Velvet and cleaning my newish tank

[markstubb]

I was about 6-7 months into a 20g IM Nuvo AIO, and was putting in my 6th, and last fish (after cycle, did 1-2 fish a month), and the last fish I put in, a Flame Angel, stressed and velvet started showing up. Over the next 1-1.5 weeks or so, lost everything but my inverts.

Now I have a 10g QT. HOB with floss, pump, sponge filter, and heater. Some PVC elbows, and that's about it - a light for examination, don't plan to leave it on all the time.

My question is, which I'm having a hell of a time finding a decent answer to after many days of searching, is how to *really* make sure my DT is rid of anything. I've read so much conflicting information that my head is spinning, and I think a hard-nosed approach will get me what I need.

I basically want to make sure my DT is completely clear of any pests before I start doing QT from here on out, making sure to keep the DT clear of parasites. My initial idea was to just leave the tank fallow for 72 days (have a reminder on my phone for the end of September), but after thinking about it some more, and reading quite a bit, I'm wondering if just going fallow is really fool proof. Then I started to research bleach, and figured that it would just be best to remove the inverts, bleach the tank, and recycle. I even considered replacing all the sand, as at this point, it's a minimal investment, and gives me some decent reassurance. Not to mention it'll be nice, clean, new sand.

Currently in my DT, I have a nassarius snail, cleaner shrimp, 5 or 6 small (blue or red legged) hermits, 5 astrea snails.

So I have a few questions that hopefully someone can help me with:

1. Move inverts to QT, then in the DT, I'd remove all my media, and as much of my sand as I can, and trash it. I'd leave the live rock in. Add some qty of bleach into the tank and run it for a few days to kill anything. Replace all the water, put in new sand, start a cycle. Move inverts back in after cycle, meanwhile QT'ing a fish or two while the cycle progresses, adding them in after a 8 week QT.

2. If I move my inverts to my QT, do I need to put anything in there for them to dig around in, play on? They'd be in there for whatever period of time it takes for my DT to recycle after a possible bleach cleaning. This actually has been the hardest bit of information to find. No one seems to QT inverts, or if they do, it's for short periods of time as mostly a rinse, but I haven't seen where folks address the environment they'll need in QT. Do I just do a tupperware tub of sand? What happens when they invariably bail out of the tupperware and can't get back in? Just feed them algae tabs or seaweed?

3. I've read that leaving a tank fallow isn't fool proof as some of the encrusted cysts can live for a long, long time (think many, many years).


I basically want to make my DT as spick-and-span as possible. I'm not afraid to do anything to make this happen (as far as a rebuild) - just want to make sure I'm taking care of my inverts properly.

 

[bberman]

I was in the same boat as you. I had a 90g tank that every now and then a little ich would show up on my tangs and killed a mappa puffer. I had decided I was going to get a new tank and didn't know what to do about all of the live rock and sand from the old tanks. What I decided to do was out all of the fish in a qt tank-with small amount of live rock and pvc. I ran copper in the tank for a couple of days but that seemed to stress the fish out really bad so I stopped. I monitored the fish for 2 months in the qt tank with no sign of ich. The sand I trashed. The live rock I put in a 30g tank with one light on it with a heater for the same 2 months. I put in some turbo snails, emerald crab and a bunch of blue and red legs to keep clean. I do have some small Zoa frags in there as well. About 2 weeks after rock in qt the tank bloomed with hundreds of pods. I can see them day and night all over the rocks and glass. I asked a buddy at the lfs if that was a bad thing to have that many and they said no. So it's been 2 months of the rock curing with no fish. I am going to start the new tank up in the next 20 days with some dry rock and add in the live rock after about 30 more days. That is my plan. I hope it works and I hope your plan is successful as well.

 

[bberman]

Oh and I will do a fresh water dip on the fish before I put them in the new display tank.

 

[markstubb]

Thanks bberman. I had pods show up in my main tank at some point too, and I was like, where in the heck did those things come from. I'm thinking i may go the empty the tank, then bleach or hydrogen peroxide it, then just start a cycle. I have plenty of time for it to cycle since I'll be QT'ing anything for 8 weeks anyway. I'd rather have the peace of mind of a clean tank than just doing the fallow period.

 

[jennm]

Nothing is guaranteed. You can strip it and start again if you wish, but there's no guarantee that something else won't be introduced at some future point.

That's the game we play in this hobby.

The best defense is quarantine for new fishes, good husbandry in the display, keep fish well fed, and water parameters stable and clean.

The only way to guarantee never having another outbreak of something, is to not have fish.

After that, it's up to you. I wouldn't strip it, I'd just make sure the fish going back in are disease-free and go slowly.

Jenn