Pat24601
Well-Known Member
While I'm not strictly speaking a beginner to saltwater, having been in the hobby for 4 years, I did just recently come upon my first ever instance of having to treat for Marine Ich.
While there are many aspects to this "learning experience" that I think could be worth sharing, one thing I thought I'd talk about is my experiences with using the "Tank Transfer" method to cure Marine Ich.
I spent many, many hours trying to determine how I was going to treat Marine Ich once I knew I had it. Obviously, I started with the Reef Sanctuary thread by Lee, which is excellent.
I debated all 3 of the methods Lee recommends: (1) copper, (2) hypo-salinity, and (3) tank transfer.
After substantial research, I decided to try the tank transfer method, which seems to be the least commonly used method in the hobby as near as I can tell, but with HIGHLY positive views from those who believe in it.
My personal experiences with the tank transfer method were excellent!!! It was really amazing to watch a fish that was absolutely covered in white spots become mostly clean within 3 days and completely clean within 6 (although I did all 12 just to be sure). I had been extremely apprehensive about dealing with Marine Ich and now that I've been through this process, I consider it a pain, but one I can definitely deal with if I have to.
I really feel very good about this method and how well it worked.
Unfortunately, Lee doesn't detail how to perform tank transfer in his thread, so the best reference I found on how to do it is on an external site located here.
I'm not going to repeat the methodology in this thread as it's already well stated there, but the basic idea is that every 3 days for a total of 12 days (4 transfers in total) you take the infected fish out of an old tank and put it in a fresh tank. This lets you target the most predictable stage of the Marine Ich life cycle and basically "outrun" the disease so that the Ich never gets a chance to re-attach itself to the fish as you get the fish out of the tank before the cyst changes to the free swimming stage.
As I mentioned, the purpose of this post isn't to go over the methodology, but rather share my views of it as someone who has treated Ich for the first time and used this method for the first time.
I have several things I really like about the methodology. The advantages listed in the article I cited I agree with and they include:
Specifically, I was nervous as a first time Marine Ich treater that I would mess up copper or hypo. I now understand both methods better and I'm not sure I would have, but from a "can I screw this up" perspective, taking a fish out of one tank and in putting it another tank felt like much lower risk than hoping I get and keep copper levels correct or hoping I get the hypo parameters correct for a person that has never done either before.
I also liked that it didn't involve any chemicals and the risk from ammonia was low because of the frequent tank changes.
The fact that the whole thing is reliably over in 12 days is a big plus as well. It's fast as these things go.
There were some downsides. The main one being that it involves setting up and tank down tanks every 3 days for 12 days. That's considered "quite a bit of work".
Big picture wise, that's why I did it. In this article, what I want to do is mention some of the customizations I did for the process that I personally think were helpful. You can decide for yourself if you agree.
1) My first "customization" is that I strongly believe in using 4 sets of equipment, especially for a first timer, rather than just 2.
The articles about this, and most methods, for treating Marine Ich seem to assume you want to do it on the cheap, which is fine. But, I mean, we are running saltwater tanks and doing something hard. Many of us are used to a little expense.
Because the easiest way to screw up tank transfer is to not get your first set of equipment truly dried before you re-use it from what I read, I strongly believe in going ahead and using 4 sets of equipment instead of 2. This takes that variable out the equation entirely by never using the same equipment twice. Also, many people recommend not even using a tank, but just using some rubbermaid totes because they are easier to clean and dry. That's hardly a lot of money.
Because I roll the way I roll, I guess, I actually used 4 Fluval Spec V freshwater tanks. That's about as expensive as you can do this, really and I wouldn't recommend anyone follow in my footsteps there, but I would recommend you have 4 tanks, or rubbermaid totes, or whatever instead of 2 if you are doing this for the first time and can afford such.
If not, you can definitely do this with only 2 sets of equipment, just be really sure you dry it well between uses. That’s the important part.
I added in a 3" and a 2" 90 degree PVC elbow for hiding places and voila, I was all set. This is a pic of my set up. Easy as can be.
2) My second "customization", similar to the first, is I used 4 nets rather than just 2. Nets are notoriously difficult to get dry and they are cheap. So, why risk it?
3) My third "customization" is I went ahead and treated with seachem prime on day 2 and day 3 just to be sure. I mean, you shouldn't need it, but why not?
That's really it. Everything else I did pretty standard. My fish has been Ich free since treatment (about 5 weeks now), so I have every indication it worked well.
I really believe that tank transfer method is an under-rated way to treat Marine Ich in the hobby from what I read. While it can be perceived as more "work" because you are setting up and tanking down tanks every 3 days for 12 days, it strikes me as a lot less error prone than other methods...especially if you use 4 sets of equipment. I really like that it targets the most predictable part of the Marine Ich life cycle and that it's fast. This makes me feel more confident it really worked effectively and I didn't screw it up.
I'm obviously not saying copper and hypo don't work. There are reasons they are proven and popular, but as a newbie making the decision of how to treat, I thought I'd share my experiences with tank transfer as another viable option for that I find fast, effective, and in my case less intimidating as a newbie to fish disease treatment than those other methods.
While there are many aspects to this "learning experience" that I think could be worth sharing, one thing I thought I'd talk about is my experiences with using the "Tank Transfer" method to cure Marine Ich.
