flick Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 As many of you guys know, i just got my first two clownfish yesterday! Already they have a ton of ich spots..like 50-100 of them EACH!...How do i get rid of them? I thought of doing a FW Dip with the same temperatured RO water. The paramters are fine (nirtate are a bit high as in .20ppm)...WHAT SHOULD I DO..HELP!!! They seem to be swimming fine, the smaller one is going pale, im soo stressed right now, i think they might die within the next 5 hours if i dont do anythin...please help! Flick Link to comment
nUgZ Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=282934 "WHAT SHOULD I DO..HELP!!! " YOU SHOULD STOP ADDING STUFF AND BE MORE PATIENT!!! Link to comment
flick Posted February 6, 2006 Author Share Posted February 6, 2006 So, should i just get copper stuff?...(its a snow day today, and i doubt my mom will take the 3 kids she teaches to a pet store in this weather!) P L E A S E H E L P ! ! ! Flick Link to comment
mcegelsk Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Just wait and see. Do you have anything causing micro bubbles in the tank? Or do you have very fine sand? These also are a possible cause...the bubbles give the appearance of a problem where the sand if stirred up a bit could cause the stress to the fish. Just reduce the stress on the fish as much as possible, less light, feed well (not over feed) and wait. Hopefully the hold on. ~Matt Link to comment
Six Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 the absolute worst thing you can do when your fish is sick is freak out and do something rash. There is no reason to buy any treatment when you have not assessed the situation yet. Water quality will make a fish sick, so will fluctuating temperature. Is the tank near a window? Anything drafty? What is the temperature EXACTLY? Raise it to 80 and make sure airation in the tank is good (higher temperature means less available oxygen in the water.) Usually just this type of "treatment" is all you need. If your fish really are sick, 100 spots is extreme. Usually it takes days to get to that level. More than likely the fish are getting sand or bubbles adherd to their slime coat as mentioned. Copper is a very harsh chemical and is by no means nessecary unless you are usuing a QT tank and checking the copper every single day via a home test kit. A photo would help. The fish aren't going to get better when you freak out about it, so dont worry so much. Do a water change and raise the temp if youre worried about them. GL Link to comment
flick Posted February 6, 2006 Author Share Posted February 6, 2006 ok thx matt.... I just looked at them...and A LOT of the spots are gone???....the one was covered in a million spots, now he onl has like 20 i can see! The other one onyl has like 5 now, instead of his old like 30....how and why are they gone soo fast. I have done nothing different, anyone know what happened? There were microbubles, since i put the air tube in the powerhead, so hundreds of bubbles were created in the tank (i thought it would be good to provide more oxygen...)..k guys, do i see the light at the end of the tunnel for these guys?!?!?!?!? thx Flick ps-the temp is at 81...its been like this on purpose since the day i set up the tank... Link to comment
mcegelsk Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 There were microbubles, since i put the air tube in the powerhead, so hundreds of bubbles were created in the tank (i thought it would be good to provide more oxygen...). I would remove the air tube from the powerhead. If you like it you can put it back but its not really required. Plus if you do pull the air tube chances are the spots will disapear and you won't have to worry about it. Unless you find a ton of little bubbles everwhere to your viewing pleasure. Chances are as the fish slept (stayed in relatively one place) the bubbles stuck to them...now as they are up and about the bubbles are slowly reducing. Its up to you but it sounds like you've got a case of just bubbles. ~Matt Link to comment
flick Posted February 6, 2006 Author Share Posted February 6, 2006 lol..hopefully its just a cse of bubbles!..lol No, i only had the airtubeon for like 12 seconds MAX!....And they all disapeared before they even touched the clowns...*i think*. They seem to be swimming more and more, and getting there color back..so i think im saved!..I knew something was wrong, since the conditions are perfect all the time now...im soo relieved!...i will post pics later! Oh, and i fed them some New Life Spectrum last night (cichlid pellets..tini ones), and they both ate one. I put in like 10 frozen brineshrimp, and they went after them, but decided to let them float to the bottom, so i siphoned them out. Today, i fed them a bit of staple flake food meant for all fish (FW and i think SW too..lol), and they both ate a bit of that...What else should i try?, im thinking im going to go out and get some formula one, or mysis, or cyloze (however you spell it, the good stuff for clownfish spelt with a c...lol) Flick Link to comment
