Now I have Ich :(

twps

twps

Reefing newb
I picked up a pair of Ocellaris Clowns yesterday as they were on sale 2 for 1. I brought them home acclimatized them for 3-4 hours. They looked good at the store, but after a few hours I noticed a few spots on the smaller ones fins. This morning he is covered in white spots, the larger clown is okay and the damn damsels are fine.

I know this has been covered numerous times, and I've read several older posts. I've seen suggestions to leave him in the tank and let him attempt to get over it on his own. The biggest suggestion I see is the QT tank and treatment, today I don't have any spare equipment so this would be a significant investment. I've read elsewhere on the internet about an organic product called Ich-Attack has anyone tried this and had any luck?

If I leave the poor little guy in the tank and let him fight it off on his own how long should I do this for before moving to another method?
 
It shouldn't be that significant of an investment if you decided to QT him. All you need is a cheap tank(you can pick one up from walmart for $10), a heater and a small powerhead. The only problem you have is that if the one fish has itch they probably all do, it's just not showing up right now. If you treat him an get him better there's a chance he'll catch it again when you move him back with the others since they weren't treated
 
My clowns got over it within a day when I first brought them home. A QT tank (as I've experienced with a 5am runaround when I panicked because my fish had Ich) probably will run you like $30 for a 10g setup. I didn't end up treating them because by the time I returned home the spots had gone and I assumed they were fighting it off on their own as they went from having no spots, to having spots all in mere hours. So rather than let my tank run fallow, I just make sure my fish have plenty of garlic and vitamins in their diet to fend off any future attacks. New fish might see an outbreak when added to the tank if they're stressed, and I'll just tackle that when it comes to it. I've seen both good and bad reasons for using a QT tank or just for adding them straight to the DT. If your fish are happy and healthy chances are they're not going to suffer an outbreak.
 
Cathic said:
Been in hypo nearly a week now, Since I have a QT tank I am switching over to med, not sure why but after a week I figured I would see some form of improvement. I do not have access to a Copper treatment is this any good? Saltwater Medications for Marine Aquarium Fish: Instant Ocean Lifeguard Saltwater Fish Medication
Click to expand...
Be careful with that,its going to shock your fishes system.I would stick it out with hypo,i did it for 32 days......
OP,sorry to here your problem.We all deal with it alittle differently.I did hypo.Bottom line is,your DT has ich now(or may have had it already)EVERY fish must be treated,and your DT must be treated also(just leave it fallow for 8 weeks)...Or just pump em full of vits and garlic and let it ride.
 
Thanks for all the posts everyone. When I got home from work today he's looking better, less spots. He eats okay, but is staying near the top back corner where they swam to when I released both of them into the tank.

I removed the large yellow tail damsel and took him for a ride to the LFS that I bought the clowns from yesterday. He gave me a bottle of "ICH-X" and told it was extremely effective and reef safe. He suggested to take no chances and do the whole tank, he uses it in his system at the store, and all water filters through all tanks. I haven't followed through yet as there is a small warning on their website stating it may cause damage to inverts, primarily filter feeders. I have a red star, zoo polyps, and hermits. Do they count?

The QT thing is sounding safer...
 
 
I also think the fact that he says he uses it in all of his tanks at the store and, this fish after a day has ich now.
 
You could try a freshwater dip if you don't have a QT. It may help kill some of the Ich. That medication probably just suppressed the Ich until you put it in your tank.
 
FW dips are harmless when done correctly, I dipped all my fish for 7 minutes before i started hypo.I have learned it is a helpful practice to do this,but is by no means a cure.Hypo or copper-- the only 2 proven methods to kill ich.If its reef safe,and wont harm inverts,then how do you expect it to kill ich? Melosu58 always posts links to those article ,they are a must read to anyone concerned about ich and its affects on our systems........JM :twocents:
 
I dip most of my new fish, Just watch them for stress while in the freshwater. Make sure the temp matches and ph. Clowns do well in a freshwater dip, 7 -10 minutes is usually ok as long as the fish is strong
 
Well, I thought I'd provide an update... Waking up yesterday I I decided to proceed with the "reef safe" solution. I came home last night to find the sick clown dead on the sand, my star fish crumpled up in the corner being eaten by crabs. I did a large water change immediately. Upon completion I noticed my zoo frag doesn't look so hot. Some polyps are open, some closed - I'm assuming this is what it looks like when it is dead or dying off?
Lesson learned. Time to sit back take it easy and see what happens over the next few weeks. I have 1 clown, 1 yellow tail damsel, a diamond goby left some hermits and snails left.
 

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