I spent many, many hours trying to determine how I was going to treat Marine Ich once I knew I had it. Obviously, I started with the Reef Sanctuary thread by Lee, which is excellent.
I debated all 3 of the methods Lee recommends: (1) copper, (2) hypo-salinity, and (3) tank transfer.
After substantial research, I decided to try the tank transfer method, which seems to be the least commonly used method in the hobby as near as I can tell, but with HIGHLY positive views from those who believe in it.
My personal experiences with the tank transfer method were excellent!!! It was really amazing to watch a fish that was absolutely covered in white spots become mostly clean within 3 days and completely clean within 6 (although I did all 12 just to be sure). I had been extremely apprehensive about dealing with Marine Ich and now that I've been through this process, I consider it a pain, but one I can definitely deal with if I have to.
I really feel very good about this method and how well it worked.
Unfortunately, Lee doesn't detail how to perform tank transfer in his thread, so the best reference I found on how to do it is on an external site located here.
I'm not going to repeat the methodology in this thread as it's already well stated there, but the basic idea is that every 3 days for a total of 12 days (4 transfers in total) you take the infected fish out of an old tank and put it in a fresh tank. This lets you target the most predictable stage of the Marine Ich life cycle and basically "outrun" the disease so that the Ich never gets a chance to re-attach itself to the fish as you get the fish out of the tank before the cyst changes to the free swimming stage.
As I mentioned, the purpose of this post isn't to go over the methodology, but rather share my views of it as someone who has treated Ich for the first time and used this method for the first time.
I have several things I really like about the methodology. The advantages listed in the article I cited I agree with and they include:
* Easy to perform
* As close to 100% effective as treatment methods get
* Low stress on the fish (no chemicals necessary or shifting in salinity)
* Low ammonia build-up risk since doing frequent complete water changes
* Can dose ammonia detox products while performing TTM
* Takes only 12 days
* As close to 100% effective as treatment methods get
* Low stress on the fish (no chemicals necessary or shifting in salinity)
* Low ammonia build-up risk since doing frequent complete water changes
* Can dose ammonia detox products while performing TTM
* Takes only 12 days
Specifically, I was nervous as a first time Marine Ich treater that I would mess up copper or hypo. I now understand both methods better and I'm not sure I would have, but from a "can I screw this up" perspective, taking a fish out of one tank and in putting it another tank felt like much lower risk than hoping I get and keep copper levels correct or hoping I get the hypo parameters correct for a person that has never done either before.
I also liked that it didn't involve any chemicals and the risk from ammonia was low because of the frequent tank changes.
The fact that the whole thing is reliably over in 12 days is a big plus as well. It's fast as these things go.
There were some downsides. The main one being that it involves setting up and tank down tanks every 3 days for 12 days. That's considered "quite a bit of work".
Big picture wise, that's why I did it. In this article, what I want to do is mention some of the customizations I did for the process that I personally think were helpful. You can decide for yourself if you agree.
1) My first "customization" is that I strongly believe in using 4 sets of equipment, especially for a first timer, rather than just 2.
The articles about this, and most methods, for treating Marine Ich seem to assume you want to do it on the cheap, which is fine. But, I mean, we are running saltwater tanks and doing something hard. Many of us are used to a little expense.
Because the easiest way to screw up tank transfer is to not get your first set of equipment truly dried before you re-use it from what I read, I strongly believe in going ahead and using 4 sets of equipment instead of 2. This takes that variable out the equation entirely by never using the same equipment twice. Also, many people recommend not even using a tank, but just using some rubbermaid totes because they are easier to clean and dry. That's hardly a lot of money.
Because I roll the way I roll, I guess, I actually used 4 Fluval Spec V freshwater tanks. That's about as expensive as you can do this, really and I wouldn't recommend anyone follow in my footsteps there, but I would recommend you have 4 tanks, or rubbermaid totes, or whatever instead of 2 if you are doing this for the first time and can afford such.
If not, you can definitely do this with only 2 sets of equipment, just be really sure you dry it well between uses. That’s the important part.
I added in a 3" and a 2" 90 degree PVC elbow for hiding places and voila, I was all set. This is a pic of my set up. Easy as can be.
2) My second "customization", similar to the first, is I used 4 nets rather than just 2. Nets are notoriously difficult to get dry and they are cheap. So, why risk it?
3) My third "customization" is I went ahead and treated with seachem prime on day 2 and day 3 just to be sure. I mean, you shouldn't need it, but why not?
That's really it. Everything else I did pretty standard. My fish has been Ich free since treatment (about 5 weeks now), so I have every indication it worked well.
I really believe that tank transfer method is an under-rated way to treat Marine Ich in the hobby from what I read. While it can be perceived as more "work" because you are setting up and tanking down tanks every 3 days for 12 days, it strikes me as a lot less error prone than other methods...especially if you use 4 sets of equipment. I really like that it targets the most predictable part of the Marine Ich life cycle and that it's fast. This makes me feel more confident it really worked effectively and I didn't screw it up.
I'm obviously not saying copper and hypo don't work. There are reasons they are proven and popular, but as a newbie making the decision of how to treat, I thought I'd share my experiences with tank transfer as another viable option for that I find fast, effective, and in my case less intimidating as a newbie to fish disease treatment than those other methods.
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