Here is a question which I think I know the answer to?!?!?

[Fxdupcobra]

I now have ick again in my display tank. I don’t know how it got in there I quarantine all my fish. My only assumption is that I had ick in the tank before. I currently have one maroon clown, regal, puffer and powder blue. They all seem to be doing ok for now.

I am debating three options:
1) Remove my corals and put them in my coral hospital tank and Hypo my display with the fish?
2) Remove all the fish and put them in one 30 gallon and 1 10 gallon tank (I think its too small for all the fish) and then leave the display fishless for 6 weeks.
3) Since most of my fish have already survived an ick attack see what happens in time and let them be? (This might keep ick in my tank for future attacks)?

So what would be best, I want to do number 1 but I dont know if that will do more harm then good.

[leebca]

It's unclear whether your tank has live rock in it. If you run a hyposalinity in a display tank all invertebrate life in and on the live rock will die. It is unclear whether or not your display has a substrate. If you run hypo in the display with substrate, all invertebrate lifeforms in the substrate will die.

The die off will pollute the tank and if the fish survive the treatment, the disease, and the poisoning, it would be a bit of a miracle. Besides the life lost, economic loss may occur -- any live rock will be turned into base rock.

You need to choose the path towards the goal you want to achieve and the kind of aquarist you want to be.

If you choose 2 you will get rid of the disease for good/for all time. Your fish will be returned to health and their natural vitality.

If you choose 3 the disease will linger and potentially claim the life of one or more of the fish there now. But there is another factor to this choice which aquarists don't think about -- leaving fish in a diseased tank puts stress on the fish. It weakens them; it shortens their lifespan; it makes them more susceptible to other conditions/diseases, and lastly it 'bothers' them. It's like a human with a dozen mosquito bites. The fish will be bothered by the irritation that comes with being infested. So although 3 is easy for the aquarist, it is hard on the livestock.

Good luck!

[Fxdupcobra]

Thanks Leebca for the response as always. I do have Live Rock (50 lbs) and Live Sand so the question is now that I have my powder blue in the 30 gallon to keep him away from my regal so that I can re-introduce him in 6 weeks should I add the puffer and my clown in there and hypo it and setup my regal in the 10 gallon and hypo that and leave my display empty? Would that be enough room for them?

Regal = 3.5 inches
Maroon = 3 inches
Puffer = 3 inches
Powder Blue = 4.5 inches

[Fxdupcobra]

Or what would be the best combination with these fish and one 30 gallon and one 10 gallon?

[leebca]

That grouping of fishes and that set of QTs is hard to put together very well.

If you had two 30g I could see possibilities. Can you borrow another 30? or can you buy another 30 and then when you're done, sell it or give it away as a Christmas present to someone that may want to setup an aquarium?

With two 30's the Puffer and Maroon in one and the other two in the other would be good enough for the treatment. To put two in the 10 would not be good for either one, but if you must. . .Put the Puffer and Maroon in the 10. These two will likely get along and tolerate the lack of space. The other two will definately need space.

I would recommend that the display tank go at least 8 weeks fishless.

[Fxdupcobra]

The problem is when I had the Regal and tang int he display the Tang was killing the Regal. Thats when i put the Tang in the 30 gallon and re-arranged by display. Now if I add the regal in the 30 gallon the Tang will do it again. You think that the 10 gallon is too small for the regal for 8 weeks?

[leebca]

There's no accounting for 'personality clashes.'

The Regal in the 10 is not right. That may stress the fish out considerably. It is also hard to keep up on the pollutant buildup. If you want to try it, you should have an immediate back-up plan should the fish stop eating, or you find the pollutants too hard to keep up with.

But what about the other 3? The 3 in the 30? Not good.