Lost all fish to ICH... How do I start over?

drakken

drakken

Member
Well, after 2 years of fairly successful reef keeping an outbreak of ICH killed off my entire tank. :( I have never used a QT and never had any problems until now. No lectures please. I'm posting about not using a QT so others can learn that you can only get lucky so many times with a reef tank until the odds get you. I will be setting up a QT tank now.
Anyway, how long should I wait before adding new stock? I've hear 4 weeks. Is that correct? I guess it would be a very bad idea to set up a QT using that water or sand to seed the QT.
The tank has many inverts and creatures. Should I add a little fish food to keep a bioload going or will it sustain itself? My cardial is missing so he's decomposing somewhere in the tank.
Thanks in advance!
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Thank you for your post. Another testiment to why hobbyists must setup a quarantine tank.
One month without any fish should do it. It will take at least that time for you to set up and cycle a QT.
Yes, definately continue feeding your tank at least once a day. There are many more living creatures in a reef tank that must be fed to continue living.
 
vanos

vanos

Member
Get a UV sterlizer and buy one online because they are so much cheaper than your local store.
 
drakken

drakken

Member
Originally Posted by Vanos
Get a UV sterlizer and buy one online because they are so much cheaper than your local store.
Is one better than another? If I get one can I add fish sooner or do I still need to wait 4 weeks?
 
scubadoo

scubadoo

Active Member
THe ich cycle can stretch for up to 6 weeks. I would wait a little longer. You also may want to take some time to analyze your system to determine what led to the outbreak. Stress (many causes), poor water quality (test them ALL), overcorwding, constant temp fluctuations of greater than two degrees, poor diet, week immune systems all lead to ich outbreaks if the disease is present in the system.
IMO..UV's are ineffective in combatting ich. The conventional aquarium models only marginally improve water quality. The time required for exposure to the uv along with flow rates render them ineffective against the disease. They will improve water quality slightly which can lead to a healthier tank but do not think it will kill parasites.
If you still decide to get one it must be fed filtered water. You must regularly change the bulb (4-6 months) and regualrly clean the inside. Flow rates should be ROUGHLY 20 gallons per hour per watt.
IMO....your money is better spent in other areas such as a top of the line protein skimmer if you do not have a good one.
 
kdfrosty

kdfrosty

Active Member
I would say to leave the tank empty of fish for 6 weeks (as previously mentioned), but to mention that some believe that ICH is always present in the water column. With that in mind, it is of the utmost importance to determine what stressed your fish to allow them to be susceptible to ich. Any recent additions? Any territory problems among tankmates? Stable temp, ph, SG, and salinity? Something's gotta be a contributing factor.
That reminds me...I need to setup a QT :notsure:
 
drakken

drakken

Member
Originally Posted by KDFrosty
I would say to leave the tank empty of fish for 6 weeks (as previously mentioned), but to mention that some believe that ICH is always present in the water column. With that in mind, it is of the utmost importance to determine what stressed your fish to allow them to be susceptible to ich. Any recent additions? Any territory problems among tankmates? Stable temp, ph, SG, and salinity? Something's gotta be a contributing factor.
That reminds me...I need to setup a QT :notsure:

I know what caused it. I recently pulled out all the rock and fish to get a mean yellow tang out. I added a dawrf angel about 3 weeks later without ausing a QT. The angel got sick and then all the other did too. I should have waited longer to add another fish and used a QT.
 
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