pthoma79 Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 OK, I think one of my clowns might have ich. I see a small brownish gray spot on the back portion of his body, and another two very small white spots near its tail. Its hard to get a good look at them, because when I get down close to the tank, he swims between rocks, where I can't see him (he's usually a very friendly fish). Also, he's been spending more time behind and between rocks the past 2 days than ever before. Params: 8.2 pH 0 Amm/trites 10 trates 1.024 SG 30 gal tank I've never had this problem before, and I don't have a QT set up. Is there a way to treat this without one, or am I going to have to go out and buy equipment for a QT? Thanks for the help... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 There is some stuff called RubyReef KickIck. It is supposed to be reef safe (I never tried it myself, but some others have). But it is EXPENSIVE. If you have a small tank, you may get by fairly cheeply going this route. Otherwise, a QT tank is a good idea. Ick can live in the sand for up to 6 weeks without fish in the display. If you want the display to be ick free you need to take all the fish out for 6 (or more) weeks. When I had ick in my tank (only had 2 clowns at the time) I kept the fish in QT for 8 weeks so the display could become clear of parasite. Good luck. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pthoma79 Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 OK, read some good and less than good reviews of it. I bought some, and we'll give it a shot. Sounds like it won't hurt my inverts, and all I have is a small frag of zoas in the tank right now, so I won't be crushed if they die. We'll see. I'll let you know how it works... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 I had decent success keeping ich away by soaking the fish food in garlic freshly pressed in a garlic press. It did not cure the ich, but for a good year it kept it away. It did surface again about 2-3 months ago and killed all but 3 of my fish in less than 2 days unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanz Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Would it be good to have a scarlet cleaner shrimp as a preventative measure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pthoma79 Posted April 2, 2008 Author Share Posted April 2, 2008 Well, this morning, I woke up, and he's nowhere to be found....I'm getting about tired of buying clowns. In a month and a half, I have had 2 clowns mysteriously disapear (I think the larger one killed them, and the cleaners ate him), and another one die of ich (and got eaten by the cleaners). Do clowns do best in pairs, or should I try another fish? I was going to buy a four line wrasse soon, but after that, I'm not sure. Any suggestions??? -Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pthoma79 Posted April 2, 2008 Author Share Posted April 2, 2008 Also, I do have a cleaner shrimp. The clown was hanging out by him, but I don't know if he was cleaning him or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 What kind of clowns. Some are more teritorial and aggressive (maroon, tomato, sebae). Some are more peacefull (percs, ocellaris). If the larger one is a dominant female, and you add one that has also started the change into being a female, then you are in for problems... They cannot turn back into males, and one will "go away" to the big toilet bowl in the sky. If you like the look of having two clowns, add one that is significantly smaller (as small as you can find). Then keep it separated from the larger one for a while until it starts showing submissive behavior. (laying down on side and shaking like a puppy that is happy to see you). Then you may get them to pair up. Clowns can also do fine in singles. They can do fine without anemones. Be wary of the wrasse. I hear that they are mean fish that attack any new fish in the aquarium. It is one that you want to add LAST. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pthoma79 Posted April 2, 2008 Author Share Posted April 2, 2008 I was told the 4 line was much more peaceful than the six line. But I probably will still add it last. Just have to figure out the rest of my stocking list now. I had a diamond goby as well, but it jumped out(through the eggcrate), and I found it on the floor next to the tank. So, yeah, losing 4 fish in a month and a half, I'm getting kind of tired of replacing them.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanz Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 You might have to leave the tank alone for a while and not add anything new. 2 months or so. The disease/ick needs to be eradicated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefboy Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Not sure if anyone has thought of this but I used interceptor in my quaritine system it works wonders a couple tangs I had broke out and at the same time I was treating for zoa spiders killed both(found a colony in a new shippment with them) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I had decent success keeping ich away by soaking the fish food in garlic freshly pressed in a garlic press. It did not cure the ich' date=' but for a good year it kept it away. It did surface again about 2-3 months ago and killed all but 3 of my fish in less than 2 days unfortunately.[/quote'] Really....garlic has worked great for me in the past. Usually the really infected or weak, unhealthy, malnourished stressed out fish will die but if the majority of your fish are healthy and well fed and happy ( stress free ) you can get by with the garlic. If you have water that flucuates more then say 4 degrees from day to night that can cause stress make them more suceceptible to actually die from the ick. I can honestly say that I have completly rid my tank from ick more then once in the last 6 years with just garlic. Now this is having healthy fish before the ick is introduced into my tank. Just be sure to keep your fish happy and healthy by keeping your water fresh and clean by useing appropriate things like the carbon and filter socks. Keep nitrates at zero if possible for you. Feed a died of varied fresh seafood as well as your usual frozen cubed type mysis, krill, and selcon gut loaded brineshrimp. Go buy the fresh seafood also. I buy fresh shrimp all the time so I can feed my green brittlestars....just shread some extra for your hungary tang and fat happy clownfish : ) they will love you for it. Dont forget their veggies also by useing nori sheets. I soak my fresh seafood in Boyds Vitachem religously every week. This is really a great broad spectrum vitamin for your fish. SSSOOOOOOOOO I guess what you need to think about is keeping the fish you have very happy and stress free. In my opinion a fat fish is a healthy happy one. Dont overfeed so they cant eat the food and it sits and polutes the water. Two of my fish are approaching 7 years old and I still have starfish that are from day 1 for me. Make sure everyone gets along in your tank, If there is a bully eject him back to the lfs for a different fish. Good luck and here is some great reading on this link. This place has lots of great reading and will keep you busy for hours learning about everything you wanted to know about any topic related to the aquarium hobby......really it is vast. Their info on ICK is probably 50 pages. