly took the advice of someone who swore that "Copper Safe" was safe to use in a fowlr. DEFINITELY not so!!!! Took me another 2 years to bring my fowlr back to snuff. Thanks Todd.

If you can do set up a QT for future purchases. You can actually start the qt process now while you wait on the recovery of your DT. Once your DT is ready you'll have fish that have been qt, and ready to move into it.

 

[frank arriaga]

Sorry to hear about your tank.

 

[Avi]

...Someone else stated something about treating the tank with copper. DO NOT do this unless this is a FO (fish only) tank. Wouldn't do this in anything other then an FO, not even a FOWLR. If you treat the tank with copper you will kill all the beneficial bacteria in the live rock & live sand. I speak from personal experience - I did this once stupidly took the advice of someone who swore that "Copper Safe" was safe to use in a fowlr. DEFINITELY not so!!!! Took me another 2 years to bring my fowlr back to snuff. Thanks Todd.

If you can do set up a QT for future purchases. You can actually start the qt process now while you wait on the recovery of your DT. Once your DT is ready you'll have fish that have been qt, and ready to move into it.

I'm the one that suggested using copper in a FO if there are repeated bouts with parasitic infestations. I stand by that from the experience I had...and the success that I've had doing that. In fact, I have had that success using Coppersafe, which is made by Mardel and is widely available. I would say that anyone that uses it should do so in very strict accordance with its instructions and also, to have a copper test-kit available to assure that dosage remains in the .15 to .20ppm range...and never exceeds .25ppm. When I applied the Coppersafe according to its directions, I never needed to recycle and the bacterial-bed was never disrupted at all, so if it is, I'd think that too much Coppersafe was added inadvertently. I'd also add that since I started to maintain a prophylactic level of copper I've never had to add any additional or new filtration of any kind...continuing to use just the live-rock and the protien skimmer that I had on this FO before.

I agree that copper of any kind should only be used in a Fish Only setup...and never, ever with a reef...However, it can be used on a FO that contains and relies on live rock as the major component of its "filtration"...It should never be used in a reef, even "temporarily," because copper will almost assuredly impact negatively and even kill most invertebrates (although, even with my prolonged use of copper, when I clean the sponge in my sump I find some pods alive and kicking to my continued surprise.)

I guess I've become an advocate of using carefully applied and monitored levels of copper in a FO (and FOWLR) because of the persistent and seemingly unalterable danger that parasites pose to the fish. I found that even quarantining for what is considered "more than sufficient" periods does not assure that parasitic infections like ick and velvet will not occur, even in a FO that lies fallow of any fish for many, many weeks and has an ultra-violet sterilizer going on it, as I have.

Once again, any use of copper to treat fish should be done with appropriate caution...testing...and also with awareness of how water changes may effect the copper level on an ongoing basis.

 

[Awibrandy]

Avi, this was not my first time using copper! I use to use "Sea Cure", until this one time that I was actually in search of Cuprimine because of some very trusted & greet reefer's recommendation of it. Unfortunately I was not able to find it, and ended up with "Copper Safe".
Please understand that I do not have a problem with the use of copper meds in a fo or qt. But I will stand by what I stated happened in my 120 when I used "Copper Safe", and yes I always use copper test kits when ever I used copper meds. The proper dose was used!!
To go a little further: As soon as the CopperSafe went in my Majestic angel went belly up, my dogface puffer immediately started swimming irradicately. I contacted Mardel, and left a message on their voice mail. A young woman represantative of Mardels called me back. As I explained what had happened, the dosage I had used she promptly told me that first of all "CopperSafe" is not recommended to be used in a system that contains angels, puffers, eels, or Live Rock. Contrary to what Todd had told me.
I spoke from my experience with the chemical, and from the manufacturer's representatives advice.
You have been blessed thus far with the use of copper, and I wish you continues blessing with such. But I on the other hand will never dose a tank with any other copper med other then "Cuprimine" God forbid that contains lr. And much less Angels.