Adam Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 hi there... so U guys telling that micro bubbles..are not good for fish.. what I should do then when my new skimmer (CSS) is still in breaking it proccess.. and produce a lot of micro bubbles? btw. I lost today my last two fishes.. all got ich.. YES I'm very upset about it (fish and money which I spent for it - btw. my LFS sold me those fishes with ich.. if I only knew about it ;o( .. was trying do the best for them but couldn;t help.. I guess.. I still have 2 cleaner shrimps.. 1 red star.. 1 sand star.. snails.. and 1 pepermint shrimp.. also 1 brittle sea star.. thats all I have left in the main tank.. no fishes - all dead ... now.. I just ordered UV sterilizer.. going to run it to help my tank kill the rest of the ich.. I do have a lot of LR and few corals, also running refugium with LR and algae.. and above it have purigen and poly filter to catch any mess from the main tank, all in chumber - Aquapod 24).. I do have QT but I guess I set it up to late.. do U think I should get rid of my skimmer since it is making a lot of micro bubbles? please any advice.. ps. will wait at least 4-5 weeks before I put any other fish there.. kinda sad to look at empty tank.. but I have to.. no choice.. btw: amonnia - 0 nitrie - 0 nitrate - 10 PH - still low : 7.8 phospate - around 0.5 salnity - 1.023 temp - 78-79F Link to comment
flick Posted February 6, 2006 Author Share Posted February 6, 2006 there not bad for fish...but it just makes them look like they have Ich, so its hard to tell if they have it or not. Anyways, my clowns are PERFECT, and back to normal again! No more spots at all, and they seem to be swimming like mad, to the front, the back, top to bottom, and side to side. They have eaten more flakes, and a New Life Spectrum pellet each...lol So, i am thrilled to know that after all, my tank was perfect, and that i do not have to worry about them dying...for now..lol! Today is possibly the best day to be a snow day, since ive been off for 9 days already for exams (i only had one, and it was the 3rd day we had off, so ive had like 6 days off, plus today..lol) and if i went to school, still thinking that my clowns had ich, i would not be able to concentrate...lol. Anyways, in all, the clowns are doing great, and thx for all the help you gave me soo fast, i appreciate it guys! Flick Link to comment
Six Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Anyways, my clowns are PERFECT, and back to normal again! No more spots at all, and they seem to be swimming like mad, to the front, the back, top to bottom, and side to side. They have eaten more flakes, and a New Life Spectrum pellet each...lol So, i am thrilled to know that after all, my tank was perfect, and that i do not have to worry about them dying...for now..lol! Today is possibly the best day to be a snow day, since ive been off for 9 days already for exams (i only had one, and it was the 3rd day we had off, so ive had like 6 days off, plus today..lol) and if i went to school, still thinking that my clowns had ich, i would not be able to concentrate...lol. Anyways, in all, the clowns are doing great, and thx for all the help you gave me soo fast, i appreciate it guys! Flick Glad you didnt dose then. FYI to keep microbubbles out of a tank try a micron sock on the return. Works well for me. It distributes the flow too. GL Link to comment
flick Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 ok guys...i they have gotten more spots again..yet they seem to be healthy, and swimming non-stop. Also eating, and going crazy....starting to become less shy and more outgoing...please tell me that they are fine..no ich?!?!?....I did turn off the powerhead, just so i could get better pics, however could these be more bubbles on them?...sry the pics $uck....worst quality ever, my bro took the good camera to Thunder Bay while hes at Confederation Collage...lol thx Flick Link to comment
flick Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 Here, im gonna try to post up some videos...hope they work!!! If they work, do they look sick, with ich, or anything, they seem pretty active for 'having ich'... Flick SUCCESS!!! ...are they healthy?..sry poor quality guys! Flick MVC_007V.MPG MVC_006V.MPG MVC_005V.MPG MVC_004V.MPG MVC_003V.MPG MVC_002V.MPG MVC_001V.MPG Link to comment
nUgZ Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 THEY'RE MAKING BIRD NOISES!!!!! SOMETHING'S WRONG FOR SURE!!!!! Link to comment
flick Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 hahahahahah...no, that would be my breeding colony of budgies..lol. And my dog in the background, you can hardly hear him though...lol, plus my cat puring on my lap.... Do they look fine though...i think those are just more bubbles attched to their slime....cuz they are VERY active for being 'sick'... Note to self, never be a doctor! Flick... Link to comment
NEVER SATISFIED REFFER Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 just wanted to add, when u thought u had ich, copper does nothing but ruin everthing in the tank if u ever decide to add some inverts. Over the many years of keeping fish, i have yet to find a med that does a damn thing for ich, it always comes back. fish pretty much always have parasites. its when they stress they cant fight them off. My uv 18 w turbo twist has gottin rid of my problems. now I dont even run it unless I have an outbreak from like adding a new fish!! Link to comment
