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Ich or anemone stings?


steelhead77

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Greetings,

I just put two Pink Skunk Clowns into my tank yesterday. They came from an LFS and are great looking fish. I did not quarantine them as they had been in the shop tank for several weeks. DOH! As soon as I acclimated them and put them into the tank, they headed straight for my Sebae anemone and appeared to love it. They slept completely inside the Sebae. This morning when I was checking them out, they had small white specks all over them (body and fins). after watching them for awhile, the specks either appeared to just fall off and float away or otherwise totally go away. Tonite, they seem to be back, though not to the same extent as this morning.

 

My question is, could these be stings from the anemone or should I be a lot more concerned?

 

Thanks,

Scott

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Sounds a lot like ick... You should QT EVERY fish you get. Even if they have been in the store for weeks. Ick is probably on most fish that are caught, and stress brings it out. Just like stress makes us more likely to catch a cold.

 

Now that it is in your tank... What are you going to do?

 

dsoz

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That is the $64000.00 question! They seem healthy so far (eating swimming, rolling in the Sebae). Can I just wait it out? Feed them garlic? Pray over them?

 

I do have 2 other percs in there as well as a couple other fish. None of them are affected as of yet. I'm trying to get the pinks out, to no avail yet. I appreciate any suggestions you might offer.

 

-Scott

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I have heard good things and bad things about garlic...mainly, it doesn't work. Ick or "ICH" is an undeniable pest that lurks in every piece of rock or frag or fish you may aquire. QT is great, but if there is ich in your tank, QT will not help. The only sure fire way to get rid of ich is to take EVERY fish out of your tank for 6 weeks, which for most, is a pain in the behind. Ich needs a host, and fish are it! If you can catch ALL of your fish and treat them in a QT tank (copper is a great choice) great, if not....try a different approach.

 

Ich is a parasite:

 

The "cysts", or white dots, attach to the fish and feed, then fall off, hatch, re-attach, fall off, hatch...you see the cycle! It is kind of like a flea on your dog...fleas can only survive on a dog or cat...break the life cycle and bamb!

 

Different approach:

 

You can treat ALL of your fish (because now ich is IN YOUR TANK) with metrodiazonale. You can pick it up at your LFS. Soak it in your food over night then feed the next day...do this for 3-5 days and it will kill the parasite. As long as your fish are EATING and swimming around...they should be ok, as healthy fish can tolerate this disease.

 

As for Garlic, it may make the food more palatable to the fish, but does nothing to the ich.

 

Now, if it is Brooknella disease...which is a common clown fish disease, your fish will, unfortunately die off quickly...the "white" cysts however, do not fall off so I think you are safe....

 

This all from experience.

 

Kris

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Thanks for the response Kris. I do have a few more questions from your answer.

 

Is metrodiazonale reef safe? Will it affect any corals or upset any water params?

 

Currently I'm feeding Prime Reef frozen food. Should I switch to some flake or pellet while treating? If so, what do you recommend?

 

If, once treated now, can/will it come back on subsequent fish and start the cycle all over again?

 

Thanks,

 

Scott

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I suggest that you don't react. It is probably just stress from moving that brings out the ich.

Garlic can help. I've been told to use it the week of adding new fish as well as once or twice a month regularly. I don't always use it but I try to add it a few times in the first week with a new fish.

Feed quality foods while providing excellent water conditions and the fish will fight it off themselves. UV can help them do this.

This has worked for me.

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Jesse is right. If you feed good quality food, and keep your water quality good, your fish will fight off the ich. Garlic can be problematic as if you use too much you can actually harm your fish. I think that your are going to cause the stress level to rise on your fish by trying and failing to catch them. If the ich seems to be falling off, then your fish's immune system is working.

 

BTW, I never QT my fish, and have not lost one to ich in YEARS. Slow acclimation and turning off you lights go a long way to keeping the stress level down. I fell that the stress of medication in a QT and then the stress of moving the fish once again after you have "determined" that the fish is ready for your display can cause outbreaks also.

 

JME

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I am just like lowman...I have never QT'd a fish. Again, new fish rarely bring in "ich", they just acquire it from stress. I learned all about this when I moved my fish from my 55 to my 110. Everyone was fine and healthy...nothing new added, but the clowns came down with it then the dominos. The clowns couldn't fight it off...the damsels did. The six line and the goby didn't have any trouble at all. As far as the metrodiazonale, it is completely safe.

