Ich on Multiple Fishes

[jgb23]

What happens if you have multiple fish with Ick on it. After having no ick for over a year, I got a new fish who had ick (a yellow eye tang) who in turn got at least 2 others (blue hippo and a coral beauty) infected. How do I treat multiple fish? Based on what I read and as far as hospital tank sizes go, I would need 60 gallons for a hospital tank if I want to traeat all 3. Is this feasible?

[leebca]

I can't say what is or isn't feasible. Is a quarantine process feasible? Is treating a group of fishes feasible? Is getting a group of fish infected feasible? All beyond my expertise.

I can however say that what is needed is that all the fish (even those that are not showing symptoms) need to come out of the aquarium and into one or more hospital tanks. You can set up one for each fish or the single estimated 60 gallon size, you estimated. After they are moved, the display system goes fishless for 8 weeks and the fishes need to be treated by one of the three known cures. I'd recommend hyposalinity.

If you find that you've had to buy a few small setups (they may be found here in the US for less than $50 each if bought as a package), then keep one for future quarantining of new fish acquisitions and give the rest away as Christmas presents when you're finished with them. Timing is good for that plan. ;)

Good luck!

[jgb23]

thanks Lee. The diseased fish died last night, so I am down to two. Not sure if he died due to illness or my rouge Mantis Shrimp (who i have been trying to catch) got him. All I know is that I had to move a bunch of LR around to get the carcase out and the mantis was feeding.
Out of the two, I am have to analyze whether or not the Coral beauty if infected. The Blue Hippo is coved and need to get him into treatment. I need to get a tank tonight or tomorrow and get things setup. I will keep everyone posted.

[leebca]

Don't forget to treat the Coral Beauty as if it is infected even if you don't see any spots. Seeing is not believing. All fish in the tank are infected.

Other than the above, it sounds like you're moving down the right path. Please read this closely: Marine Ich - Myths and Facts

Good luck!

[rjs5134]

Take out each piece of live rock and place into a bucket of fresh(saltless) RO/DI water that has the same Ph and temp as the DT. Within a few seconds the mantis shrimp will come out of the rock.

[leebca]

. . .and the live rock will be dead rock.

[jgb23]

I am amazed on how smart this thing is. I have tried to catch him over the last several months with no success. I have tried all of the traps and he is too smart for that. This creature (who tagged along with my live rock) has probably cost me about 100 bucks or more in fish and inverts. I am going to break the tank down in few months and will go trough each rock.

[rjs5134]

Lee, a couple of seconds in freshwater is enough to kill lr?? All of the "visible" life in or on the piece I had to dip seems to be fine. Fortunately I knew which piece the shrimp was in. BTW, the shrimp seems fine also.

[leebca]

Coralline and most algae will die in freshwater. All invertebrates will die in fresh water. A few seconds in freshwater and the rock becomes either dead rock or base rock. Even the bacteria on the rock that is part of the biological system can't handle the 'shock' and may go into a metabolic stasis and run the risk of interfering with the biological filtration while the deaths on the rock contribute to more pollution.

This is not a good thing to do. But since you knew the rock the Mantis was hiding in, it may be worth risking or sacrificing that rock, to get the Mantis out of the display.

[vaporize]

Or make a mantis shrimp trap out of a water bottle and bait it, but that might take a good month or two.

If you know for sure that the mantis is in a certain piece of rock, I rather sacrifice the rock, but I would not do it to every single rock in my tank LOL (else why pay $8/lb).

[jgb23]

I have tried the water bottle trap. He is too smart for it. The problem with the water bottle trick is that it catches everything, but the mantis. As far as figuring out which piece of rock he is on, I have done that as well. I came really close to catching him late last week. I tried to take the rock out, had it 2/3rds to the surface and he bailed out.

[leebca]

You've got a 'smart one.'

Get a large net. When you figure which rock it has taken up with, just lift the rock a little off the surface, enough to get it into a net. Then lift the rock and net out quickly.

Good luck!

[rjs5134]

I had no luck with the bottle method either. That is the reason I went the other route with a quick dip in FW. Certainly not to dispute Lee's advise, but the red feather dusters on the rock, the bristleworms and other algae(except coraline), as well as the mantis shrimp all appear to still be alive weeks after the dip. The coraline algae seems to have died, but that will return quick enough. Obviously I can't see the bacteria, so I will take Lee's word and assume it too needs time to regenerate. Fortunately no noticeable water quality changes.

Rob