Eiblis angel

[yassin.ghanem]

hello, I know there are many threads on ICH but I think my dwarf angel has it. He has white spots on the back of his body and he twitches sometimes. He's eating and behaving normally. Does this sound like Ich because it's I only see it in the back? How would you recommend treating this? I have a 29 (this is the minimum tank size for this fish, but seems to be happy and has the whole back side as his territory) gallon with a clownfish, a ywg/pistol shrimp and live rock.

Thanks

 

[melypr1985]

Are there too many spots to count? Are they more like salt sprinkles or a dusting? How long has he had them? I'd like to see a picture of him. In the mean time here is some info on ich and how to treat it:

Saltwater ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) is best described as salt or sugar-like "sprinkles" on the body or fins. Sometimes however, the parasite can harbor inside the gills - out of sight. Behavioral symptoms such as flashing, scratching, twitching and heavy breathing are other indicators of ich.

Most hobbyists will encounter ich at some point in one of two settings:

1. A newly acquired fish in quarantine (QT) - proceed to "Treatment options" below.
2. Fish in the display tank (DT) - There is no easy way of dealing with this. Even in fish only systems, it can be problematic trying to treat in the DT. Copper (and other medications) can be absorbed by rock/substrate, and doing hyposalinity risks possibly wiping out your bio-filter. You have to catch ALL of your fish, and quarantine/treat using one of the treatment options mentioned below. The DT itself must be left fallow (fishless) for at least 72 days to starve out any remaining parasites. Continue to periodically feed your corals/inverts; a pinch of flake food every 2-3 days will help maintain bacteria levels in the DT. Remember there is no "reef safe" ich treatment that will actually eradicate all of the parasites! Tea tree oil from India or garlic extract or any other herbal/natural "medication" is designed to only help fish manage their symptoms.

If you need help setting up a QT for treatment, this guide will prove useful: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-diagnosis/189815-how-quarantine.html

Treatment options: Copper, Chloroquine phosphate, tank transfer method, or hyposalinity. All of which are discussed in detail here:https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fis...is/189658-treatment-options-my-two-cents.html

 

[yassin.ghanem]

I would say salt specks. Should I quarantine all my fish? My QT is 5 gallons

 

[melypr1985]

I would say salt specks. Should I quarantine all my fish? My QT is 5 gallons

Yes. Though you'll want to keep a close eye on the ammonia. I would be more comfortable with a 10 gallon QT in this case. Be ready for water changes

 

[yassin.ghanem]

Do I have any option on making my DT the qt tank? I can't imagine putting them all in such a small place. I know it sounds stubborn but I feel that would stress them out being in such close parameters and since I don't have corals

 

[yassin.ghanem]

I'll get a picture when I'm home too

 

[Humblefish]

Do I have any option on making my DT the qt tank?

Do you have any corals in your tank? Any inverts other than the pistol shrimp?

 

[yassin.ghanem]

Just a little hermit crab. All live rock..no corals whatsoever

Thank you

 

[yassin.ghanem]

Do you have any corals in your tank? Any inverts other than the pistol shrimp?

Just a little hermit crab. All live rock..no corals whatsover

Thank you

 

[Humblefish]

Just a little hermit crab. All live rock..no corals whatsover

Thank you

You have 2 options:

1. (Preferred) QT all your fish (inverts remain in the DT) and treat for ich using one of the options mentioned here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-treat-ich.191226/. Copper might be your best bet just in case this is velvet, but raise it slowly (4-5 days) because of the angel. I also wouldn't QT that bio-load in anything less than a 10 gal QT.
2. (Risky) Remove all your inverts and treat with hyposalinity in the DT (see below). This only treats ich (not velvet) and has had mixed results when done in a DT. But I still think I'd rather see you do this than put 3 fish in a 5 gal QT.

Hyposalinity: Treats Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) only.