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/cryptblensgobs.htm Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 IMO, it is easier and more important to keep ick out of the tank bu treating it, letting it sit without fish for 2 months, and putting everything that goes into it through a QT tank. Most recently I got a yellow tank (the fish that is known as an ick magnet). It went right into a 30 gal that I bought just for the purpose of having a hospital tank. He sat in a copper treatment for two weeks even though he did not look like he had ick. When he finally went in my tank, I knew he was ick free. Right now I have about 20# LR that I got from RonJr. It is sitting in a fish free 10g tank with a heater, powerhead, and PC lights (for the zoas that I got). It will stay there for 2 months with no fish present until I know that the parasite has died. I know that there is always a chance that ick will get into my tank somehow, but I will do everything in my power to prevent it. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pthoma79 Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 I think I'm going to try the KICK ICH stuff suggested by someone on here. The other clown is doing fine, been keeping a close eye on him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 IMO, it is easier and more important to keep ick out of the tank bu treating it, letting it sit without fish for 2 months, and putting everything that goes into it through a QT tank. Most recently I got a yellow tank (the fish that is known as an ick magnet). It went right into a 30 gal that I bought just for the purpose of having a hospital tank. He sat in a copper treatment for two weeks even though he did not look like he had ick. When he finally went in my tank, I knew he was ick free. Right now I have about 20# LR that I got from RonJr. It is sitting in a fish free 10g tank with a heater, powerhead, and PC lights (for the zoas that I got). It will stay there for 2 months with no fish present until I know that the parasite has died. I know that there is always a chance that ick will get into my tank somehow, but I will do everything in my power to prevent it. dsoz I agree with the hospital tank system. I just got tired of keeping a tank just for this....then again I also dont bring fish home very often anymore. I had ick really bad when I lived in Moses Lake and did use the hospital tank along with dropping the salinity and raising the temperature in the display to try and speed the cycle while my fish were in the quaranteen tank. Still after 30-40 days of siphoning the bottom of the quaranteen tank glass everynight and changing the water every 2 days because it had no biological filter then returning the fish to the display the ick even then returned just a little but finally I beat it. Some reason my clownfish seemed to be imune to it but my yellow tang was attacked every night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lquidglass Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Just a few months back I got a blue hippo tang and shortly after putting him in the tank he came down with ICK. Not having a hospital tank big enough for the fish and the difficulty of getting him out of my reef tank. I opted for Kent garlic xtreme on there food and directly into the tank also. I also got two skunk cleaner shrimp that jumped right on him and started cleaning him and within two days no Ick in sight. Between that and using a UV steralizer I have seen no ICK for months now. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 but my yellow tang was attacked every night. Didn't you know yellow tang = ick magnet. It is one of those constants in life. Death, taxes, and ick on a yellow tang. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrgreenthumb Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I think its safe to say Tang= ick magnet. I agree with everyone on preventative, but I think more focus should be put on the UV Sterilizer. Rather than waiting until you have ick why not have it up and running so that when you do get ick you will at least have something to kill those lil free floating parasites. UV also is going to cut down on unwanted algeas and bacteria as well. Since I installed my uv I havn't lost a single fish, nor have I had an outbreak of ick. Garlics great, but again it is KNOWN to boost the fish's immune system. Often times when a fish comes down with ick its immune system is so low already from stress and other factors that garlic will do little to help, nor does garlic do anything to kill or slow the reproductive cycle of ich. It only takes one cyst for an outbreak, might as well have somthin to kill the free floaters before they attach to another host. Cleaner shrimp are also one of the best natural preventatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pthoma79 Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 I added the cleaner about 3-4 days before the clown died from ich. So hopefully, it helped. Haven't seen any ich on the other clown, but then again, haven't really seen the cleaner cleaning him. Seems to me, in my limited experience, he is a little depressed, and missing other fish... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lquidglass Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I have noticed that my clowns do not go near the cleaner shrimp but great for all the other fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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