hospital/QT

[reefer769]

i now have 2 clowns that are not showing any signs of ICH, but i have a tang and a butterfly that have white spots all over, i am going to buy a 10gallon aquarium a small heater and a small filter. i am going to take 10gallons of water from my main and put it into the 10gal, and put the 2 clowns in there and i am going to take back the tang and butterfly and trade them for maybe a chromis and an angel. and when i trade them i am planning on putting the new fish in the 10gal with the clowns, and i am planning on watching the 10 gallon to see if any of the fish show signs of ICH, becuase the 2 clowns dont show any sings yet. and this will give the main take 30 days without fish to get rid of the ICH cycle, and then after the 30 days and everything is OKAY i will put the fish back into the main.

how does this sound?

[hitillidie]

usually clown are pretty ich resistance. I'd leave them in the 30gal and now if you want to take the tangs back or if they would take them back that's fine. but do DO NOT buy more fish, get a store credit. Over the next month do four 7 gal water change. Then check your water parameter, mainly nitrates. If everythings fine add one fish, waite another two weeks then add another. Take it slow.

[Mrs Smith]

I wouldn't get new fish right away. That many fish in a 10g will be just as stressful.

Do some reading about garlic and stress as factors in ich outbreaks.

Oh, and I'm thinking that 30 days isn't long enough, but I haven't dealt with ich in a long time, so I'm rusty in that area.

[reefer769]

ive read that it takes 28 days for ich to loose its life cycle, in a tank without a host.

[Tasher80]

I agree with the above. Don't add any new fish yet. Let the tank go a while with the two. Then you can add one. Let the tank get used to that one then add your last. You want the tank to be able to increase its bacteria to take care of the BIO load the new fish have. If you add too many at one you will have ammonia spikes.