Time to bite the bullet

I have been watching my fish act miserable because of ich for too long now it's time for me to take action and treat them. The only problem I have with this is I REALLY don't want to tear apart my tank to get the fish out so does anyone have a trick to get the fish out without destroying my rock scape? Also, I plan on using a 30 long for a hospital/QT tank Do I need to fill it with the DT's water or can I use new saltwater? Thanks in advance everyone.

 

from my understanding you can use your dt's water. you will be using a medication in your qt tank , and because of the same salinity and temp and such its better for the fish.

 

Thanks divott. Also, does anyone know if it will be OK to house a yellow tang, coral beauty, perc clown, and a purple dottyback all in the same hospital tank? How do I prevent a cycle?

 

there shouldnt be a cycle if you arent adding any new lr to it. ive heard people wil luse some pvc pipe as hiding spots.

 

Can anyone recommend what type of medication to use on my fish in the QT?

 

Well, first off, this isn't a QT, it's an HT. There is a BIG difference
Use the DT water as long as params are good. That way there is no risk of shock or need for acclimation. Your HT should only have an airstone, heater (if needed), places for the fish to hide (PVC pipes and fake plants are what I use) and something to circulate the water. Cheap HOB filters are GREAT for this, and the sponge filter will help cut down on wastes. But, do NOT run the carbon in them during medical treatment.
As to avoiding a cycle. Well, you don't. You cant. With that fish load in a 30 gallon, I would recommend a 30-50% water change daily. Don't go more than 48 hours in between water changes.
Any copper based medication is what you will want for ich.
Have the fish stopped eating? What are the params of the DT?

 

I did a bi-daily dose of Amquel+ when I ran my hospital tank. The only problem with Amquel+ is that it renders most Ammonia test useless so I couldn't test for that, but I never saw any Nitrites or Nitrates during the period. I did this for about 8 weeks.

 

The fish haven't stopped eating in fact they are eating well but it's been a week and a half and all of the fish haven't shown any signs of getting better. Should I wait longer before going with the HT? The params are just fine in the DT.

 

are you using garlic in their food???

 

That's a small tank for all of those fish at once, I think aggression may come into play especially because of the lack of hiding places and rock. Honestly, if the fish are still eating, work on your water quality. Wet skim, keep up on water changes and feed vitamin enriched foods and garlic.