live rock coming from a tank with ich

George771177 · 07-28-2007, 08:39 PM

So i want to buy this piece of live rock at the lfs. The problem that i have is that i just got rid of ich in my tank, and the tank that the rock is coming from has ich in it (on the fish). Is thier any tricks to getting rid of the ich on a rock? Leaving it in fresh water for some time? I have a quarintine tank but it is being treated with copper. I really like the rock and its hard to find good live rock around here, but if its going to be putting ich back into my tank forget it because that was a major ordeal. Anyone ever heard of away to rid rocks of ich before putting them in a tank?????

Dentoid · 07-28-2007, 08:59 PM

You could leave in in a small tank or bucket with a powerhead, by itself for 6-8 weeks. I don't think dipping it in fresh water is going to kill the cysts (unhatched parasite) that reside in the rock.

George771177 · 07-28-2007, 09:03 PM

sounds like a good idea.

Just wish it wasnt sucha big task to get another piece of rock in my tank but i would rather have a piece of rock with no ich and wait 6-8 wekss than a rock with ich......

Dentoid · 07-28-2007, 09:07 PM

cioutlaw · 07-28-2007, 09:33 PM

wont be live rock when your done but you could let it dry out or boil it. Im not sure but after a tank has ich I thought it always has ich? I was thinking your fish immune system just keeps it fought off. Maybe Im thinking of something else but it is something to research.

charlesr1958 · 07-28-2007, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cioutlaw

wont be live rock when your done but you could let it dry out or boil it. Im not sure but after a tank has ich I thought it always has ich? I was thinking your fish immune system just keeps it fought off. Maybe Im thinking of something else but it is something to research.

The fact that any tank always has ich, is simply because a great many things about this parasite and its life cycle is not known by an equaly great many hobbyists.

Marine Ich

As for the live rock, if I knew the tank has Ich, I would not take a single drop of water out of that tank let alone a rock, I don't care how great a deal it is, the effort and the odds of infesting my tank and the trouble it takes to get rid of it would not be worth a hundred pounds of free live rock...to me.

Chuck

caitrina · 07-28-2007, 10:37 PM

I wouldn't get it.

George771177 · 07-29-2007, 12:03 AM

k i wont get it because the last fish i got from them had ich and infested my tank. I left the tank fishless for about a month and a half treated the fish with copper and have re-introduced the fish to my tank with no signs of ich so far. i want to buy stuff from them because they are really nice people i just know that their tanks have ich in them. I dont even want to buy corals because i dont want to risk re-infecting my tank. why is everything such a pain? I have to go there to buy R/O water so i feel bad if i dont buy something else over an extended period of time.

kyrie_eleison · 07-29-2007, 01:32 AM

I wouldn't add that peice of live rock from a tank that had ich to your tank "immediately". However, a freshwater dip for about 2 weeks should do the trick. Once you're done, scrub it a bit and dip it in hot water and you should be good to go. You won't have hitch hikers in the rock after that ordeal but trust me; you will still have a nice of rock you can add to your tank.

The other alternative would be to quarantine it for a month in a tank that has no fish in it and let the cycle break. Then remove the rock and place it in your display; you should be alright.

George771177 · 07-29-2007, 02:00 AM

i think the freshwater for 2 weeks is the wawy for me to go. The rock dosent have any corals or anything growing on it and the bacteria that i will lose from doing this really isnt that big of a deal to me. I assume that the rock will gradually obtain the bacteria from my tank after it has been established into the tank for a while thus becoming a live rock again. I think thats how it works. I am also assuming that i will not lose a lot of the purple growth that the rock has on it if i do the freshwater thing for 2 weeks.

kyrie_eleison · 07-29-2007, 02:55 AM

The coralline algae...well, to be honest...probably not. The conditions of the freshwater dip doesn't promote growth. BUT, if you're placing that peice of live rock in an "established" tank, there's no reason you shouldn't see coralline growth with a month or two.

There's a funny trick I once read a while back about what you can do to promote coralline growth. Once you're done with the freshwater dipping, if you have a quarantine tank or better yet...a coral frag. tank with good lighting, place the rock in the tank and let the algae on the rock grow. TRUST ME.

If you have inverts in the display tank such as turbo/cone snails or even emerald/hermit crabs, sometimes their shells will have coralline already on it. Place the algae infested rock in the desired location and by direct intervention, encourage the snails or crabs (placing them on the rock) to indulge in the algae feast and believe it or not...instant coralline growth.

Coralline is quite prolific and it only takes a little bit to promote its growth. Granted, your tank should be mature and stable enough for this purpose.

Good luck my friend.

cioutlaw · 07-29-2007, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlesr1958

The fact that any tank always has ich, is simply because a great many things about this parasite and its life cycle is not known by an equaly great many hobbyists.

Marine Ich

As for the live rock, if I knew the tank has Ich, I would not take a single drop of water out of that tank let alone a rock, I don't care how great a deal it is, the effort and the odds of infesting my tank and the trouble it takes to get rid of it would not be worth a hundred pounds of free live rock...to me.

Chuck

Great artical Chuck & you have a great website as well.

So basicly if you have a tank with ICH & do not remove the fish the cycle will repeat itself & the tank will always have Ich? Is it possible to have ICH for a long period of time & not notice it? If you quarantine ALL fish & corals you are never to have ICH?

