badfish said:
my skimmer did have a biobale, but i did take it out, Can i use part of the biobale in the biowheel filter in place of the sponge?
As long as the bale was still part of the operational skimmer, yes it would have been fine. Otherwise it would need to be reseeded first.
badfish said:
well, i ripped off the sponge (the wooly part) and put my biobale back in my skiimer for the time being to keep the sponge in place. I also was able to hook up the filter so the biowheel also gets some buildup on it. Hopefully, i wont need to use them anytime soon, but if i do, hopefully the sponge and biowheel has good enough bacteria.
The biowheel would have actually been enough if it had been on the main for a few weeks. Since you have nothing else, do what you suggested for as long as possible and then transfer over to the
QT.
How long will fish live with the ick? Only because you said 1-2 weeks to get good build up. what should i do if signs show up in two to three days?
Under ideal conditions a fish can "live with" the parasite for a few weeks. It really comes down to the health of the fish and quality of environemnt. More often than not, the infestation will come back in greater number at each life cycle so don't rely on that. You usually don't have that much time , a week at most once a full blown infestation is realized so do not wait for the
HOB biowheel to become seeded. If the fish need treating, transfer them and start the Cupramine treatment. You'll need to be sure you have some
SW made up ahead of time for water changes to control ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. Be sure to test the ammonia and nitrite 2x daily if possible. It can jump unexpectedly. Also be sure the copper is tested daily to be sure the 0.5
ppm level is properly maintained. It takes two days to introduce the Cupramine so take that into account as well.
Be absolutely sure that nothing from the
QT goes back to the main. If the
HOB needs reseeding again in future, toss the old wheel attachment and buy a replacement. Drop it in the skimmer housing for a few weeks to seed it.
Cheers
Steve