What to do now?

[Srkoe]

If you've seen my other thread you know my sap's passed . So now I have an empty 30 gallon that I want to move one of my gsp's to. I've read that ich/velvet will die after 3-4 days with no host. However, there are two mystery snails, 4 shrimp and live plants. Can the snails and shrimp host the ich? I also need to move the plants to another tank because the tank is going brackish then full marine over the next few months. What do I need to do to the tank to rid it of disease and keep it cycled?

[J-P]

Good question.

Sad to hear about the little guy

[Pufferpunk]

I'd leave it fallow (without a host) for a month.

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

Ick can go dormant. I use to think that they would die off without a host too but I have seen otherwise. Everyone has their own opiniuns and theories on the matter. Ick can be extremely tricky. And super ick is the one that wipes out awhole livestock and very stubborn to treat. But we are hoping this is just ick. Btw, sorry that you lost all of them .

[Srkoe]

But what about the snails and shrimp? Is there anything I can do to keep it cycled during this time?

[RTR]

Ick cannot go dormant. It has no dormant form, just as nitrification bacteria do not. If the tank is left without vertebrates for 10 days of more, it will be free of Ich if the temperature as at or above 75F. That siad and valid, I would keep it vacant for two weeks or more myself - I am very conservative.

But I would load the tank with healthy pond or ramshorn snails and feed it just as if there ordinary fish in it, all to keep the nitrification bacteria alive. I'd use flake food on alternate days and do a big partial (2 back to back 50% changes) before adding more fish.

[Pufferpunk]

OK, 2 weeks then! :p

[Pufferpunk]

OK, 2 weeks then!

[Srkoe]

Thanks RTR!!! That answered all my questions. Happy to hear that I'll be able to get my gsp in the tank sooner than expected! Can I go ahead and start raising my salinity slowly to about .002 -.004 during this time or will that kill off the snails?

[Pufferpunk]

I would wait.

[Srkoe]

That's what I figured, thanks!

[I.Puff.Too]

Isn't saltwater and freshwater ich 2 different things?..why not change that tank to the salinity of the tank the GSP is in now, and then seed that tank with filter media/substrate from the tank as well? I would think the salt water would kill the freshwater ich, what does everybody else think?

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

Ick cannot go dormant. It has no dormant form, just as nitrification bacteria do not. If the tank is left without vertebrates for 10 days of more, it will be free of Ich if the temperature as at or above 75F. That siad and valid, I would keep it vacant for two weeks or more myself - I am very conservative.

But I would load the tank with healthy pond or ramshorn snails and feed it just as if there ordinary fish in it, all to keep the nitrification bacteria alive. I'd use flake food on alternate days and do a big partial (2 back to back 50% changes) before adding more fish.

There is extremely stubborn ick that resists just about everything we throw at it and can hold on alittle longer without a host for a good while. I know most of us has gone through this with this super ick (some likes to call it including myself) sometime due their life time. This is what Im refering to. I know there is mixed opinions about it and hear them all the time. Not going to argue about it because there has been enough of that here lately just giving my opinion.

[Pufferpunk]

I wonder if that's like the super fleas in the south. Nothing kills them! I always compare the ich's life cycle to a flea's.