Hospital playing with DEATH!

[Fishfirst]

So I got a call at work yesturday... apparently our hospital has a reef tank. A big reef tank. I going to go look at the damage yet today, however I think I'm going to find that nothing is going to survive. First off, they probably have ich, the guy who maintains it baught a powder blue tang from a different lfs and didn't quarentine it or anything (as with all these fish). Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo it started the ich infestation, now its moved on to the long horned cowfish (not reef safe mind you) and the boxfish (again not reef safe) and the filefish (again, sigh, its a wonder that these corals are actually surviving???) So far I've brought it down to two options.

1) get every fish into quarentine (possibly a setup of $300) treat it til ich is gone, wait 8 weeks for the ich in the main tank to die, then introduce them again.
2) get a UV sterilizer, take some hits in the fish population, and hope for the best by feeding garlic and selcon soaked food. (probably $200 + fish lost)

Of coarse the 2nd one won't cure their problems, just hide them. Any other suggestions?

[Osiris]

I say they will need to restart it, removing fish and leaving it fishless for awhile is best option, but then they could very blame you if you guys take the fish and they die while your housing them if you know what i mean?

[Fishfirst]

oh I(we) won't be housing them. This is their little problem and THEY are going to do all the work fixing it. We don't even maintain the tank, a guy from marshfield does (that doesn't care/doesn't know anything). I would probably have to suggest a 125 or 75 gallon for quarentine... a big tank, BUT they need one to house all these fish.

[Electric Monk]

Originally Posted by Fishfirst

long horned cowfish (not reef safe mind you) and the boxfish (again not reef safe)

Or indeed ANYTHING safe, ostracitoxin floating in the tank after the fish get's stressed is probably not a good idea At least get them out of the tank while the infection is treated.

Mind you, My Boxfish settles down on the palm of my hand and sits eating marine mix.....such a great fish as long as he's happy and fed

[Fishfirst]

Well we got everything that was infected bad into quarentine and have been using a copper treatment, they didn't do a water change like I asked them to so the box fish died... but the cowfish is looking pretty good, and so are the other fish in quarentine.