parasite prevention

ci11337

Active Member
more specifically the most common parasite, ICH.(although i'd bet it helps prevent all parasites) I lost my first set of fish way back when to an ICH plague. Afterwards i let my tank run fishless for 10 weeks and haven't had problems since. 10 weeks is the longest amount of time an ich parasite can live without a host.
So to prevent ICH from ravaging your tank.
-once you have all your LR, let the tank run w/o fish for 10 weeks.
-dip/QT all fish and corals before adding them to tank. (i didn't do this but it would surely help)
-feed you fish a good diet.
 

ci11337

Active Member
Yes but quarantining your fish won't do you much good if the LR in your DT is crawling with parasites.
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by ci11337
http:///forum/post/2736067
Yes but quarantining your fish won't do you much good if the LR in your DT is crawling with parasites.
Ich dies in three weeks without a host. You can quarantine your rock and other non fish for four weeks just to be safe. Other than that just quarantine new purchases. If parasites do not enter the display then they will not be a problem.
 

ci11337

Active Member
^ thats basically just what i said in the first place.
Where did you hear 3 weeks? Everyone i have talked to said 8 and an article in aquarium fish magazine said 10. If you can find where you saw that i would appreciate it, more people would do this if it wasn't necessary to wait so long.
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by ci11337 http:///forum/post/2736211
^ thats basically just what i said in the first place.
Where did you hear 3 weeks? Everyone i have talked to said 8 and an article in aquarium fish magazine said 10. If you can find where you saw that i would appreciate it, more people would do this if it wasn't necessary to wait so long.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/127007/faqs-fish-diseases-treatments-quarantine-health-info
If you are removing infested fish from a display that is all set up then wait at least 6-8 weeks before adding fish back in. If you are quarantining new non-fish then three weeks is all that is needed.
 
Originally Posted by Al Mc
http:///forum/post/2737568
Some of us even go the extra (perhaps unnecessary) step of performing hyposalinity on new fish during their time in QT.
Wouldn't doing so basically be the equivelant to you or I taking antibiotics when we don't need them? or are you noticing small things from the start?
 

al mc

Active Member
Originally Posted by Tomato Clown
http:///forum/post/2737582
Wouldn't doing so basically be the equivelant to you or I taking antibiotics when we don't need them? or are you noticing small things from the start?
IMHO, hyposalinity is safe and effective. The hyposalinity state (sg 1.009) is closer to the fish's internal salinity levels than the 1.026 sg that many keep their reef tanks at. It is therefor valid to argue that it actually reduces stress on a new arrival. Personally, I keep new arrivals at normal (1.026) salinity for the first 3-4 days. As long as they are eating and acting 'normally'
I then do a three week hypo on them. When fisnished I keep them for an extra week in the salinity of my DT (1.026), then drip acclimate them.
I do this because like many others, I had a bad Ich outbreak when first getting into the hobby and do not want have to watch fish die from Ich or go through the expense and time required to treat a number of fish in a large reef system.
Unlike the overuse of antibiotics that could lead to resistent strains of bacteria I do not see a 'down side' to routine hypo use.
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by Tomato Clown
http:///forum/post/2737609
OK, I feel a bit dumb now..lol I misread.
I'm way too tired
There is no reason to feel that way. You asked a valid question and were given a valid answer. I do not hypo new fish, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone else from doing it. If you buy a Tang or an Angel, then definitely hypo them first. There is nothing wrong with doing so. I just choose to observe my fish. Whatever makes you comfortable is fine. If you observe then be certain to watch the fish VERY closely.
 

al mc

Active Member
Originally Posted by Tomato Clown
http:///forum/post/2737609
OK, I feel a bit dumb now..lol I misread.
I'm way too tired
Tomato.....No worries. When I first visited swf.com i thought when people talked about DTs that they were talking about the symptoms people get when they come off of drugs
 
lol, I'm far from new here, I just don't post much. For some odd reason "Medicating" was what was going through my mind as I read.
 
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