One ICHY day!

[silverain420]

Ok, help! MY 12 gallon SW tank is now in trouble. It has been running three months with the intention of it being a QT tank in the future. I have purchased a 25 gallon... waiting to be filled and cycled. What do you suggest I do... I purchased a cowfish yesterday (yes, I know he will eventually need a 125 gallon tank, but he's only an inch big, I figured he would grow with me) and I did watch it very closely at the pet store over a couple of hours. I did not notice ANY white spots at the LFS and he is very active and curious. Now he did get added directly to my SW tank (over an hour and a half acclimation - although after two very stressful hours in the bag... a whole othe story) I have a couple of chromis, a jawfish and a purple firefish in there. I also (here's the killer) have about 14lbs of LR and 10 blue mushrooms. At this point only the cowfish has visible white spots. I can get the 25 gallon up and running by tomorrow, but it is not cycled. Of course I can take some sand from this one, but my jawfish will havve to stay in the 12 gallon because I can not afford a DSB for the big tank til after X-mas. What do I do? I can try hyposalinity, will that be detrimental to my shrooms? Should I just try some FW baths for my cowfish since everyone else is quite healthy and not stressed? All of my levels are great... What do you suggest? I do have coppersafe, but of course that can't be used with the LR or shrooms... what do I do? If I ran out and purchased a little 5 gallon tank, could I safely put the cowfish in there for QT without being cycled? Please help, I am so stressed now, I think I may get ich! The cowfish doesn't seem to be stressed at all...

 

[silverain420]

OK, I just read an article that says if they seem to be healthy, to let it go a couple days and it may cure itself... he does seem very heallthy, active and eating great!

 

[steve-s]

OK, I just read an article that says if they seem to be healthy, to let it go a couple days and it may cure itself... he does seem very heallthy, active and eating great!

Worst advice you could ever read. Ich does not go away by itself especially when you are dealing with a stressed fish just introduced. I would actually suggest getting the 25 set up and running ASAP and use that as a QT, not the 5 gal. You will need to treat all the fish, not just the cowfish. If you do not move the jawfish, there is a good chance it will also become infected and an even greater chance it will not survive. A dilema to be sure either way do to their delicate nature. Had the cowfish been properly QT'd, this would not be an issue. I would not use any treatment in your main tank. Hyposalinity will kill everything in the tank except the fish and bacteria. It must be done in a seperate tank.

I have a couple of chromis, a jawfish and a purple firefish in there.

This is also a major issue. For a 12 gal tank, this is a seriously overstocked level including the new cowfish. Two small fish would be the maximum for this size tank.

Cheers
Steve

 

[silverain420]

I do agree it is overstocked. I was planning on getting the 25 gallon running this weekend - figured the chromis and cowfish would move first in three weeks. (that should be sufficient with substrate from this tank right?) I already do water changes every weekend, so I do maintain the tank very well. And of course you are right. It is my mistake. I'll get the 25 gallon going tonight. I don't mind medicating the whole thing... the question is... doesn't that cause more stress on the fish to go into a tank that is not cycled?

And you know, I woke up this morning and realized, as much as I hate to lose the shrooms and the LR, they are more easily replaceable than the fish. I have to buy more LR in a few weeks anyway...

 

[steve-s]

What kind of filtration is on the 12 gal? If something other than the sand and LR, you could move all the LR and most of the substrate over to the 25 gal but be sure to syphon the sand out with a hose, do not dig it out. That will disturb the tank too much. Be sure you place in a few pieces of PVC pipe to replace the hiding places provided by the LR. You may need to ask the LFS in your area to temporarily hold the shrooms for you, they will not survive a new tank.

Once a majority of the sand and LR have been transfered and all that remains is the filter and the fish, you can then use the hyposalinity on the 12 gal. I would not suggest copper with the cowfish, they can be quite sensitive and the hypo will be less stressful. While the fish are being treated, the 25 gal should be able to cycle in the 4 weeks it will take for them to get over the parasite.

Not the most ideal situation but I think the easiest considering what you have...

Cheers
Steve

 

[silverain420]

That sounds like the best possible idea... you re right. Thank you so much for all your help. I will talk to my LFS tonight to see if they can take the shrooms. I will spend the rest of the evening (I'm still at work for another 5 hours!) getting all of this set up. I spent two years doing my research before starting a SW tank, and still made a classic mistake. I guess that's the best way to learn though,huh? I just hope I can save the fish. The cowfish still seems super healthy, probably the least stressed I have ever seen a new fish in a new environment. So I am hopeful I can beat this. Again, thanks for all your help and suggestions. How long do you suggest I take to cut the salininty down to 1.019? It's currently at 1.023.

As far as filtration, it is an eclipse system 12, so biowheel and carbon filtration.

Thanks again. Please keep you fingers crossed for me.

 

[steve-s]

How long do you suggest I take to cut the salininty down to 1.019? It's currently at 1.023.

There is a good arcticle <<here>> that will help you with the hyposalinity treatment. It takes about 48 hrs to allow the salinity to drop slow enough so as not to further stress the animals. The SG should be dropped to 1.009 to be properly effective. If you have a refractometer, that will be much more accurate and should be at 14 ppt if so. I would also suggest when you set up the 25 gal, you set the SG at 1.025. It will be much better for reef animals in general and a temp of 80°. Be absolutely sure you monitor the alk/ph throughout the entire hypo process. It has a tendancey to drop while decreasing the salinity and you may need to buffer.

As far as filtration, it is an eclipse system 12, so biowheel and carbon filtration.

That will be just fine.

Cheers
Steve

 

[silverain420]

Thanks again. I got all the supplies I need yesterday and rearranged the house to get the tank set up. I just didn't get to put the sand and water in yet. I placed an order with Liverocks.com to get 20lbs in addition to the 14 I am moving out of the other aquarium. I will get it completely set up tonight.

Good news though, the cowfish looks much better today. He's down to only a couple of spots of ich! I know this may just be a stage, so I will still continue the process to be safe, but it certainly makes it seem quite a bit better. The others still do show any signs.

 

[steve-s]

Good news though, the cowfish looks much better today. He's down to only a couple of spots of ich! I know this may just be a stage, so I will still continue the process to be safe, but it certainly makes it seem quite a bit better. The others still do show any signs

The parasite could just be in the theront stage. I am glad to hear you will be proceeding as planned. It's better to be safe. Hopefully the treatment will prevent a total outbreak if you get it started soon...

Cheers
Steve