Help with a hospital tank

I have a powder blue tang that has developed ick, so I am going to set up a quarantine tank to treat him. So I need some advice,
First I was thinking of buying a ten gallon tank and using a large HOB filter I already have. Since this is a temp tank I am not planning on putting in LR or anything like that only a few objects for the fish to hide in. I know this will require frequent water changes but I would be doing that anyway with the ick treatment process.

Second what treatment is the best to look for, I have tried this in the past and have lost fish every time so I am wandering if the treatment I am using is not up to speed.

Any other hints or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

 

i had good luck with "ich-attack" by kordon, its a organic treatment and seemed to clear it up without stressing our kole tang, just my 2cents

 

I have ich-x by aquarium solutions

 

Power Blue's are known ti be ick magnets. I would consider adding a UV sterilizer to your main tank. That would help at least for the next time. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the suggestion!!!

 

First are you sure you have Ich? There are two parasites that have very similar outward appearance but very different treatments. One is Ich and the other is Brooklynella. Copper is the treatment of choice for Ich but it will not cure Brook. Brook can only be cured with Formalin. Formalin will also cure Ich. With Formalin, you put the fish in a QT tanks and treat them with 1 hour baths once every other day for 10 days and the fish are cured but not the tank they came out of. You will have to keep the tank fallow for 8 weeks before putting fish back in. The reason is the life cycle of the Ich parasite. Its eggs lay dormant in the substrata of your tank for up to 8 weeks before they hatch and become swimmers. The swimmers must find a host fish within hours or it dies. Brook multiplies by cell division and the new cell becomes a swimmer which can persist in the tank for up to 4 weeks before it dies for lack of a host. Therefore, you MUST wait a full eight weeks before reintroducing fish or they will become reinfected. As for the QT tank, use nothing from the main tank. Use only RO water. The HOB is fine as long as it has not been used on the main tank for 8 weeks. Put a little as possible in the QT tank. In mine, I put nothing. I also use a Eheim hand vac on the tank after each feeding to eliminate the uneaten food. This and the HOB should keep you water chemistry good. If you go the Formalin route, get 37% Formalin. Then take 1 gal of the QT tank water and put it in a small vessel. To that water add 1cc of the Formalin. Put your fish in for a 60 min bath; 45 mins will do but the longer the better. Formalin does not accumulate in water and after two hours it will have dissipated. So you must mix it new for every bath. I use the QT water so it has the same salinity and PH and temp. You do this every other day for ten days and the fish will be cured of either Ich or Brook. I also add 1cc to the QT tank daily just to kill any swimmers that may be there.

 

2nd 1geo.

As far as the QT tank, dont use any live rock or sand. Simply have either a hob filter or a sponge filter.

Combinations of malachite greena nd formalin will work well, as well as formalin on its own.

Personally, I prefer chloroquine phosphate as it will treat many many different parasitic infections.

 

Any updates, ffm?

 

I am sad to say that the powder blue did not make it I am treating the other fish so keep your fingers crossed. Thanks for all the help on this, I will give more up dates later

 

Sorry about your Powder Blue. They are such beautiful fish, but almost always seem to be problematic.

 

If you lose more fish you need to seriously consider using Formalin baths because you fish may have Brook instead of Ich.

 

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: A Quarantine Tank for Everything by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

 

Sad news I have lost all my fish except for my foxface. So at this point if he does not survive then I guess I had the brooklynella that 1geo told me about. If that is the case I will leave my tank empty for the 8 week period and then try re introducing fish again. Will this stuff hurt my crabs and star fish??

 

No, it only kills fish, sorry for your loss. Geo.

 

Thanks geo, well lesson learned, Hopefully I can start over with a healthier tank this time

 

I would recommend that you buy a bottle of 37% Formalin and keep it on hand. When you buy your new fish put them in a QT tank for 4 weeks before introducing them to the main tank. Do not buy more then two fish at a time. Good luck in the future, Geo.

 

its generally a good idea to have mds on hand to cover any potential outbreak in the future. So that if you ever spot or suspect anything in the future, you cna start treatment right there and then.

 

How long can you keep meds like the formalin? Do they have expiration dates? I have looked at the bottle of Ich-X I have and do not see a use by date. What is a good rule of thumb to go by?

 

When I buy Formalin I mark the date and only keep it for one year then I buy a new bottle. The problem is, as you are aware, Brook kills quickly. With the estimate that 80% of the wild Clownfish stock have Brook the odds are you will run across it again. Immediate treatment will turn things around. I have read on these posts in the past that when buying wild Clownfish stock to treat them in QT as if they have a full blown case of Brook and start the baths the day you bring them home. Ten days later they are free of Brook and Ich parasites and can be introduced to the main tank. The alternative is to QT them for 4 weeks. If they have Brook, you will know it by that time because of the closed environment of the QT tank. Back to your main question, I would buy a new bottle once a year and get rid of the old bottle. Geo.

 

Thanks Geo! Good advice.