i put a brand new fish in my main tank instead of my qt, does it have ick instatly???

agoutihead

agoutihead

Member
i got home and realized i didnt have a divider for my qt tank and i have two very aggressive damsels so i couldnt put a little fire goby in my qt tank... its only been less than 24 hours... i now have a divider and can put it in my qt tank... he looks super heathly so there hasnt been an outbreak yet... my question is...
was the damage already done by me putting him in there for less then 24 hours or does the damage not occur until he has an outbreak.
i have starfish, crabs, hermits, snails, clown, and 1 damsel and live sand and 30 lbs of live rock.... did these get infected in anyway in less than 24 hours? thanks!
 
agoutihead

agoutihead

Member
my main tank only has a purple and yellow damsel.... my qt tank has a blue damsel and a humbug damsel. my qt tank is now filled with copper and will be for the rest of the time i have it.
i need to know if it is worth it for me to take out my new fire goby, or if its already too late. i am currently qting a jaw fish that i just bought today.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
The fire goby should be fine as long as you gave it a proper acclimation. There are some people (including myself) who do not quarantine fish at all. I have never had a parasitic outbreak that killed any of my fish (knock on wood.) . I have only had ich twice (from my own doing), and both times I used Parasite Stop to knock it out.
 
agoutihead

agoutihead

Member
i thought you couldnt use any chemicals in your main tank if you had live rock and snails and hermits and crabs and stuff?????
 
agoutihead

agoutihead

Member
i thought copper was the only thing that really worked? what are some reef safe chemicals you can use to fight disease???
 
mbrands

mbrands

Member
Sorry, but I can't even understand your original question. Do any of your fish have ick right now? Like lion_crazz, I don't quarantine new fish, but I do drip acclimate.
As I understand it (please correct me if I'm wrong), ick is always present in an aquarium, the problem comes from fish getting stressed, which weakens their immune system. The weakened immune system then can't fight it off like it normally would. Am I wrong about this?
 
agoutihead

agoutihead

Member
no my fish show no actual signs of ick... but as they say every fish has ick until you cure it in the copper bath. i didnt do that for a lmb or my new fire goby, they both seem fine... but i dont want them to pollute my entire tank.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
You can use chemicals in your main tank as long as they do not contain copper.
Two frequently used things are RxP and Stop! Parasite. I used Stop Parasite twice and it worked within 2 days. Stop Parasite is nice because it is not a medication.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Stop Parasite is a remedy for all sorts of parasites. It does three things. It speeds up the appetite of the fish, causing it to be more likely to eat and fight off the parasite naturally. It adds slime to the slime coat of the fish, in order to help the fish make the parasite detach itself. Third, it offers the parasite a non-nutritional food source so that the parasite thinks it's being fed, when it really isn't.
 
sammiefish

sammiefish

Member
my opinion is just go with it...
dont add the other damsels back to the main tank for a couple weeks (minimize the stress on the new guy) If you lose the new addition and the 2 damsels keep the risk to a minimum... dont add any more fish for a month
at this point go with the flow... and minimize any additional risk...
good luck
 
hagfish

hagfish

Active Member
but as they say every fish has ick until you cure it in the copper bath
IMO that statement is misleading. Not every fish that you buy has an ick infestation. It's not as if the worlds oceans would be dying if it weren't for us giving copper to the fish we are buying. Unless your LFS is just not doing a good job keeping their fish healthy, I would think that most fish are fine. I use a QT tank myself, but I don't keep a constant dose of copper in the tank. I only observe the fish for a few weeks to see if there are any signs of ick or other disease. Copper hurts the fish too, IMO there's no need to potentially damage the fish when there was nothing wrong in the first place.
If none of your fish have shown any signs of ick, then you are probably fine. But if there is a reason why stress might go up for an individual, then it could be at a little more risk. Soaking your food in garlic can be very helpful in improving your fishes immune system. I've even had one case where garlic alone helped a clown to beat ick.
 
rwillo

rwillo

Member
Lion,
thanks just checking. I have seen both 3 and 4 weeks. I have quarantined two clowns now for 3 weeks and I am eager to get them into the DT but wanted to make sure 3 weeks is sufficient.
 
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