racefan Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Ick finally got me (flame) two of my fish died last night. The only one left is a 6 line wrasse (and a blood shrimp). I'm assuming the wrasse is unaffected because it has a thicker mucus coating (is that assumption correct?)I have a couple questions. What's my next step? should I just leave the wrasse or put him it in my QT tank? Do I have to do anything to my tank or just leave it fish less for 8 weeks? It's a 29 gal Bio Cube with a 10 gal sump. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
souperman Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 The tank will need to be left fallow for at least 8 weeks, that means the wrasse will have to be moved to QT. I'd treat the wrasse with either copper or hyposalinity to be sure it's clear. I've gone through the same thing, I have two more weeks left and my tank will have been empty for 9 weeks. I lost a Kole tang and a black clown, everything will get QT and treated from now on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate213 Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 The tank will need to be left fallow for at least 8 weeks' date=' that means the wrasse will have to be moved to QT. I'd treat the wrasse with either copper or hyposalinity to be sure it's clear. I've gone through the same thing, I have two more weeks left and my tank will have been empty for 9 weeks. I lost a Kole tang and a black clown, everything will get QT and treated from now on.[/quote'] ^^^ good advice. I would do the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I usually don't suggest QT because it can be very dangerous for the fish, however in this case since you only have the one fish left I think you should QT and then leave the tank fallow for the 8 weeks; this will save you from headaches in the future. I have ick in my tank but I have a lot of fish so I would need a huge tank to QT them all. In your situation a ten gallon should do the trick, just make sure to read up on proper QT procedure and don't rush in to it; take your time and make sure you do it right. An improper QT is more of a death sentence than ick IMO. Good luck and keep us posted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racefan Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 I've been reading up on hyposalinty. Is it as hard to do as the article I was reading makes it seem? I mean it's talking about checking PH, ammonia & Nitrites twice a day, doing water changes every other day. That's a lot of work for eight weeks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I've been reading up on hyposalinty. Is it as hard to do as the article I was reading makes it seem? I mean it's talking about checking PH' date=' ammonia & Nitrites twice a day, doing water changes every other day. That's a lot of work for eight weeks![/quote'] That is not for hypo, but the QT. This is why I don't think QT is always appropriate, any mistakes and bye bye fishy :(. Since you only have one fish though, you are going to have less ammonia to deal with and in addition to that a six line is a hardy fish. This could be a good opportunity to learn how to properly QT (something i never learned) then in the future you can QT newcomers. The other route is to wait it out for several months and hope that the immune system of the six line beats out the ick, during this time you can not and another fish though because the stress would certainly bring on another bought of ick. During this time you would also have to be sure to feed very well and make sure you don't cause any stressors like a temp swing. Basically zero stress for a prolonged period, the several months is completely arbitrary, I just threw it out there, I would think three months without a single spot would be a good bet but you can never really be sure if it still resides in the fishes gills. Unfortunately there is no easy fix for ick in a reef tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate213 Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I've been reading up on hyposalinty. Is it as hard to do as the article I was reading makes it seem? I mean it's talking about checking PH' date=' ammonia & Nitrites twice a day, doing water changes every other day. That's a lot of work for eight weeks![/quote'] It is a huge PIA if you have to cycle a new QT at the same time. I always keep my QT up and running, so at least it doesn't cycle while I'm waiting. I have done it many times in a 40 gallon. It is extra work, but not terrible once you get the hang of it. The hardest part ( if cycled) is maintaining PH. I just got in a habit of dosing every couple of days and buffering the new water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 One of the best things I've found for my QT tank is the Seachem ammonia badge. Ammonia is going to be your biggest concern, and the badge tells you where its at just with a quick glance. They are good for a year too. Good luck, sorry to hear about your loss. Never fun losing fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 One of the best things I've found for my QT tank is the Seachem ammonia badge. Ammonia is going to be your biggest concern, and the badge tells you where its at just with a quick glance. They are good for a year too. If you are using hypo, water changes should help with the rest of your params in there. Good luck, sorry to hear about your loss. Never fun losing fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burningbaal Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 for future QT, I would (and, in the future, plan to) keep a hob filter (or just filter floss or something) in my sump at all times. that way it will be seeded with bacteria and things from the DT. when I get a new fish, I can move the filter to the QT to minimize the cycle. of course, the NH3 badge like impur suggested is probably still really smart (as much as I hate to agree with a duck...). if the NH3 stays under control, I'd think that testing for NO2, NO3 and PO4 twice a week would be sufficient. any time they rise, do a 25-50% change (add new water slowly!). thinking logically...if there's never significant ammonia, how could the nitrite spike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racefan Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 My QT is cycled & I do have a HOB filter that I keep the sponge in a sump all the time so when it's needed I can pull it out put it in the filter. I also have a Seachem badge on it. It's only a 10 QT so I reckon I'll have to keep a pretty close watch, but with only one fish it should not get too out of hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burningbaal Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 one thing i'd check on (with someone other than me): maybe you shouldn't use the hob filter you've had on the main system right now...I know ich will replicate in the substrate of the tank...it might be in the hob filter too. although since you'll be treating the qt for ich (I assume), maybe this slight carry-over would be ok. definitely, though: thoroughly decontaminate (vinegar or even bleach) the hob filter components before putting it BACK on the main tank. and if you're going to use copper, make sure at least 50% vinegar is included in the decontamination (at some point) because it will make sure to get copper out of the equipment so it doesn't leach into your main tank and destroy all your inverts. the vinegar will take care of the copper, just don't leave that part out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racefan Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 The sponge was in my 40B sump (different tank) so I should be good to go there. The HOB filter is for the QT only. I'm not planning on using copper at all. I'll just have to work up a decon plan for the HOB filter but I figure I have 8 weeks for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burningbaal Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 for decon of the hob after a hypo-only treatment, I'd just do a little vinegar soak overnight (just 20% vinegar in freshwater or something). after the soak, rinse well and let it sit dry for a few days. if you really wanted to get crazy, alternating repeating that pattern is bound to be at least as good. really, the issue is just that you want to make sure that every phase of it's lifecycle gets killed off. vinegar works wonders...and dessication (drying) does pretty well too. how would you like to take a 12 hour soak in a vinegar tub? (I wouldn't recommend it =D ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skulls_and_sparrows Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Every considered running ozone or a UV for a while and see what happens...I don't know it would make a difference only being on temporarily, but seems like a lot less trouble... Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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