Critique my hospital tank

[randygsx]

Hi Guys,

 

The clowns I pickedup this weekend came down with ich over the evening and so I'll have to hospitalize them :/

 

The tank only has the 2 clowns, snails, hermits, and LPS/shrooms/softies.

 

It's been setup since xmas and has been runing fishless since.

 

Here is the damage control plan:

 

Just picked up a 20gallon tank from my co-worker's house during lunch.

 

When I get home, I will do a water change on my 12dx nanocustoms cube putting 25% of the water into the 20gallon tank. I will then fill up the 20 gallon with water from the LFS that I use to do water changes on my main tank (so the water is the same).

 

I'll then match the temp/ph/salinity of the hospital tank to the main tank.

 

In the Hospital tank, I will put a minijet606 Powerhead and a 50watt heater.

 

Picking up a light and hood for the hospital tank after work.

 

To fight the ich, I'll be feeding the clowns mysis soaked in garlic extract while dosing copper.

 

I'll do 1gal water changes on the hospital tank every other day for about a month.

 

I have an ammonia test kit so I'll be testing for any traces of ammonia.

 

How does this sound? Is it wise to move the fish right away with this plan? Will ammonia be in check with just waterchanges?

 

I've been doing reading on ich and treatment all morning and this is what i've come up with. Feel free to add your 2c.

 

BTW, my main tank is stocked with corals and inverts so I can't treat the fish there.

 

Thanks!

~randy

[randygsx]

Well...no replies

 

I'm going home in a half hour and will pickup a heater, some garlic extract, and copper dosing kit.

 

~randy

[Six]

What kind of bio filtration you plan on using?

 

Honestly, I'd get a foam prefilter unit for the powerhead or use a seeded sponge filter.

 

The only problem is that even with "seeded" water, the tank is going to need some places for bacteria to colonize and stay to break down the fish waste. You'll need some sort of bio filtration.... anything... or else all is in vain. Without bio filtration you're going to need to do large daily water changes to keep ammonia low/tolerable.

 

i'd cover the tank on all but the front with black backing to help relieve stress. get the light on a timer so you arent turning off and on the light at different times. Feed well and maintain the water quality. Usually doing that will rid the fish of crypt better/faster than any supplement/medicine.

 

GL

[doody]

what do you recomend? Can you just put some base rock in there? With a seeded sponge in a hob like the ac300?

[Six]

if you dont want to run a hospital tank 24/7 (and who does?) just keep a sponge filter running in your sump. then you can take it out and some water and have a QT tank all ready to go in minutes, no cycle nessecary.

 

you can maintain a sponge or two the same way, and then toss it in a AC or HOB to instantly seed your QT.

Yes, i'd get some base rock to add as well. you can use dry rock, like lace rock, but it wont add to your bio filter like base or lr will. the rocks you use will depend on what kind of medicines you are needing to use. if it's proactive QT before adding the new fish to your display, id definilty use lr/base rock. if youre using the qt tank for harsh medicines, dry rock will work alright.

 

GL

[doody]

Don't plan on useing meds. Just hyposilinity. I don't have a sump yet, but got an ac300 on my disply for extra flow. I was gonna put a sponge in the ac300 to seed it then move it over to the hospitol tank along with water from main display. Should I keep the sponge in the ac300 for biofiltration in the hos. tank?

[Six]

Yup, or else you're going to accidently cycle your tank with a new fish, which is not good.

[doody]

Should I remove all my fish? I got a strawberry basslet, green manderin, and a yashia hase goby. From what I can see, the basslet is the only one with ick right now, and I thought manderins were immune to ick.

[doody]

Well the basslet died. Do I need to get the other two guys out of there?

[doody]

^

[Six]

stawberry basslet? sounds like a pseudochromis. those are usually foolproof... what's your water testing out like? how about temp? in the summer and winter the stress of temp fluctuations can severely degrade a fish's immune system and their ability to cope with stress.

 

Mandarins have a very heavy slime layer so they are more resistant to external parasites like crypt, but it is still possible.

 

Id say if they dont show signs of crypt, leave them in the main tank and maintain the water quality. it's that simple with many diseases.... just make the tank less habitable for the parasite/infection. kinda like if you had a cut, you'd keep it clean and away from dirt. if your fish are sick, make sure their environment, which is all up to you, is clean, stress free, and natural.

 

dont worry too much and just maintain that water, you'll be fine.

 

good luck

[doody]

Yeah, i was haveing some big temp swings for awhile, but got them undercontrol. Water tests are good. If I leave them in the tank. Wont the tank still have ick?

[Six]

well yeah, but if you take them out, it's still going to be in the tank for the same amount of time. crypt is usually present in all aquariums it's a matter of stress as to if the fish are suseptable to getting sick. make them unsuseptable, and it's not going to matter what tank they are in. frankly, moving them to a new environment and caring for two tanks instead of just one is more stress than needed on the fish and yourself.

you can do it, but you're still going to need to watch the main tank. they got sick for a reason, and if you dont find it, it's going to be present when you put the fish back in if you pull them out and qt them.

 

so yeah, id just fix the problem now.

 

whats your ph ammonia nitrite nitrate alk sg and temp at? saying "it's good" can mean different things to different people. i know a few reefers that think a 20ppm nitrate is good, when in fact 0 is ideal. when getting over disease, we're looking for exact water parameters and trying for 'ideal' not just 'ok' or 'good enough'. that's how you beat disease.

 

gl