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Ich treatment for Rainford's goby?


acronce

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A few days ago, I noticed our Damsel fish was gasping. None of the other fish are showing any symptoms. The water parameters look great.

 

I think the Damsel has ich. There are tiny dots that look like miniature salt crystals back near the dorsal fin on both sides.

 

It's odd because we the Damsel fish was our starter fish from over 2 years ago. We haven't added any fish in a long time (maybe a year). None of them have ever shown ich symptoms before. I've heard that it can lie in wait, which means that even if we had quarantined (which we didn't) I don't see how we could have caught this.

 

Anyway, I've been researching treatment. Sounds like the general approach is to round up all the fish, put them into a hospital tank and treat them (whether they all have symptoms or not). Supposedly after 8 weeks, any ich remaining in the main tank will have starved to death due to lack of hosts.

 

I've never set up a hospital or quarantine tank, but am willing to try. Currently we only have 3 fish in a BC29. So I'm thinking about a bare bones 12 gallon, a HOB filter, heater, some PVC pipe for hiding, and frequent water changes. Maybe I can throw in some waste chaeto from my main tank's refugium.

 

The problem is that one of the fish is a Rainford's goby. He's never eaten anything but by sifting sand, and the occasional hair algae. Any hospital that I set up will not have a sand substrate, nor algae. I'm afraid that if I throw this picky eater into a bare bones tank, he'll starve.

 

Any ideas as to how I can keep the goby alive in the hospital? Maybe I should hospitalize the other two while experimenting with algae based foods for the goby and hope I get lucky?

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

Best,

--

Allen Cronce

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Reefmaster1996
A few days ago, I noticed our Damsel fish was gasping. None of the other fish are showing any symptoms. The water parameters look great.

 

I think the Damsel has ich. There are tiny dots that look like miniature salt crystals back near the dorsal fin on both sides.

 

It's odd because we the Damsel fish was our starter fish from over 2 years ago. We haven't added any fish in a long time (maybe a year). None of them have ever shown ich symptoms before. I've heard that it can lie in wait, which means that even if we had quarantined (which we didn't) I don't see how we could have caught this.

 

Anyway, I've been researching treatment. Sounds like the general approach is to round up all the fish, put them into a hospital tank and treat them (whether they all have symptoms or not). Supposedly after 8 weeks, any ich remaining in the main tank will have starved to death due to lack of hosts.

 

I've never set up a hospital or quarantine tank, but am willing to try. Currently we only have 3 fish in a BC29. So I'm thinking about a bare bones 12 gallon, a HOB filter, heater, some PVC pipe for hiding, and frequent water changes. Maybe I can throw in some waste chaeto from my main tank's refugium.

 

The problem is that one of the fish is a Rainford's goby. He's never eaten anything but by sifting sand, and the occasional hair algae. Any hospital that I set up will not have a sand substrate, nor algae. I'm afraid that if I throw this picky eater into a bare bones tank, he'll starve.

 

Any ideas as to how I can keep the goby alive in the hospital? Maybe I should hospitalize the other two while experimenting with algae based foods for the goby and hope I get lucky?

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

Best,

--

Allen Cronce

Okay it sounds like you have a picky eater, I feed my yellow watch man goby Marine Nutrition Formula 2 which has spirilina and other organic compounds, as well as garlic, which will get picky eaters to eat. Although my fish have never picky, I have always heard this works. Also you can soak food in garlic extract, this gets everyhing in the tank to eat and it boostes the immune system and maintains it in check. I use it on a daily basis and it really keeps fish healthy. Furthermore, my goby does also sift sand, but just as a INBETWEEN meal snack.GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY REEFING!

 

 

Okay it sounds like you have a picky eater, I feed my yellow watch man goby Marine Nutrition Formula 2 which has spirilina and other organic compounds, as well as garlic, which will get picky eaters to eat. Although my fish have never picky, I have always heard this works. Also you can soak food in garlic extract, this gets everyhing in the tank to eat and it boostes the immune system and maintains it in check. I use it on a daily basis and it really keeps fish healthy. Furthermore, my goby does also sift sand, but just as a INBETWEEN meal snack.GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY REEFING!

Also according to live aquaria they eat frozen Mysis and brine shrimp, so try that but also dip it in garlic extract for at least 5 min.

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Unfortunately my Rainford has never eaten mysis. I usually feed the tank frozen Hikari Mysis Shrimp a few times a week. He just ignores it.

 

I'll try the garlic extract trick to see if makes a difference. I can also try some Hikari Marine S pellets or Marine Nutrition Formula 2. He ignores both Spectrum Thera + A pellets and Sally's Cyclops, which I rotate in.

 

Note that I've never tried to spot feed the Rainford. He's pretty shy. I just feed the whole tank.

 

Any recommendations for garlic extract? I've searched the site and it sounds like some people just use crushed garlic or otherwise make their own (perhaps with limited success). And some use a branded extract like Seachem Garlic Guard or Kents Garlic Extreme. Sounds like I should avoid garlic extract for humans because it might have additives.

 

Best,

--

Allen Cronce

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Reefmaster1996
Unfortunately my Rainford has never eaten mysis. I usually feed the tank frozen Hikari Mysis Shrimp a few times a week. He just ignores it.

 

I'll try the garlic extract trick to see if makes a difference. I can also try some Hikari Marine S pellets or Marine Nutrition Formula 2. He ignores both Spectrum Thera + A pellets and Sally's Cyclops, which I rotate in.

 

Note that I've never tried to spot feed the Rainford. He's pretty shy. I just feed the whole tank.

 

Any recommendations for garlic extract? I've searched the site and it sounds like some people just use crushed garlic or otherwise make their own (perhaps with limited success). And some use a branded extract like Seachem Garlic Guard or Kents Garlic Extreme. Sounds like I should avoid garlic extract for humans because it might have additives.

 

Best,

--

Allen Cronce

I use kent marine garlic extreme with great results I deffeniatly recommend it, it is extrenmely concentrated, you won't be able to make anything yourself near as good, and it is pretty cheap!

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  • 2 months later...
Sounds like the general approach is to round up all the fish, put them into a hospital tank and treat them (whether they all have symptoms or not). Supposedly after 8 weeks, any ich remaining in the main tank will have starved to death due to lack of hosts.

 

I've never set up a hospital or quarantine tank, but am willing to try. Currently we only have 3 fish in a BC29. So I'm thinking about a bare bones 12 gallon, a HOB filter, heater, some PVC pipe for hiding, and frequent water changes. Maybe I can throw in some waste chaeto from my main tank's refugium.

 

The problem is that one of the fish is a Rainford's goby. He's never eaten anything but by sifting sand, and the occasional hair algae. Any hospital that I set up will not have a sand substrate, nor algae. I'm afraid that if I throw this picky eater into a bare bones tank, he'll starve.

 

Any ideas as to how I can keep the goby alive in the hospital? Maybe I should hospitalize the other two while experimenting with algae based foods for the goby and hope I get lucky?

 

 

This is the correct answer, and right thing to do.

 

I would try to get my hands on an algae-covered rock, from a friend or LFS, to throw in the QT for the Rainford's. That'll give him something to munch on, and you can just discard the rock afterward. You can also tempt him with cyclops, live brine or reef caviar.

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