Whitespot, oh whitespot, many a reefers downfall.
This is my solution, do not say its the best. It does have its issues. But this is the only solution I found for WS.
First, know your enemy
Secondly, on the fish, nothing helps.
As a cyst, only hypo helps a bit, but some cyst still develops. Cysts cement themselves to the substrate or shells.
As free swimming pests, very short time period to be effective with any medicines. Same for time period it falls off to the substrate.
Thirdly, keeping the fish in a QT tank for a month, do not guarantee you that they have no whitespot. I lost fish on day 28 with enormous outbreak of WS.
OK my solution.
I use the "BUCKET" method. But my version of it. Basically you move the fish to another container every other day. For more days than WS can be on the fish.
But by moving fish every day to another container does have its own problems
Stress, water parameter changes, stress, temperature changes, stress, salinity differences, stress.
This is where my variation comes into play.
I move the fish every second day. Well, big deal you say. But that still does not solve the water parameter and salinity differences. something I learned the hard way with a coral beauty RIP
I use about 50L water in big enough plastic tubes. Plastic is better, do not break that easy, keep on reading.
And, before I continue, this method is a schlep. A mayor Schlep. Lot of work.
OK, moving fish from one container to another.
Firstly, I siphon 50% of the water via a 1micron cannister filter to the next container. looking at the chart above, and you will see the smallest stage for WSis 25 to 60 micron. So they stay behind in the filter. Just ensure you let the water flow into the right direction.
The siphon action. Do not siphon the bottom. The pipe inside should be half way down. Just leave it until it sucks air.
You MUST have double set of heater, small 300L/h pump and airstone with short airline tubing. Here I hang it up on the washing line to spend the next two days in the sun. The set in the background is the set I just took out. Heaters must be the same and set to the same setting. And dry the QT net in the sun as well.
here is the fish currently in this programme. Navarchus angel, Sailfin tang, Cleaner wrasse and Scopa tang. Interesting, the tangs do not fight. Was very worried about that.
I drain 25L out of my main display. Do a small water change basically every second day. I use a drum with tap fitted. Put the drum on top of the container on small wooden supports and open the tap ONLY A BIT. The water must drain for longer than an hour. The longer the better. Get a beer and relax. Doing it slowly will sort any salinity and parameter issues.
When eventually done, I cover the one half of the tub with a towel, and the other side with a transparent lid.
Notes. 30 minutes before the water change, you must feed them. The next day feed them just enough. This system does not have any filtration capabilities. Solely reliant on 50% water changes every second day.
First batch water is obviously 50L from my display.
Throw the last 50% water left behind in old tub away, rinse in tap water. Boil the kettle and throw that in old tub. Plus put the net in the hot water for the fun of it. Empty it again, and leave the tub in the sun for the next two days.
From here the fish go into my real quarantine tank for 30 days. Only thereafter do the upgrade to the display tank.
The Navarhus is a new fish. I did not do this process with it. As stated, this is a schlep and I was not in the mood to do it properly. It stayed in the quarantine / peppermint shrimp tank for 3 weeks and then moved to the 220L. I moved the Sailfin and Scopa from my main tank to my 220L. Within week and a half, they all had WS. From where, most likely the Navarchus. Other tank is disease free for more than 18 months.
Now, what is the reasoning behind this method?
If you cannot do anything to WS while on the fish. and you struggle to siphon the bottom clean due to them cementing or glueing to the substrate or tank bottom. Why not take the tank away from the fish.
If you cannot treat the fish in the current environment, why not take the environment away from the fish.
This is my solution, do not say its the best. It does have its issues. But this is the only solution I found for WS.
First, know your enemy
Secondly, on the fish, nothing helps.
As a cyst, only hypo helps a bit, but some cyst still develops. Cysts cement themselves to the substrate or shells.
As free swimming pests, very short time period to be effective with any medicines. Same for time period it falls off to the substrate.
Thirdly, keeping the fish in a QT tank for a month, do not guarantee you that they have no whitespot. I lost fish on day 28 with enormous outbreak of WS.
OK my solution.
I use the "BUCKET" method. But my version of it. Basically you move the fish to another container every other day. For more days than WS can be on the fish.
But by moving fish every day to another container does have its own problems
Stress, water parameter changes, stress, temperature changes, stress, salinity differences, stress.
This is where my variation comes into play.
I move the fish every second day. Well, big deal you say. But that still does not solve the water parameter and salinity differences. something I learned the hard way with a coral beauty RIP
I use about 50L water in big enough plastic tubes. Plastic is better, do not break that easy, keep on reading.
And, before I continue, this method is a schlep. A mayor Schlep. Lot of work.
OK, moving fish from one container to another.
Firstly, I siphon 50% of the water via a 1micron cannister filter to the next container. looking at the chart above, and you will see the smallest stage for WSis 25 to 60 micron. So they stay behind in the filter. Just ensure you let the water flow into the right direction.
The siphon action. Do not siphon the bottom. The pipe inside should be half way down. Just leave it until it sucks air.
You MUST have double set of heater, small 300L/h pump and airstone with short airline tubing. Here I hang it up on the washing line to spend the next two days in the sun. The set in the background is the set I just took out. Heaters must be the same and set to the same setting. And dry the QT net in the sun as well.
here is the fish currently in this programme. Navarchus angel, Sailfin tang, Cleaner wrasse and Scopa tang. Interesting, the tangs do not fight. Was very worried about that.
I drain 25L out of my main display. Do a small water change basically every second day. I use a drum with tap fitted. Put the drum on top of the container on small wooden supports and open the tap ONLY A BIT. The water must drain for longer than an hour. The longer the better. Get a beer and relax. Doing it slowly will sort any salinity and parameter issues.
When eventually done, I cover the one half of the tub with a towel, and the other side with a transparent lid.
Notes. 30 minutes before the water change, you must feed them. The next day feed them just enough. This system does not have any filtration capabilities. Solely reliant on 50% water changes every second day.
First batch water is obviously 50L from my display.
Throw the last 50% water left behind in old tub away, rinse in tap water. Boil the kettle and throw that in old tub. Plus put the net in the hot water for the fun of it. Empty it again, and leave the tub in the sun for the next two days.
From here the fish go into my real quarantine tank for 30 days. Only thereafter do the upgrade to the display tank.
The Navarhus is a new fish. I did not do this process with it. As stated, this is a schlep and I was not in the mood to do it properly. It stayed in the quarantine / peppermint shrimp tank for 3 weeks and then moved to the 220L. I moved the Sailfin and Scopa from my main tank to my 220L. Within week and a half, they all had WS. From where, most likely the Navarchus. Other tank is disease free for more than 18 months.
Now, what is the reasoning behind this method?
If you cannot do anything to WS while on the fish. and you struggle to siphon the bottom clean due to them cementing or glueing to the substrate or tank bottom. Why not take the tank away from the fish.
If you cannot treat the fish in the current environment, why not take the environment away from the fish.
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