Help! Is this ICK? :(

[Goofyjas]

I just picked her up this weekend and started noticing this today ( sorry for the bad pics)

I have tested everything below, I duno what to do. I currently do not have a QT. any help? I duno if I should be testing for something or doing something? I have a 110 reef tank with 4 clowns, 3 purple firefish, 1 Eibl, 1 coral beauty and a yellowhead jawfish. Nothing is having a problem but her, all my corals are fine and splitting still Xenia is growing like mad and I want to help the fish but I am lost
Please help if you can, or let me know how to treat with no QT.
TIA

1.028 salinity
KH is about7.4
alk 2.6
ammon 0
nitrites 0

what else do I need to test?

 

[Guest]

From what i see appearently it is saltwater ich

here is a website with photos

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ichartmar.htm

i was talking with an employee of my LFS and she said saltwater ich is THE hardest to get rid of anyways

if you can quarentine her asap!

 

[Fluff]

Your gonna need to get a QT tank and move all your fish into it. You can't treat in the main tank because any treatment to kill the ich, will also kill off your liverock. Your tank will need to be fishless for 6wks to safely kill the parasite in your main tank. During this time you can treat your other fish with a copper med like Cupramine or with hypo treatment. Just be sure to have plenty of salt in stock to do lots of water changes on the QT tank. With that many fish, you might even want to consider two QT tanks. Unfortunately, there is no easy cure or any shortcuts where ich is concerned.
As for testing, you should be testing for Ph and nitrates as well. Good luck.

 

[Goofyjas]

I dont think I can get all the fish out, I have almost 250 LBS od liverock, it is a reef tank with a few fish, to take everything apart would take me a few days

there is no way to treat one fish? if i can even get her out

 

[electrikat]

We bought one of those a week ago. Within 2 days she was covered with ich. I could not catch her and no store in town had anything to treat a reef tank. However, by the time I got home that evening I noticed she would not leave the cleaner shrimp alone. Pestered him all evening and by bedtime she only had a couple of spots left. Then by the next morning she was clear. It has been a week now and no signs of ich on her or any others. Cleaner shrimp are invaluable to me and everyone ought to have at least one.

 

[MikeyB]

My yellow tang used to have the same looking spots. My cleaner shrimp took care of them in about 2 days after putting the tang in the tank. I have heared that you need cleaner shrimp when you have tangs because that they have a weird skin and parasites like to live on them.

 

[Guest]

oh wow, i thought that it was ICH for sure

hmmmm science has proved me wrong again.... and again

LOL

 

[electrikat]

It is ich. Ich is a parasite. regal tangs are just more easily infected by it. They must not handle stress very well. This is our third try to have one. Every other one has died of ich while still in qt. I researched alot and found several sites that say not to qt the regals because when you put them in the main they are just as stressed as the first time you bring them home. We did not qt this one and the cleaner shrimp has cleared it right up.

 

[Goofyjas]

thanks I am off to buy 3 of them now!
hope this works as I cant QT her

Also I did notice she freaked out the whole time home..and she is fine eating and all that just spots

hope this works!

 

[MikeyB]

I also notice that my Yellow Tang gets tiny black dots on it's skin every now and then. These seem to make the fish itch a little. But the shrimp normally eats those as well. I feel that the Cleaner shrimp are a must if you are going to have a tang.

 

[electrikat]

This is just a thought, but my lfs owner says that ich is present in most marine tanks to some degree. He says that only when the water gets out of whack and/or when your fish are stressed they become more susceptible to it and it is able to get hold and start multiplying. Does anyone know if this is true or if not , why not?

 

[MikeyB]

I have 2 in my 55 and they are fun to watch. When I feed they swin at the surface of the water upside down grabing flakes. When they are not busy cleaning the tang and sleeper gobies mouth they clean eachother and any food that is left over.

 

[quarryshark]

there is no way to treat one fish? if i can even get her out

All fish need to come out for treatment in a separate qt tank and the main needs to remain fishless for at least 6 weeks if you really want to get rid of it.
As long as a fish host remains in the system, the parasite will remain.
Some fish can build up somewhat of an immunity to an outbreak, but at some point it will show again and can become overwhelming to your animals.
Here is some good reading on the subject.
http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/marineich.html
BTW, that is textbook ich..no doubt.

 

[electrikat]

Very interesting reading.

 

[Guest]

eeww i feel bad for that fish in that link there

 

[Goofyjas]

Ok so here is the question of the day. The ICK cleared up with the cleaner shrimp, so I was sorta happy about it, but now it is coming back and after reading that link I am wondering if setting up a QT is just the best thing to do, get rid of it and QT my fish all at once. I do have a 75 gallon tank not doing anything that I replaced with a 90 so I could use that.

What would I need to do? I have a eheim wet/dry doing nothing that was on the tank also. but thats it, do I need to put anything in th ebottom of it or just water? I have a sponge in my sump I could put in the tank as I am getting a new sump soon but other then that what would I need to do to set it up? just the tank, lots of water and salt and a heater/powerhead? I have a few bubble filters or bubble wants but not one hat has been in my sump or anything.

I would like to do this the right way even if it takes me a while to fishout all of the fish ( my firefish hide in a few rocks )

So with the tank and all I know putting water in I would need ot wait for a cycle for this? or just go ahead and do it?

ALso do I need to to anything to the tank with my snails, crabs, LR, inverts and all that or just let it ride for the 6-8 weeks?

Like I said I have extra everything from the old 75 so I could just have a tank up and running but would take a little while and I would need to take out the crushed coral if it shouldnt be in there.

Thanks again for the help in advance. I just want to make sure I do this right as I havent ever had the need for a QT before

thanks!

 

[RMPD109]

A QT needs minimal items. Use the filter, heater and a PH or two and thats it. Add some pvc fittings for hiding places and you are done. The main will need to be left fishless for the 6 weeks you mentioned but inverts will be fine in there. Dont move any inverts to the QT because some treatments(copper) will kill them. Good luck- I know your pain as I am finished with treatment and fish go to the main this weekend.