Tank transfer method question

[RabbitKC99]

I've had fish in a 5 gallon bucket since Friday; this morning was the day for the first transfer. I ended up leaving the light on all night; when I woke up at 6am, I shut it off. Left things dark for 2.5 hours, then did the transfer (it went very smoothly).

I know per the long threads about ich and TTM that the dark is when the parasite falls off... Was this a wasted transfer?

[thegrun]

I’m not familiar with the transfer tank method but I assume the theory is that by transferring the fish to clean saltwater after a lights out period the ick spores would fall off while the lights are out and before they could mature and reattach you would have transferred the fish to clean water. The problem is not all spores develop at the same time nor would all ick spores necessarily fall off during the lights out period. It only takes a single spore to start the infestation over again. If you know your fish have ick I would strongly recommend you follow one of the tried and true methods. If you are looking for a simple prophylactic method I think you would be much better off with using one of the available fish dip treatment products. You don’t do any harm with your method, but I think it is largely a waste of time.

[Sk8r]

Hmmn, I would suspect that, if it is actually true the ich falls off at night, it only happens when the ich infestation is ready to go to the next stage, so you would never know *which* night they are going to do so.

I've never used this method, have never heard the 'in the dark' theory, and won't otherwise comment, but I know that it involves many transfers. COnsult the fish disease forum for more specific details.

[benjc]

Not sure how much the light plays a role, but coming from someone who had lost a bunch of fish to poor qt,in the past, adding another 3 days and 5 gallons of saltwater is nothing for the peace of mind.

[RabbitKC99]

I'm using it at the start of a quarantine period for new stock. I got the info from this thread originally: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1996525

Upon rereading the first of the 14 pages, I think I'm ok with what I did - the fourth transfer is insurance as it is. I'll just make sure not to fall asleep on the couch with the light on in the future!

[RabbitKC99]

Not sure how much the light plays a role, but coming from someone who had lost a bunch of fish to poor qt,in the past, adding another 3 days and 5 gallons of saltwater is nothing for the peace of mind.

Good point. I think I'll ask on the specific thread and hope I hear back before I get to the 4th transfer.

[Dmorty217]

The ich does fall off at night and go into the substrate where it multiplies and starts the cycle over again. Not sure exactly how long the dark period needs to be for the parasite to change life cycles. You should have darkness every night to mimic what the fish will eventually be housed in. Every 3rd day morning is when the TT needs to take place, I did this very successfully with my Achilles and had darkness from 10pm to 7am every night for the 14 day TT