How To Treat - Place the fish you wish to treat in a quarantine tank with SG & temperature matching the tank they came from. Over a period of 48 hours, gradually lower the SG down to 1.009. You must use a perfectly calibrated refractometer at all times while doing hypo. Treat for 30 consecutive days, and during that time the SG must always remain at 1.009. If it inches up even slightly, the 30 day clock restarts. For this reason, many people use an auto top off system while performing hyposalinity. Some have even used hypo to successfully rid their display tank of ich, while others have failed. All corals and inverts must be removed beforehand if you wish to try this.

One of the challenges posed by hypo is maintaining a proper pH for the entire duration. While fish aren’t overly sensitive to low pH for short periods of time, anything continuously lower than 7.5 is going to be a problem. So, you will have to constantly test and then buffer the water to raise the pH. This can be accomplished by using supplements (available at most LFS) or you can “bake” your own DIY supplement by using baking soda. Spread baking soda onto a clean baking sheet, and bake at 300F for 1 hour. This process drives off water and carbon dioxide from the baking soda, and the result is an effective pH buffer. You will need to experiment (start with a very small amount) to determine how much is needed to raise your pH to the desired level.

Pros - Chemical free solution to ich, gentle on the fish.

Cons/Side Effects - Difficult to execute properly, and hypo resistant strains of ich have been proven to exist (study done by Yambot in 2003.)

 

[yassin.ghanem]

You have 2 options:

1. (Preferred) QT all your fish (inverts remain in the DT) and treat for ich using one of the options mentioned here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-treat-ich.191226/. Copper might be your best bet just in case this is velvet, but raise it slowly (4-5 days) because of the angel. I also wouldn't QT that bio-load in anything less than a 10 gal QT.
2. (Risky) Remove all your inverts and treat with hyposalinity in the DT (see below). This only treats ich (not velvet) and has had mixed results when done in a DT. But I still think I'd rather see you do this than put 3 fish in a 5 gal QT.

Hyposalinity: Treats Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) only.

How To Treat - Place the fish you wish to treat in a quarantine tank with SG & temperature matching the tank they came from. Over a period of 48 hours, gradually lower the SG down to 1.009. You must use a perfectly calibrated refractometer at all times while doing hypo. Treat for 30 consecutive days, and during that time the SG must always remain at 1.009. If it inches up even slightly, the 30 day clock restarts. For this reason, many people use an auto top off system while performing hyposalinity. Some have even used hypo to successfully rid their display tank of ich, while others have failed. All corals and inverts must be removed beforehand if you wish to try this.

One of the challenges posed by hypo is maintaining a proper pH for the entire duration. While fish aren’t overly sensitive to low pH for short periods of time, anything continuously lower than 7.5 is going to be a problem. So, you will have to constantly test and then buffer the water to raise the pH. This can be accomplished by using supplements (available at most LFS) or you can “bake” your own DIY supplement by using baking soda. Spread baking soda onto a clean baking sheet, and bake at 300F for 1 hour. This process drives off water and carbon dioxide from the baking soda, and the result is an effective pH buffer. You will need to experiment (start with a very small amount) to determine how much is needed to raise your pH to the desired level.

Pros - Chemical free solution to ich, gentle on the fish.

Cons/Side Effects - Difficult to execute properly, and hypo resistant strains of ich have been proven to exist (study done by Yambot in 2003.)

Can I put the shrimp and crabs back in after using copper? if I removed LR and made the DT my qQT?

 

[Humblefish]

Can I put the shrimp and crabs back in after using copper? if I removed LR and made the DT my qQT?

Not impossible, but very difficult to remove copper from a tank without breaking it down, cleaning it out.

 

[melypr1985]

Can I put the shrimp and crabs back in after using copper? if I removed LR and made the DT my qQT?

Another draw back to not being able to clean the tank without dismantling it first is that the copper would be absorbed by your rock and sand only to be leached out later. This will make it very difficult to keep the copper level at therapeutic levels for the whole treatment time. If your going to use the DT for treatment then make sure your refractometer is perfectly calibrated and your ATO is functioning well... then go with hypo.