ick problem

[arda]

one of my fish had a ick problem and slowly it start spreading to other so i decided to get a hospital tank and moved all the fish in my display tank to it so since they are not in the display tank what do i have to do so i dont loose the good bacteria so i don't have to cycle the tank all over again. Also they id that true that we need to leave the display tank with no fish for 6 weeks?

 

[JohnK]

To eradicate ick with a good chance of success you really want to go fallow for more like 10-12 weeks on the display.

What to do with the fish depends on your treatment strategy. If you will be doing Tank Transfer Method, then you just need two sterile tanks. If you want to try copper or hypo, then you will need to get an established hospital tank going ASAP. (and if you go TTM, you will still want to have a stable hospital for the fish to go into after the TTM treatment).

To set up a hospital tank you'll be treating IN, I'd use water (already exposed, but still) out of the display to fill the hospital, and if you have any mechanical filtration then move that to the hospital to import some bacteria. Get an ammonia alert badge, watch it daily, and have fresh water change water on hand.

To set up a hospital tank that the treated fish would go into after TTM, I'd probably start with newly made water and one of the bacterial booster products you can buy.

Assuming the diagnosis is correct and it's Ick, and not Ick and something else, then I would definitely recommend TTM and then lengthy observation while the display sits fallow.

 

[arda]

Thank you John. My question is about the display tank. since its going to have no fish in it what will happen to the good bacteria? after 12 week when i put the fish back in do i have to go true the cycle again?

 

[reefstarter]

I have never heard of anyuone going through a mew cycle after a QT treatment in the display . Frequent water changes are required in the QT tank though unless its an established always running system . I get what you mean when you ask about the display , since you will not be feeding the fish and no fish waste . But I have never heard about it happening

 

[JohnK]

The display will be fine, the established bacterial and food web populations will just slow down in relation to the lack of fish feeding and waste. Once the fish are returned the tank will adapt quickly (not like with a new cycle where the bacterial strains need to get established and THEN grow to keep up with the waste)

 

[PSU4ME]

Nothing says you couldn't add some food to the tank without fish. I'd dial it back but everyone else still needs to eat!