Just lost my clown

[Reef Wall]

I have just lost my clown to what I think is Ich. The only other fish in the tank is a firefish. It also has started to develop white spots. I plan on purchasing a small quarantine tank today with minimal filtation ( corner filter ) to treat my firefish. I have a few questions.

What is in the tank........
- 17 Lbs. Live rock
- 10 Lbs. Live sand
- 1 Nasarius snail
- 3 hermit crabs
- one small unknown soft coral that hitchhiked on some rock I purchased.

1. How long should I wait to add any fish into the aqurium?
2. If I use a copper treatment on the firefish will he bring copper into the DT when I return him?
3. I am building my live rock up to 50 Lbs. Is it safe to continue to add this rock to my display tank?
4. Since inverts, Corals are not susceptible to Ich, Is it safe to continue to add these to my display tank?

 

[FiReBReTHa]

uv filter, garlic supplementation. much easier dependent on your tank size.

 

[reef dummy]

UV filter and garlic supplementation won't cure ich. They can aid in curing ich but not by themselves. Fallow tank for 8 weeks is only sure shot way to get rid of the parasite.

 

[BigAl07]

1. How long should I wait to add any fish into the aqurium? Main tank MUST stay "Fallow" for 8 weeks to complete the life cycle of this pest.
2. If I use a copper treatment on the firefish will he bring copper into the DT when I return him? No I'd possibly do an interim dip in a bowl of Display Tank water and discard that if I had any worries. I don't know that it's been an issue before.
3. I am building my live rock up to 50 Lbs. Is it safe to continue to add this rock to my display tank? I don't think it's a good idea to add ANYTHING to the DT while you're treating it... in my books a sick system is off limits to EVERYTHING... I may be taking it to far but I'd rather err on the SAFE side and be wrong than the other way around.
4. Since inverts, Corals are not susceptible to Ich, Is it safe to continue to add these to my display tank? See previous comment . . .Quarantine is the rule of the day here

 

[FiReBReTHa]

UV filter and garlic supplementation won't cure ich. They can aid in curing ich but not by themselves. Fallow tank for 8 weeks is only sure shot way to get rid of the parasite.

Wont Cure it, but it sure will give the fish a fighting chance at living thru it.

If one fish died already from it I am guessing it is pretty populated in the fish so cutting down its numbers asap is important, then once the fish is stable moving it to another tank for elimination. QTing fish can be stressful on them so you want the to be as strong as possble for the move!

 

[BigAl07]

Boosting their immune system through garlic is a first step for any sickness and not a BAD idea during normal feedings as well.

I agree that QT can be stressful but I would not delay the QT procedure for one hour because the infection is MUCH more stressful than the QT procedure and the odds of any improvement without QT are slim to none.

 

[FiReBReTHa]

Boosting their immune system through garlic is a first step for any sickness and not a BAD idea during normal feedings as well.

I agree that QT can be stressful but I would not delay the QT procedure for one hour because the infection is MUCH more stressful than the QT procedure and the odds of any improvement without QT are slim to none.

yup yup +1 this far in that guy needs it.

 

[Reef Wall]

Thanks for the input so far. It's been very helpfull.

Can anyone suggest an Ich medication to use in the quarantine tank?

 

[Reef Wall]

What does running your tank fallow mean?

 

[BigAl07]

No fish at all...

Also during this time you don't use ANY equipment (nets, bowls, etc) from one tank to the other. Re-infection happens WAY to easy.

 

[leebca]

Sorry to hear of your loss. I didn't read the other replies, however my answers to your questions:

1. No less than 8 weeks.
2. Not if you follow proper procedures which include: After treatment, remove copper from water by first doing a large water change, then running activated carbon on the system a few days, then hold fish in quarantine for no less than 4 more weeks to verify the cure. At this point, with water changes and carbon changes, there should be only a trace amount of copper in the water, then using the proper acclimation procedure, the fish will carry only a few copper ions with it which is nothing to the marine life we care about.
3. No. Adding live rock later runs many negative risks. If you want/need to add more live rock, then put it first in old tank water (water you replaced during a water change) with a light on it. Circulate the water with an aearator and watch what happens. There may be new die-off which, if it was in the aquarium, would pollute it and potentially cause a crash. If after four weeks the water is still clear, it would be safe to put into the display system. If cloudy, then you'll need to perform the usual curing on it before you can use it.
4. Not safe. You can, but if these life forms come from places where they are in contact with fishes, the risk of bringing the disease in goes up. If you want to add things, do it immediately when the fish is removed. Start counting the 8 weeks AFTER the last addition. If you add something later on, start the 8 weeks clock over again.

Your bio load is small. Is this because your tank is small or are you just conserative? The Anemonefish you lost is not identified as to its species, however the smallest Anemonefish should be in an aqarium of no less than 29 gallons.

 

[Reef Wall]

My tank is 40 gallons. The reason the bio load is low is because I'm just starting this saltwater tank (2 Months) after having some success with fresh water for years. I was planning on adding about ten lbs of live rock every other week to spread the cost out. I should have just saved and purchased it all at once.

 

[Reef Wall]

Does no fish at all mean I need to remove the snail and hermit crabs or do they not count as they are not fish?

 

[lcstorc]

They are not fish and cannot provide a host for the parasite so they are fine where they are.

 

[Reef Wall]

What copper based medication would you recommend I use in the quarantine tank?

 

[sneaks03]

I think the one I am currently using is called CopperSafe, comes in a blue box. Make sure you get a copper test kit as well to keep copper at the appropriate levels.

 

[marineman]

I do not have the knowledge the following people do, but I have used copper safe twice before and it has worked both times. I forget the manufacturer though.

 

[leebca]

You are of course correct. The best way to setup a tank is to first save your money up so that the live rock can be purchased and put into the tank all at one time.

You want to use Cupramine. The best. And a Salifert Copper Test kit to monitor and control copper concentration.

Invertebrates are 'non-fish' marine life forms. A too simple definition I know. So the snails, worms, pods, crabs, and anything else that isn't a fish, can just remain in the Marine Ich infected system. Marine Ich can't use them to live and multiple. Marine Ich only needs a fish host. You'll learn more (see below) through reading.

You probably aren't going to be happy with my next suggestion. However, you need to do a lot of reading. Here's your reading list:

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...arting-your-first-fo-fowlr-marine-system.html
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums.../23584-fish-quarantine-process-step-step.html
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/23132-marine-ich-myths-facts.html
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...nts/23131-hyposalinity-treatment-process.html
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...ents/23130-copper-treatment-use-problems.html

I hope you will take the time to go through the above as you move towards helping your fish. More importantly I wish you can follow those recommendations closely.

If anything isn't clear, we can help explain or clarify.