Clown fish.. Ich?

[quixand]

There you have it.

The male had a small white dot on his back fin when I got him home. It went away, then today, he's covered in em. Female now has one above her eye.

Got these about 2 weeks ago, and they are active and eating everything I give them.

30 gallon tank, 10 ppm NO3, salinity 1.024, everything else is normal.
I have a damsel, turbo snails, emerald crabs, and a cleaner shrimp in the tank also.

My new lights came in today, 130 watts PC 12000k and actinic. two bulbs, 65w a piece.

I do not have or have access to a quarantine tank.

Suggestions would be EXCELLENT.
Didn't have a problem with Ich, I think they brought it with them from the LFS.

 

[Fluff]

With ich, you really have few choices. Here is an article that may help. I would consider going to walmart and picking up a cheap set up to use as a QT/hospital tank. All your fish are going to need treated. HTH

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=50

 

[Innovator]

I agree, a simple 10g, transfer of some water, and air supply will do the trick for a qt. If you have no corals or inverts, a possible hypo in tank would help. Let us know what else in the the system

 

[Fluff]

I have a damsel, turbo snails, emerald crabs, and a cleaner shrimp in the tank also.

They have snails, emerald crabs and cleaner shrimp so hypo in the tank is not gonna be possible.

 

[Innovator]

ah, I missed that. well you can always hypo in qt Have fun a catchin!

 

[quixand]

Hmmmm.

Not exactly what I wanted to hear.

So my only solution is a QT tank?

and I need to keep them in it for 6 weeks?
That seems like a lot. Do I move all three fish? In one 10 gallon tank with no filter?
I'm guessing you guys are suggesting a hypo solution?

Bah! This sucks.

Will my inverts and live rock be infected too?

 

[melosu58]

No the inverts can stay in your main as they will not be affected. If you can keep your main fishless for 8 weeks than that will break the cycle of the parasite in your main. Then treat your fish in a QT with hypo of Copper or whatever you feel. I suggest hypo.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=64798

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=7

Here is some help

 

[quixand]

Is it a common thing for Ich to Disapear off the fish in a matter of hours? Before I turned the lights off for the night, I noticed the male no longer has the white spots pictured. He looks a model of excellent health.

???

 

[Innovator]

Ich does have drop off stages as part of their life cycle... I used to have a Centropyge bispinosa that when stressed or tank needed a water change, would break out with several spots and then clear up in a matter of hours. Make sure you keep an eye on your fish. You could try soaking your food in garlic and see if that helps. Do a search, most health stores have pure garlic soft capsules or you can purchase garlic liquids from from lfs'

 

[Fluff]

Is it a common thing for Ich to Disapear off the fish in a matter of hours?

This is wishful thinking on your part. Did you read the article I posted for you? This explains the life cycle as well as treatment options. There is no easy solution and without treatment as suggested, your fish will likely succumb.

 

[alaher2]

It is not uncommon for the white dots to fall off after only a couple hours, but the problem is that when those dots fall off they are gonna multiply and return. So, when you see those dots keep falling off and then returning it is defintely not a good thing.

 

[quixand]

Yes I did read the articles. However, I haven't had the fish long enough to complete this cycle.
The spots were there, now they aren't. The female has none, and my damsel never has had any.

 

[Sadielynn]

Some fish are naturally better at fighting it off. Here is what we did.
Get some fresh garlic, and selcon..
Next take one clove of garlic crush it ....the active ingredient is allicin.This stimulates their eating reponse ... the selcon boosts immunity ...take some mysis soak for 5-15 minutes feed your tank dont worry about the garlic getting in this wll get them to eat and beable to naturally fight off ich....
For a QT container you could use a tote bin so long as you dont add ANY meds to it ..
I am of the opinion that ich is present in all systems... it is just the fishes ability to fight it off. The only way to say that there is no ich is that every thing from fish to LR and corals are QT ....

 

[Fluff]

Some fish are naturally better at fighting it off. Here is what we did.
Get some fresh garlic, and selcon..
Next take one clove of garlic crush it ....the active ingredient is allicin.This stimulates their eating reponse ... the selcon boosts immunity ...take some mysis soak for 5-15 minutes feed your tank dont worry about the garlic getting in this wll get them to eat and beable to naturally fight off ich....
For a QT container you could use a tote bin so long as you dont add ANY meds to it ..
I am of the opinion that ich is present in all systems... it is just the fishes ability to fight it off. The only way to say that there is no ich is that every thing from fish to LR and corals are QT ....

Garlic is not a cure for ich. It is an immunity booster and appetite stimulator. In a healthy fish it may help them fight off the parasite but your fish are already compromised. It won't hurt to give it to them, it may help give them a boost to get through treatment but it's not a cure. Just wanted to make it clear and not have anyone getting false hope. It has it's place but it's not a wonder drug.
And like Sadie said, a tote/rubbermaid tub can also be used as a QT/hospital tank. It will be easier to watch the condition and behavior of your fish during treatment though, in a clear tank.

 

[quixand]

Has anyone used this before?

Sounds exactly was I was looking for.

http://www.fishvet.com/6.html

 

[Sadielynn]

I have heard of others having good sucess with this product . But I am leary of sticking anything into a reef, or potenialy a reef .... I would use it in a qt but not the main system ... allowing your system to go fallow will starve the parasites as they need a host ... If you do use it use great caution in doing so ... A big part IMHHO of fighting ich is low stress enviroment for your fish

 

[quixand]

What is the concensus on killing Ich with temperature? I.e raising the temp to 86 degrees over the course of a week and perhaps supplementing with garlic?

 

[Fluff]

Raising temps is risky and works well for fw, not for sw.

As for the bottle stuff, years ago I used a simular product in a fowlr system. I think it worked but only after using two bottles of the stuff. I can't even guarantee that it was what got rid of the ich since it was such a prolonged process. And for the price of the two bottles, I could have bought two QT tanks.

Not to sound harsh, but for the health of your fish, looking for short cuts is only going to give you more headache/heartache. It will also have you very frustrated, cause both you and your fish more stress than necessary and costing you way more than you would need to have spent than to just treat them right from go.

 

[melosu58]

Is it a common thing for Ich to Disapear off the fish in a matter of hours?

Just so we know, when the parasite falls off the fish it falls to the bottom where over 200 small fry known as tomites will emerge into the tank. And that from each one that falls off. The cycle has nothing to do with your fish and everything to do with the parasite. That being said the only way to treat your main is to break the 8 week life cycle of the parasite. And to do thatyou will have to leave your main fishless for that period of time. You`ll need to treat your fish to get rid of the parasite in a QT. IMO Hypo or Copper are the best methods to rid your fish of the parasite. You can try those miracle meds but I`ve been here a while and seen them come and go with not to great of results. I have seen hyposalinity and copper work with good results. Good Luck as you battle this parasite. It`s not over yet.

 

[quixand]

Well, my buddy has a 10 gallon tank not being used right now.
Would the three fish be ok in there for the 8 weeks?

Anyone have a site with a step by step in doing this?