BTW, the above said tank now contains tons of hex blue palys, 5 anemone, a few leathers, yellow star polyps, star fish, hermits & snails.

 

[Wes]

I don't think copper of any type, including Cupramine, is safe on Puffers, Eels, and Angels.


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[Awibrandy]

I don't think copper of any type, including Cupramine, is safe on Puffers, Eels, and Angels.


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

Agree!!!! Or sharks for that matter.

And I knew this, and I have no one to blame but myself for being stupid enough to take this guys (30+ years experience)? advice. It sucked to be me that day.;(

 

[Avi]

I guess people have differing experiences with this. I would add, though, that I have an adult Emperor Angel, an adult Navarchus (Majestic) Angel, an adult Potters Angel and an Annularis Angel that's going into adult coloration in the tank with .20ppm copper (using CopperSafe)...along with two Toby-type Puffers and some other fish including a Tassled Filefish in this tank.

In fact, as I'd said, I'd left my FOWLR empty for 8-weeks after one of the successive parasite breakouts that I'd had, I returned the fish that were kept during that time in quarantine (with copper.) Within two days of their return, the Emperor Angel showed signs of velvet. I immediately, then, returned all the fish to the quarantine tank and the Emperor showed improvement within a day's time, which I attribute solely to the copper in the QT, and it did completely recover its health at that time.

I guess it's difficult to determine why I've had this result with the same product that you've had less fortunate results. Personally, I'd look for an answer other than the copper as difficult as it might be to find that.

 

[Awibrandy]

Avi, I don't want to take over Briggz thread with our discussion.
PM sent!

Back to topic. Sorry Briggz!!!!

 

[Briggz]

You guys can keep going this is interesting! I have a good friend that told me I was nutz when I told him I was doing a reef tank and now I understand lol he has a 200 + gallon tank with all types of awesome fish Angels, tangs, puffers an Eel. Some so called hard to keep and all very big. He uses a Wetdry filter for a 300 gal and tap water lol and keeps his salinity low around 18, low lighting and has used Cupramine o yeah he has star fish too... no prob with algae like i do .... I turned my wetdry into a fuge put pvc for all the plumbing i rebuilt the stand i put soo much work and money into this i should of just got a fish aquarium screen saver on my computer! and all i hear is i told you so!!!!! Yes Im very hard headed & discouraged now i can run this thing empty for 8 weeks NICE!!! i love my electric bill! yeah whatever im in a bad mood.

 

[JimmyR1rider]

A reef if researched properly isnt nearly as hard as it seems at first. Once you learn all the crazy acronyms and lingo and know a little on husbandry by reading and viewing internet info and of course asking on here. It pays off ten fold because unlike a FO or FOWLR you see your reef grow little by little and actually have a little tropical ocean of Fiji, Bali, Indonesia and all the other regions in your very own living room, and will get to see fish swimming around, through and hosting things that you wont see in the other types of tanks. Only catch is you cant medicate in a reef with copper unlike a FO system. 1 eeh thing for MANY awesome ones is worth every milestone youll go through in my eyes. And besides you learn from mistakes or mishaps you make and have and become a better reefer from them. Good luck and stick with the hobby.

 

[Briggz]

Update on the tank, I waited and ran the tank empty (10 hermits & a Cleaner shrimp) for about 7 weeks...I thought it was 8! wishfull thinking I guess.... At the same time I set up a 10 gallon QT and got a flame angel and changed my shitty DIY fuge to a BioRocker.
Had the flame in the QT for about 3 weeks looked awesome put it in the DT and 3 weeks in I see Ick and the fish looks a bit pale .....So I shut off my UV and skimmer and added COPPER SAFE!

 

[albano]

Update on the tank, I waited and ran the tank empty for about 7 weeks...
Had the flame in the QT for about 3 weeks looked awesome put it in the DT and 3 weeks in I see Ick

7 weeks empty, would be June 3-4th...so...flame was in DT for 3 weeks or 3 days?