HEEELLLLPPP!!!

When I had it I fed garlic supplement, got 2 dif types of cleaner fish, and got cleaner shrimp and mine went away havent seen any signs of it in over a year

 

Right now is probably the best time to do it, while they're still eating and nobody is emaciated. I would begin by pulling each fish out and dipping them in a 80ppm formalin bath before transferring them into quarantine. Then lower the salinity each day by 0.003 until you've reached 1.016, it will require 5-6 weeks from there. In the meantime, remove the sand bed from your main tank, cysts will usually hatch and then die when unable to find a host, but a few may lay dormant for a long period of time (bet hedging).

Once I'm done with school, I'm going to begin on developing a monoclonal antibody for ich. I'm going to use a lot of old fashioned methods to avoid the major expenses. In the enId I will need to pay for a CHip assay for a half a dozen samples. But that project is still 2-3 years out.

I like your analogies btw lol

 

If you have a hospital tank ready to go I would start the transition sooner then later. it is going to take 6-8 weeks to get rid of the ich in your display once you remove all the fish. I would not just let them die i would get them out QT them and save as many as I could.

 

The active ingredient in garlic is cysteine sulfoxide, which is produced by most of the plants in the allium genus. It's not a specific cure, and sometimes it doesn't work at all, but it is a non-specific immunostimulant, that is, it elicits an immune response from the animals lymph system and it rapidly begins making B lymphocytes of different specificity from progenitor b stem cells. (Skipping the antigen presenting cells and T cell interactions) Ultimately a small number of these may find specificity for one of a few of the cryptocarion antigens and they will deposit into the spleen where they will multiply and secrete antibodies into the blood system. Anyways....it's a long shot, but it helps, and sometimes it even works.

 

Really depends too, how big is your quarentine and how many fish are you trying to put in there? Quickly establishing waste removal mechanisim is important in a quarentine tank, and if the vessel is too small you're going to have big problems. In any case, maintaining water parameters will consist of adding zeolite (the cheap stuff you get at the LFS "ammonia remover") to your filter and doing frequent 50% water changes at frequency intervals that will depend on the bioload.

 

LOL Andy you are just too smart or I am too dumb but what did you just say?

 

lol Thanks, I'm a freaking nerd for biology and aquarium stuff, I've spent a lot of time studying and reading things that pertain to ocean science, ocean history (fishermen, whaling, naval), coral reef biology, aquarium "stuff."
But taken directly from my profile here's a taste of what I've been exposed to:
"Officially my education has included courses in; fluvial morphology, watershed analysis, hydrogeology, oceanography, sedimentary geology, geostatistics, biostatistics, microbiology, immunology, endocrinology, genetics, chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and more. Unofficially my private studies include piscine disease pathology, plant biochemistry, aquaculture science and economics, microculture, sharks (elasmobrachs), corals and more."

 

yeah I know Im just giving you a hard time. even if i have to google everything you say for layman's terms I get some of the best info from you.

 

Only 1.016?  I read several articles online and the consensus was about 1.009.  I have been running hypo at that level for a week.  Should I bump it up to 1.016?

 

To paraphrase a lot of the info above and also to add a little info....
You need to get all the fish out asap. If they are eating they are healthy enough for the move.
I am hoping your QT tank is at least 1/2 the size as your DT. If it isn't consider buying a 55 gallon from Wal-Mart. Or borrow one. In your case you are gonna need to have them in there for 6-8 weeks. Throw in large PVC fittings for them to hide in.
Filtration: your bioload in the QT is going to be crazy so make sure you are filtering big time. Your water can go from crystal clear to **** bath in a matter of hours. Borrow some hang on back magnums or similar and run them with carbon. Do water changes 10% almost daily. Or do larger changes every 5 days or weekly.
Treatment. I would do some sort of copper treatment in your QT tank. If you do use copper don't run carbon in your hang on filter. I don't have any experience with hyposalinity. I am sure you can do it right, but make sure you go slow.....
Good luck man.

 

It will kill everything but fish & bacteria.

 

No, a cyst without a fish can live 6 weeks max

 

No you're correct, I should have put 16ppt, actually less than 16ppt is recommended and 14-16ppt is about 1.009-1.011

 

Yes in 99.999999999999% of cases, and especially in a isothermal environment since excystment is temperature dependent >77 degrees F. However, some developmental irregularities do occur at times and theronts have been detected up to 3 months after an aquarium has been emptied of hosts. Considering that once a fish has been qt'ed and rid of parasites, they do develop some lasting immunity and the assault of a few late hatching cysts is unlikely to be a serious threat. Again, the event that a cyst would last this long is VERY improbable, but not impossible.
Removal tomonts has been successful by employing a light sand bed for them to deposit in, and then removing the sand at 3 day intervals. Although beware that cryptocaryon can increase ten fold within just 6-8 days!

 

No, practically I would qt @ 1.010 for 6 weeks, and then put the fish back into the display tank.
Edit: i guess also I would dip them in a formalin treatment prior to transfer, and feed some garlic while in qt. Once you've gone through that for 6 weeks, you really have little to worry about.
Oh yeah....and good luck on not disturbing the rock lol

 

Andy since your lowering the salinity so drastically would it be safe to say that at least a few days prior to reintroducing the fish to the DT you should bring the salinity back up to 1.026 in the qt?