Ich?!?!

[skae310]

The ich seems to be gone but i think i have a new problem. The fish have a whitish powder on them. Im pretty sure its not ich, but i cant get a picture because its hard enough just to see it myself. Any ideas on what it is and how to treat?

[InfernoST]

You have them in the QT?

[skae310]

Yes and the salinity is still lowered. I just cant get a picture because it wont show up on the camera

[InfernoST]

Make sure your parameters are in check, Ammonia & Nitrite. Sometimes the fish will lose their color when in hypo or the salinity is way too looooowwww. I forgot but are you using a refractometer? Do you have a power head, filter etc in the QT?

[skae310]

I checked the parameters. The ammonia had a tiny bit so i did a nice big water change. i dont have a power head but the filter moves the water around pretty good. Tey arent really losing color as much as they just got a little bit of powdery white stuff on them. Its not very noticeable however they are twitching and rubbing the walls and ground alot. I dont have a refractometer and i have no way to get one in the near future but i have a glass hydrometer. Since its the best i can do for now.

[InfernoST]

Does it look anything like this?Does Brooklynella cause fin rot? - Saltwaterfish.com Message Boards
Or this
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/k...ooklynella.jpg

[skae310]

From the looks of that picture i would say they dont have that. Its not as dense and more like dust. It looks like ich only the spots are really small. So i dont think it is that. however i could be wrong

[skae310]

I looked at a couple more pics and im thinking it might be. Its hard to tell because mine is soo hard to see. You have to look real closely. How can i tell for sure?

[InfernoST]

I found this site with detailed description, causes and possible cures.Brooklynella Disease Education from FishVet, Inc.

[skae310]

Although some of the pictures kind of resembled what mine have that website makes me think differently...

[skae310]

Although i never did find out what it was for sure both of the clowns did die. Im real upset about it and dont plan to get any new fish for a while. Without fish in the main tank all there is is two small corals, hermit crabs, and snails. To keep the tank cycled what do I have to do? I know fish waste and leftover food is the normal ammonia source so should i just feed the tank? How much/often? Keep in mind its only a 14 biocube.

[roka64]

I would do a pinch of food twice a week, or if you feed your corals, that could be enough.

[skae310]

Thanks

[skae310]

So ive been looking into replacing the clowns. I do need to know however if it is safe or how long i need to wait before it is to guarantee the ich is 100% gone. I took all fish out on September 24 so its been a little over a month. Is that enough? or should i give it a little more time?

[Kurt_Nelson]

If it was me, I'd wait 8 weeks at a minimum. Seems like I've always read 6-8 weeks.

[skae310]

Ok thanks. Ive read 8 weeks as well but i wasn't sure how accurate that was.

[Innovator]

There really is no accurate number of days. 30 days has always been the mainstay, but sometimes several more weeks are needed and just depends on the effectiveness of the treatment and your comfort level.

[skae310]

Well the fish were taken out of the tank immediatly after I saw the first spec of ich. And unfortunatly none of the fish survived the entire treatment. Any way the display tank hasnt been treated at all. Its just been without a fish to host for about 5 weeks . And im just gonna wait another 3 weeks. Unless there is something else i should do along with waiting?

[Innovator]

gravel vacuum the substrate twice a week while you wait.