7 weeks fishless?

[dianeww]

I've been away from here, having a rather depressing year with my tank. Now: I'm almost starting over, except for my favorite inverts, who have been great survivors! Is the consensus that 7 weeks is a good amount of time to leave the tank fishless after having ich or marine velvet, or both? I have two clowns in quarantine who are very anxious to get into better quarters!

 

[sooju]

This article says 30 days. I feel your pain, my clowns (and cardinals) have been in hypo since November. :-(

ATJ's Marine Aquarium Site - Reference - Hyposalinity Treatment

 

[dianeww]

Thanks sooju! I never heard anyone else say as little as 30 days. Any other input out there? Is 6-8 weeks generally the accepted time?

I'm pretty sure I had both velvet and white spot in the main. One of the lfs girls (who is generally Very knowledgeable) told me you don't have to go fishless after velvet, only ick. True, you experts?

 

[Innovator]

Your lfs girl is incorrect. 6-8 weeks is the general consensus for velvet, but I prefer 10-12 just to be safe with an elevated temperature of no more than 86F to speed the process.

 

[melosu58]

I agree with James that she is incorrect also. BTW Diane did you treat the clowns with hypo or anything else while they were in the QT.

 

[dianeww]

Clowns and QT have been treated with copper (Coppersafe). Main tank has been fishless since 11/11/08. Clowns are still in QT. What say you all?

 

[catmel]

It wouldnt hurt to wait longer. I did put my clown back in my tank though after 7 weeks and all went well after that. The longer the better, but 7-8 weeks I'd say is the bare minimum , and you should be ok with that.

 

[sooju]

Main tank has been fishless since 11/11/08. Clowns are still in QT. What say you all?

What did you decide to do? My main tank has been fishless since 11/15/08 and I'm thinking about adding fish back in next week. *gulp*

 

[dianeww]

Thank you, Sooju, for your continuing interest! We do seem to be in the same boat.

Today my tank has been fishless for 8 full weeks. This morning, I took my two clowns out of quarantine ...they are the first residents of my second go-around. (Well, fishy residents anyway) The tank looks good, and the clowns look super and happy .

I just got back from the LFS, where I bought a small hippo tang, and he is just being acclimated to the QT! The LFS suggested lowering the salinity in the QT to 1.016, where they keep their fish tanks. Also said to have copper ready, just in case, which I do. So that's where I am for now!

Let us know what you decide to do with your tank, too, Sooju. Next week sounds like good timing if everyone is healthy. Good luck!

 

[sooju]

Congrats on getting your tank back!!! I'm sure your clowns are thrilled to have space to stretch their fins again. Good luck with the tang, I know they're ich magnets so aren't you glad you learned about the importance of QTing?

Why does your LFS recommend 1.016 for QT?

My main tank will reach the 8-week fishless mark on Saturday. I am in the process of raising the salinity in my hypo hospital tank this week (the five fish who survived never showed signs of ich to begin with) and plan to return four of the fish to the LFS, keeping only a cardinal. I may keep a clown too, but I'd like to have a friendly tank so I'm tempted to just get a new clown down the road when my less agressive occupants have staked out their territory. My QT tank is happily occupied by a cheerful canary wrasse whose 4-week release date is January 21st. Man, will I be happy to get down to a single tank some day!!! It's hard managing three tanks!

 

[dianeww]

The lfs said the lower salinity might help prevent an outbreak of ich on the ich-prone fish. They keep their tanks at 1.016, with copper. Anybody think that's reasonable? It sounded good to me.

 

[Innovator]

That is ich (cryptocaryon) folklore. In order to eradicate the parasite naturally the salinity must be <16ppt (<1.009); otherwise, lowering the salinity is pointless other than therupeutic osmoregulation. If the copper concentration is correctly measured and kept at a constant rate then it should help parasitic infestations from constantly reoccuring, but there are downsides to this method as well. Regardless of an lfs' "quarantine" or "expert care," I would always quarantine separately yourself and consider any fish sold as succeptible to a repeating parasitized system.