MillerLite Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Ok, you've assessed the fish and the microbubbles are most likely not the source. Depending on the actual health of the fish, they may last a couple days with the ich. I would treat them. Its hard to see from the pics or the videos (although one of the pics looked like the fish did have the white dots). From my many experiences, copper sulfate is the only clear way to beat the stuff. Freshwater dips are good for exterior surfaces, however, its the stuff that has move internally, especially to the gill surfaces that will quickly cause your fish to die. If you choose to treat with copper, then you must setup an external QT tank with a heater and small air bubbler or filter (without floss or carbon) for water movement. I suggest setting up a 10 gallon tank since most of your meds are not easily divided into smaller volumes. Ive treated several fish over the years for myself and my family successfully with copper sulfate and the fish usually survive the experience. For sure they do better than if you didnt treat the fish. The one thing that makes it very difficult however is that you wont be able to add the fish back to the aquarium for roughly 3 weeks allowing all of the ich and spores to die in the tank. No host means death. Read up on this site and on reef central (if you can) to see what the exact timeline and dose concentrations that are best to use. I cant remember the exact treatments and times that I used, but you should be able to find this information online..possibly even after a google search for ich treatment. Making sure you have good water parameters, good food, and stable temperatures are good for preventative measures to prevent a reoccurance. But in my experience, the longer one waits, the worse the outcome. Your call though on whether you wish to go this route. Whatever you decide..good luck! Terry Oh, one more thing. I do remember the ich coming and going on the fish for several days. I had a cleaner shrimp and I suppose he was getting many of the external ich spots. This combined with the fish rubbing on the rocky surfaces and sand to get rid of the rest. But again, these were external. If I remember correctly, one of the primary reasons a fish dies is because the ich spread internally and to the gills causing suffocation. Link to comment
flick Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 Ok..thx guys...i still dont know what they are....? Millerlite, i have taken better videos...closer ones to show weather it is ich or not....here they are! So, what do you guys think now??? Flick wow...my cam sucks!....cant rele see the spots.... wait!..does anyone have pics of when their clownfish had ich....so i can compare...or another other fish for that matter...sry guys...im such a newb MVC_003V.MPG MVC_005V.MPG MVC_006V.MPG MVC_007V.MPG MVC_008V.MPG MVC_009V.MPG MVC_010V.MPG MVC_011V.MPG Link to comment
flick Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 BUMP!!!!...please help guys...as i have school tomrrow..and need to know what i can do tonight! Flick Link to comment
rna Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 i would set up a qt tank and possibly do a hypo on them if they have ich. because the ich will just keep coming back unless its all gone. and if it is ich, you are seening the last adult stage of it. when you dont see it that means they layed their eggs and are reproducing. i think, correct me if im wrong, if the stage after the egg doesnt find a host in a certain amount of time it will die. so i would just to a hypo treatment, my $.02 Link to comment
nUgZ Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 The link I posted in the beginning has MORE than enough info on treating and preventing ich. If he chooses not to read it, that's his decision. Link to comment
flick Posted February 8, 2006 Author Share Posted February 8, 2006 My clowns died!!!...today while i was at school!!!.....grrrrrrrr! Luckily, my mom was very sad, and she phoned the fish store where i got them. She told the very nice aquarium hobbiest man how ive waited a long, good cycle, the water quality is always perfect, and how i acclimated them properly. He belived her, and felt sry for me since my mom told him 'he has been saving up his bday money, x mas money, and all the other money, for a looooooong time to set up this tank, and he is not one of those kids who just buys clownfish to have nemos, he actually wanted a reef setup for years now, and i finally feel he was ready for one!'....so he felt bad that i was a younger hobbiest, and i had such bad luck! So, he was sooo nice enough to give me my money BACK!!!.....Even though there are NO returns on SW!!!!!....WHAT AN AMAZING MAN!!!!.....he is such a great guy, we drove 45 minutes tonight, just to go see him in person, and to get our certificate, and we talked for an hour and a half!!!....lol, anyways, i miss my lil guys, but i have better info now, and my money back, so im going to wait like a month more, to get better, healthier clowns! ps-He had like 100 clowns shipped from Costa Rica, (i baught two of them..which died), and when i got mine which was Sunday, by today Tuesday, they only have 4 left...cuz they all died from acclimation!!!...so he knew it wasnt my fault, but he didnt admit that it was his fault for selling bad stock to early after acclimation!!!..lol Flick Link to comment
rna Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 i'd qt new fish next time you get them, so you wont get all freaked out about ich again. Link to comment
chieferich Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 flick.. from my experience, a good shop will feed them a pinch if you ask. if they eat, it is sometimes a good indicator of health. try that next time. Link to comment
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