PDA

View Full Version : Hypo treatment setup


Jongalt26
05/03/2016, 12:06 PM
Well looks like my lps reef tank got a bit of ich, It showed up on my 2 year old tang a couple of days ago (with no other signs on other fish at the initial outbreak) however last night it has spread to another fish. I'm not certain how it got in the tank considering everything was QT'd 4-5 weeks prior to entry (observation QT only, no copper nor hypo) Although i did throw in a handful of cheato from my LFS and forgot to dip it.
But I digress.

My DT is stocked with the following: orange spot rabbit, hippo, 2 firefish, bonded pair of clowns, midas blenny, algae blenny, diamond watchman goby and a juvenile porc puffer.

My 29 gallon QT is currently housing a purple tang which was to be the final addition to my DT.

I am in the process of rebuilding a 93 gal. cube and intend to replace all of the old equipment / plumbing etc. However I do have my old equipment that i can get up and running as a hospital tank by the weekend to start a hypo treatment. It looks like my only viable options are hypo, copper or TTM. Im going to rule out TTM do the quantity of fish and im not in a rush since my DT will need to be fallow for 72 days.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________

I'd love to get answers to the following questions, these are ones that i've been researching but cant seem to find solid answers to.

1. Is there any benefit if i run copper in the hospital tank (in lieu of hypo)? I will not be using any of the old equipment with exception to the glass tank itself which includes a corner overflow. Or will copper always be present in the tank / overflow? I intend on building this as a FOWLR when I am done with the ich issue

2. The ich is in the early stages (well under 1 wk), my bonded clowns are not showing any symptoms and they are the most valuable fish in the tank. I would love to pull them out and place them in my current QT w/ my expensive purple tang so they dont have to go through hypo, is this a really bad idea?

3. For my hospital tank setup, is this ok: tank, filter socks, sump, protein skimmer, return, small powerhead. A small seed sponge that ive had in my main tank, 1/2 quart of marinepure spheres from my main tank (to be thrown out after use), ammonia lock and possibly some leftover chemi-pure elite bags that i have laying around. PVC pipes and clay pots for fish coves. Are there any suggestions or modifications? Since there is nothing to cycle I would add the fish in after temp, alk & ph match my current tank.

4. How can i keep my sand sifting diamond goby alive since i wont have any sand, my algae blenny, who refuses to eat nori, also poses an issue

5. and how the heck can i catch all of these fish? the problem ones will be the two firefish and the goby (we rarely see the goby). Im thinking the easiest way will be to cast a net on the bottom surface and wait.

6. For my fallow tank i intend on feeding my inverts & LPS (chili / roids) however what i cant determine is will i have to dose ammonia as well to keep my LR cycling?

7. Does anyone know why people claim to have success when nothing is done about the ich and to just to let it run its course?


Thanks a lot,
Jason

ThRoewer
05/03/2016, 08:05 PM
1. copper has no benefit, but rather does harm.

2. because it is in the beginning there is no way to tell if the clowns are infected or not. If they stayed clean while everyone else is severely sick then they might have immunity. Still, I wouldn't risk it to put them with a tang.

3. I wouldn't use a seeded sponge or anything else from the infected system as it could harbor ich cysts. A filter sock should be cleaned daily and ideally sterilized with hot water to kill all protomonts eventually caught in it. Cycling could be done with a biological starter (bacteria in a bottle)

4. Coral sand or gravel on the ground would be fine. Same goes for dead rocks to provide the fish with hiding places. As food for the goby you could try live brine shrimp. With enough light the blenny should have algae to eat within a few days.

5. Traps work in most cases. In extreme cases I've also used barbless hooks.

7. Have a look at this thread for an explanation: Protective immunity against Cryptocaryon irritans (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2544292)

Jongalt26
05/04/2016, 01:39 PM
Thank you very much for getting back to me, i appreciate it.

1. good cause i didnt want to run copper lol

2. yea the more i read the more i understand that even if they arent showing cysts they may not have the immunity and can still carry the parasite.

3. I ordered a new sponge to act as a bio filter (i threw my old one out cause i wasnt planning on reusing that sump) as well as some Dr. Tims bacteria. I also picked up a bottle of the Dr Tims stress reliever as well. I've never cycled with Tims but it looks like i should add my first fish within 24 hours

4. i have some extra laying around of both sand and dead rock, i'll toss that in the tank as well. i wasnt planning on connecting the lights but i think i will now to get the algae growing.

5. barbless hooks are a good idea, thanks

6. im going to dose my main display with ammonia to keep the cycle running.

7 that link was very helpful and informative, thanks for not only sharing it but writing it up as well.

krullshards
05/05/2016, 06:43 AM
Thank you very much for getting back to me, i appreciate it.

1. good cause i didnt want to run copper lol

2. yea the more i read the more i understand that even if they arent showing cysts they may not have the immunity and can still carry the parasite.

3. I ordered a new sponge to act as a bio filter (i threw my old one out cause i wasnt planning on reusing that sump) as well as some Dr. Tims bacteria. I also picked up a bottle of the Dr Tims stress reliever as well. I've never cycled with Tims but it looks like i should add my first fish within 24 hours

4. i have some extra laying around of both sand and dead rock, i'll toss that in the tank as well. i wasnt planning on connecting the lights but i think i will now to get the algae growing.

5. barbless hooks are a good idea, thanks

6. im going to dose my main display with ammonia to keep the cycle running.

7 that link was very helpful and informative, thanks for not only sharing it but writing it up as well.

During TTM/QT I've been feeding my LMB Algae Wafers (http://www.amazon.com/Hikari-Usa-AHK21328-tropical-8-8-Ounce/dp/B00025Z6K2/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1462451852&sr=1-1&keywords=algae+wafers) and he eats them very happily.

Jongalt26
05/05/2016, 09:06 AM
Good call, i'll see if he'll eat them.