 

Kris

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Thanks for all the responses! It is nowhere near as bad today as yesterday. None of the other fish have any signs of it at all so far. I will leave the Pinks alone and let them settle down a bit before trying anything. I really appreciate all the advice and am just going to see how it goes over the next couple days or so.

 

Thanks again,

 

-Scott

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so clowns are not able to fight off ich?

 

 

Its not that they are "not able"...mine were just way too stressed out and really fell prey to it. Add on top of it that they quit eating (kind of like us when we feel crappy) and their demise was inevitable. If only I had caught it sooner and followed my current route of treatment, they may have made it!

 

RIP to my two little true percs Nemo and Marlin (cliche I know)...we will always miss you guys.

 

Welcome aboard to Nemo 2 and Marlin 2, a couple of broken stripped Ocellaris. They are just as cool!

 

Kris

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Its not that they are "not able"...mine were just way too stressed out and really fell prey to it. Add on top of it that they quit eating (kind of like us when we feel crappy) and their demise was inevitable. If only I had caught it sooner and followed my current route of treatment, they may have made it!

 

RIP to my two little true percs Nemo and Marlin (cliche I know)...we will always miss you guys.

 

Welcome aboard to Nemo 2 and Marlin 2, a couple of broken stripped Ocellaris. They are just as cool!

 

Kris

 

Your names were less of a cliche than ours. Our clowns are Nee and Mo

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CA2OR, just saw your clowns in the member feedback section, and you need to QT fast. I would get some copper and treat every member of your tank (fish) for 6-8 weeks. This is the only true way to get rid of ich. Follow the directions on the copper and you will be successful. I know people have luck in fighting ich with good food and garlic, but I think there's a point when it is too far along. A QT tank is a must IMO anyways.

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Ask Pat at Saltwater Fanta-Seas about a cure for ICH. If I remember right he had some "organic", (for lack of a better word), cure/remedy that was able to be put into reefs without harming inverts and corals.

 

Then again I could be full of it............................ :)

 

Thanks for being honest Michael. I will check into that. I am working out how I can use my 5 g for a quarentine tank. Thank you downhill for your input. Now if I could just get Dave to chime in I would feel secure.

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lol, get a little from everyone and you will feel good....

 

i have tried rid ich, ich attack, garlic, ect.

 

i ended up tearing down my whole tank and doing copper, once and for all, now no problems. i recommend it, its the ONLY true method.

 

Thats a matter of opinion ;) My tank has been ich free for almost a year, and none of the fish have seen a day of copper treatment. In fact I have lost far more fish in quarantine than just adding them to the tank. Thats just my experience. There are many true methods to reach the same end result of a healthy ich free fish.

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I am quoting GreenBean on Reef Central in saying that it is the only true method. He is a marine biologist, over 20 years experience, and has 50 some thousand posts on RC, that is an active research scientist in this field. He says that other methods work, maybe some times, maybe most of the time, but Copper and Hyposalinity are the only methods that work 100% of the time, without fail. Not just my opinion, opinion of people that are at the top of the field.

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Well, the ich that was on my two Pink Skunks went away by itself after a couple days. I'm sure it's still in my tank, but no other fish have come down with it as of yet. An LFS did recommend a product called No-Ich by Marine Aquaria. It is supposed to be "reef safe" and "safe with invertebrates" I did buy some - just in case -. The active ingredient is 5-Nitromidazoles.

Has anybody had any success or failure with this product?

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Well, the ich that was on my two Pink Skunks went away by itself after a couple days. I'm sure it's still in my tank, but no other fish have come down with it as of yet. An LFS did recommend a product called No-Ich by Marine Aquaria. It is supposed to be "reef safe" and "safe with invertebrates" I did buy some - just in case -. The active ingredient is 5-Nitromidazoles.

Has anybody had any success or failure with this product?

 

The ICH has moved to the free swimming stage. This is how it effects other fish in the same system. Keep an eye on them and you should, (sorry to say), see some on the fish again in a couple of days.

 

Basically ICH is on the fish then it 'pops' and the new pests fall to the substrate. Then they become free swimming. Then you see it on your fish. Then it is just a cycle from there until it is taken care of.

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