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Clownfish with Ich?


ServingAces15

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ServingAces15

My clownfish are my babies and I am always spending at least 10 minutes a day observing every spec of my tank to check for any abnormalities. This morning both of my fish looked great. Today was water change day and now this evening I noticed a single white spec on my male clownfish (His name is Jitters). My tank parameters before I did my water change are as follows:

Ammonia: 0ppm

Nitrites: 0ppm

Nitrates: 5ppm

pH: 8.2

Calcium: 320-350ppm

Salinity: 1.027

Tank temperature: 85 (Fahrenheit) 

 

Since today was water change day and the salinity is now back to 1.024. I'm doing my best to keep the tank temperature controlled but it's hard with having a smaller tank (13.5 gallons) in this summer heat. 

Jitters has been eating normally. The only thing I have to report on him is sometimes when the lights turn on in the morning he will be a little dull in color, but within minutes his colors brighten up and he is always eager to eat breakfast. I've attached pictures of him (thanks to slow motion videos I was able to get decent pictures). Is this the beginnings of ich? If so, what's the best action to take? Thanks in advance.

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Can you keep your tank at 1.024 by adding A cup a day of RO to balance he evaporation? Especially if heat is an issue, you've got to counter that rise to 1.027. Others may have different opinion but you're water going in should be identical to the water coming out.

 

For reference tho, twice my clown was stressed when his anemone got destroyed by the power head the clown started to turn black and have wilted find but bounced back after a month or so after I got him a new anemone. Most recently a white spec on his fin that went away within 24 hrs after I had to capture then transport him.

 

Do some research in marine Ich. I'm not sure if it is specific to the fins or if something on his body is like velvet?

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Catch them, put them in a QT and treat them now.  I'm not saying it definitely is ich, but it could be. 

 

In my tank, I saw 1 or 2 white specs on a single fish, monitored it, they went. A week later & boom they're all covered in them. Another week later they're dead, all fish lost.  Noob error on my part.  

 

The other problem you have, is that if they do have ich, it could potentially be in the tank, in which case the fish could be reinfected when you move them back.  So you'd ideally then need to leave the tank fallow for a period.  I did 88 days which was a nuisance but there has been no recurrence. 

 

Edit: another option is PolypLab's Medic product.  It can be used directly in the main tank, however it is a sod to use in a nano since you only use a tiny scoop per 50 gals.  Nightmare to try and divvy that small amount up into 13 gals worth.

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BustytheSnowMaam

It is marine ich.  Marine ich is nearly always present in a dormant (tomont) form in tanks or carried in on fish who may be resistant themselves but can still spread it to others.   

 

A couple of options:

 

If the case of ich is mild, fish is eating and seems otherwise healthy, you could ignore the problem and focus on good nutrition and water quality, it may clear up on its own.  

 

If you feel the fish need treatment:  I would get a 5-gallon or so hospital tank, leave it bare-bottom with a piece of PVC pipe for a hiding spot, and treat both fish with copper.  Be sure to get a copper test kit as well so you can monitor the copper levels as copper can be toxic to the fish (there are two types of copper- ionic and chelated- so make sure you get a test kit that tests for that type of copper).  I can't remember how long the fish need to remain in treatment- but long enough for the parasite to complete its life cycle (at least a month).  I would treat both fish to be safe.

 

You will never again be able to use that hospital tank for inverts or corals again as copper is toxic to them even in tiny amounts and binds to anything inert in the tank.  You will also need to leave the main tank empty for 4-6 weeks so that the parasites left behind can complete their life cycle.  

 

 

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PS If you do use copper, I can recommend Seachem's Cupramine, AmmoniaAlert and copper test kit.  You need to read the instructions very carefully, especially with regards to not using Prime, AmQuel or similar during treatment.

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It may be ich, it may be a spec of sand/particle.

 

Ich can present itself even during times of stress. 

 

You can let it ride and not treat. Hardy fish can beat it and some can't

Depends on water quality and fishes overall health.

 

You can treat it in a hospital tank. In order to properly get ridcof ich, your main tank must go fidhless for 8 weeks. If you don't do this, as soon as you treat your fish and add them back in to the main tank, they will be reinfected at some point.

 

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/

 

 

http://www.saltcorner.com/Articles/Showarticle.php?articleID=41

 

As mentioned, the salinity instability is an issue. This can cause big problems. 

 

You should run the tank at 1.025 or 1.026 if you have corals.

Topping up everydaywith fresh ro/di or distilled to the same level is important. 

Make a mark on the tank, everyday top up to that mark.

 

When you do waterchanges, your salinity needs to be exactly the same

 

 

 

 

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ServingAces15

The spec went away in less than 12 hours. I'm not sure what it was but I do not want to treat the tank for something I'm not 100% sure is present. I have a 10 gallon QT tank setup but I don't want to stress them out by moving them when there currently is no symptoms present. 

For the current time being I am focusing on getting the water back to being stable and the temperature where it needs to be, since the instability is a recent issue. I am so upset that the tank isn't pristine and the right temperature because I try so hard to stay on top of things and maintain balance in the tank. If the spec appears again I'll move the fish into QT. I appreciate all of the advice from all of you guys.

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On 8/12/2017 at 3:55 PM, ServingAces15 said:

The spec went away in less than 12 hours. I'm not sure what it was but I do not want to treat the tank for something I'm not 100% sure is present. I have a 10 gallon QT tank setup but I don't want to stress them out by moving them when there currently is no symptoms present. 

For the current time being I am focusing on getting the water back to being stable and the temperature where it needs to be, since the instability is a recent issue. I am so upset that the tank isn't pristine and the right temperature because I try so hard to stay on top of things and maintain balance in the tank. If the spec appears again I'll move the fish into QT. I appreciate all of the advice from all of you guys.

Bear in mind that part of the life cycle is that the parasite drops off and forms a cyst,  this is the exact mistake I made which lead to my wipeout. :(  In your position I'd pick up some treatment and make sure you've got some cycled media and fresh saltwater made up so you're ready to put them in the QT straight away if it reoccurs. :)

 

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What else is in your tank? I run a uv filter constantly to help minizing the water born aspect of diseases. You can copper treat but hyposalinity is always a very good option. And less stressful for the fish than copper. 

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ServingAces15
13 hours ago, ajm83 said:

Bear in mind that part of the life cycle is that the parasite drops off and forms a cyst,  this is the exact mistake I made which lead to my wipeout. :(  In your position I'd pick up some treatment and make sure you've got some cycled media and fresh saltwater made up so you're ready to put them in the QT straight away if it reoccurs. :)

 

Thank you! One step ahead ahead of you as I got my 10 gallon QT tank running and I am ready for if the symptoms pop up again.

13 hours ago, gogeta said:

What else is in your tank? I run a uv filter constantly to help minizing the water born aspect of diseases. You can copper treat but hyposalinity is always a very good option. And less stressful for the fish than copper. 

Fish? Just 2 ocellaris clowns

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fishkeepersaltnfresh

Good luck to you. Hope that he is cured.

I had the same problem. A single speck appeared one day after water change. Next morning, he was covered with white slimy stuff all over (Seemed like Brook's disease). Killed both my clown within 12 hours.

My tank is fishless now. Day # 48.

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5 hours ago, fishkeepersaltnfresh said:

Good luck to you. Hope that he is cured.

I had the same problem. A single speck appeared one day after water change. Next morning, he was covered with white slimy stuff all over (Seemed like Brook's disease). Killed both my clown within 12 hours.

My tank is fishless now. Day # 48.

Sounds like brook. It and velvet kill very quickly. 

 

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