07-28-2007, 08:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
George771177 Tuxedo Urchin Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: indiana Posts: 293 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	live rock coming from a tank with ich So i want to buy this piece of live rock at the lfs. The problem that i have is that i just got rid of ich in my tank, and the tank that the rock is coming from has ich in it (on the fish). Is thier any tricks to getting rid of the ich on a rock? Leaving it in fresh water for some time? I have a quarintine tank but it is being treated with copper. I really like the rock and its hard to find good live rock around here, but if its going to be putting ich back into my tank forget it because that was a major ordeal. Anyone ever heard of away to rid rocks of ich before putting them in a tank?????

07-28-2007, 08:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
Dentoid Over Achiever Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 10,258 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: live rock coming from a tank with ich You could leave in in a small tank or bucket with a powerhead, by itself for 6-8 weeks. I don't think dipping it in fresh water is going to kill the cysts (unhatched parasite) that reside in the rock. __________________ Scott Dentoid's Reeforama

07-28-2007, 09:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
George771177 Tuxedo Urchin Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: indiana Posts: 293 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: live rock coming from a tank with ich sounds like a good idea. Just wish it wasnt sucha big task to get another piece of rock in my tank but i would rather have a piece of rock with no ich and wait 6-8 wekss than a rock with ich......

07-28-2007, 09:07 PM	#4 (permalink)
Dentoid Over Achiever Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 10,258 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: live rock coming from a tank with ich __________________ Scott Dentoid's Reeforama

07-28-2007, 09:33 PM	#5 (permalink)
cioutlaw Harlequin Tuskfish Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Champaign Illinois Posts: 958 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: live rock coming from a tank with ich wont be live rock when your done but you could let it dry out or boil it. Im not sure but after a tank has ich I thought it always has ich? I was thinking your fish immune system just keeps it fought off. Maybe Im thinking of something else but it is something to research. __________________ My 120gallon chronical My 225 gallon chronical My website

07-28-2007, 10:37 PM	#7 (permalink)
caitrina Golden Moray Join Date: May 2007 Location: Somewhere in Florida Posts: 2,611 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: live rock coming from a tank with ich I wouldn't get it. __________________ A reef tank is like a potato chip, you can't have just one! Chronicles Cat's Healing Gift: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...ling-gift.html Cat’s 90 Gallon Toy: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...allon-toy.html 24 G Mystery Pod: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...stery-pod.html

07-29-2007, 12:03 AM	#8 (permalink)
George771177 Tuxedo Urchin Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: indiana Posts: 293 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: live rock coming from a tank with ich k i wont get it because the last fish i got from them had ich and infested my tank. I left the tank fishless for about a month and a half treated the fish with copper and have re-introduced the fish to my tank with no signs of ich so far. i want to buy stuff from them because they are really nice people i just know that their tanks have ich in them. I dont even want to buy corals because i dont want to risk re-infecting my tank. why is everything such a pain? I have to go there to buy R/O water so i feel bad if i dont buy something else over an extended period of time.

07-29-2007, 01:32 AM	#9 (permalink)
kyrie_eleison Has been struck by the ban stick Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 273 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: live rock coming from a tank with ich I wouldn't add that peice of live rock from a tank that had ich to your tank "immediately". However, a freshwater dip for about 2 weeks should do the trick. Once you're done, scrub it a bit and dip it in hot water and you should be good to go. You won't have hitch hikers in the rock after that ordeal but trust me; you will still have a nice of rock you can add to your tank. The other alternative would be to quarantine it for a month in a tank that has no fish in it and let the cycle break. Then remove the rock and place it in your display; you should be alright.

07-29-2007, 02:00 AM	#10 (permalink)
George771177 Tuxedo Urchin Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: indiana Posts: 293 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: live rock coming from a tank with ich i think the freshwater for 2 weeks is the wawy for me to go. The rock dosent have any corals or anything growing on it and the bacteria that i will lose from doing this really isnt that big of a deal to me. I assume that the rock will gradually obtain the bacteria from my tank after it has been established into the tank for a while thus becoming a live rock again. I think thats how it works. I am also assuming that i will not lose a lot of the purple growth that the rock has on it if i do the freshwater thing for 2 weeks.

07-29-2007, 02:55 AM	#11 (permalink)
kyrie_eleison Has been struck by the ban stick Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 273 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: live rock coming from a tank with ich The coralline algae...well, to be honest...probably not. The conditions of the freshwater dip doesn't promote growth. BUT, if you're placing that peice of live rock in an "established" tank, there's no reason you shouldn't see coralline growth with a month or two. There's a funny trick I once read a while back about what you can do to promote coralline growth. Once you're done with the freshwater dipping, if you have a quarantine tank or better yet...a coral frag. tank with good lighting, place the rock in the tank and let the algae on the rock grow. TRUST ME. If you have inverts in the display tank such as turbo/cone snails or even emerald/hermit crabs, sometimes their shells will have coralline already on it. Place the algae infested rock in the desired location and by direct intervention, encourage the snails or crabs (placing them on the rock) to indulge in the algae feast and believe it or not...instant coralline growth. Coralline is quite prolific and it only takes a little bit to promote its growth. Granted, your tank should be mature and stable enough for this purpose. Good luck my friend.

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