Help with Ich treatment.

[Bryce Mazloum]

Unfortunately I lost my helfrichi Firefirsh last night to ich after a long battle, last night they appeared much worse than usual, being practically covered in white, and this morning before school I found that they had died overnight and the cleanup crew had done their job. However now I'm worried for my clownfish, who is now the lone fish in the tank, all this time she has seemed not to be infected, but recently she has seemed a bit sluggish, but she still is very active and eating a lot of the medicated food that I used to try to help the ich situation.
With spring break coming up next week and a big trip planned for my family I'm worried that something will happen to her while I'm gone, as I won't be able to feed and monitor her as closely as I would like, would anyone be willing to give me some tips?
I don't have a qt system set up but this weekend I'm going to do a big cleaning on my tank and maybe buy a system to set up for treatment.

 

[redfishbluefish]

@HotRocks , @ngoodermuth , @4FordFamily , @Humblefish

 

[Deiblerj]

What is your plan for tank care/maintenance while you are on break? You might want to have someone tend to your tank while you’re gone. Most LFS will do this for a cost but it ensures your system is being taken care of while you’re gone. If that is your only fish you might see if your LFS can QT while you’re gone. Again might cost some money but ensures your fish is being treated and cared for properly while you’re gone. This would also allow you time to go fallow in your DT to allow the ICH to go through its cycle and die off. You’ll have to keep your clown in QT for at least 72 days (I think that’s the magic number).

 

[Deiblerj]

I would also be careful doing a big cleaning. Doing too much at once can really mess your tank up. It has the potential to kill off the good bacteria causing mini cycles or algae growth to pop up. In my experience cleaning a little at a time has worked best. I.e. clean your blower one week, clean sand another week before WC, clean filter (not media or sponges) another week

 

[Bryce Mazloum]

What is your plan for tank care/maintenance while you are on break? You might want to have someone tend to your tank while you’re gone. Most LFS will do this for a cost but it ensures your system is being taken care of while you’re gone. If that is your only fish you might see if your LFS can QT while you’re gone. Again might cost some money but ensures your fish is being treated and cared for properly while you’re gone. This would also allow you time to go fallow in your DT to allow the ICH to go through its cycle and die off. You’ll have to keep your clown in QT for at least 72 days (I think that’s the magic number).

What I'm planning on doing is doing my weekly small water change, glass cleaning, and sand vacuuming on Sunday, and then depending on what people tell me to do I may get a qt but hopefully my LFS will keep my clown, I'll be gone for 5 days and when I get back I don't plan on doing anything with the tank in terms of new livestock for a good while. As for while I'm gone a house keeper will be at home but they have no experience with fish keeping and last time they cared for my tanks one of my fish died and I got a massive algae bloom.
Also can't you speed up the life cycle of ich by raising the volume of your tank?

 

[Deiblerj]

I’m not sure I have heard the volume increase thing before. I do know that raising the tempature can speed up the cycle but if it were me...I would keep my tank stable as is and just got fallow while you have the chance. Only having 1 fish at the moment will make this process much easier. Your CuC and corals will be fine. Not having any fish in the DT means the ICH can’t attach to a host and will die off. The minute you put fish in you risk ICH becoming a problem even if your clown doesn’t show signs of it. You can have fish who are more immune to it causing false hope. Again my suggestion is have your LfS QT while you’re gone, come back set up a QT and start the clock. You’ll thank yourself later. Looking forward I would QT any new fish going into your tank to prevent ICH again.

 

[4FordFamily]

"Covered in white" describes velvet or brook, to me. If it was brook I imagine the clown would be more impacted. Velvet acts quickly, you don't have a lot of time.

 

[Deiblerj]

^^good point, do you have any pictures??

 

[Bryce Mazloum]

I’m not sure I have heard the volume increase thing before. I do know that raising the tempature can speed up the cycle but if it were me...I would keep my tank stable as is and just got fallow while you have the chance. Only having 1 fish at the moment will make this process much easier. Your CuC and corals will be fine. Not having any fish in the DT means the ICH can’t attach to a host and will die off. The minute you put fish in you risk ICH becoming a problem even if your clown doesn’t show signs of it. You can have fish who are more immune to it causing false hope. Again my suggestion is have your LfS QT while you’re gone, come back set up a QT and start the clock. You’ll thank yourself later. Looking forward I would QT any new fish going into your tank to prevent ICH again.

I meant to say temperature! My bad

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

What is your plan for tank care/maintenance while you are on break? You might want to have someone tend to your tank while you’re gone. Most LFS will do this for a cost but it ensures your system is being taken care of while you’re gone. If that is your only fish you might see if your LFS can QT while you’re gone. Again might cost some money but ensures your fish is being treated and cared for properly while you’re gone. This would also allow you time to go fallow in your DT to allow the ICH to go through its cycle and die off. You’ll have to keep your clown in QT for at least 72 days (I think that’s the magic number).

76 days for ich and 6 weeks for velvet

 

[Bryce Mazloum]

"Covered in white" describes velvet or brook, to me. If it was brook I imagine the clown would be more impacted. Velvet acts quickly, you don't have a lot of time.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't velvet or brook because they clownfish appears to be unaffected where the Helfrichi had lots of signature white specks that would increase and decrease in numbers as the weeks went on.

 

[Mariette]

I’ve had 2 ich outbreaks. Both killed most of my fish. Only thing I’ve found is to hit it hard and fast.
Quarantine fish. Copper. Be VERY CAREFUL w copper and follow all instructions exactly. The treatment will kill fish if done incorrectly (as I learned the hard way). Then, leave display tank fishless for 3 mths.
The copper treatment requires constant monitoring so don’t think it’s such a good idea w your upcoming break. Ugh. That sucks!
Good luck. And sorry for your loss.
Also, from experience, firefish are the first to go. I assume because they spend so much time near the substrate. I dunno.

 

[Bryce Mazloum]

^^good point, do you have any pictures??

I do have this image from when the ich wasn't as bad

 

[Neo Jeo]

Sorry to hear!

I had a bad ich outbreak in my tank. I got a UV light and I fed Dr.G's parasite food then my Ich came manageable
. I now have 16 fish and are all healthy. I run my UV 24/7.

 

[4FordFamily]

What you describe and what I see on that fish is velvet. Clownfish have thicker slime coats and will last longer in velvet than many other fish. Firefish are small, so the size of those spots to scale is smaller than ich, and if they become notably more numerous quickly that describes velvet.

 

[ngoodermuth]

I agree, that looks and sounds like velvet to me as well. I do think a QT is necessary, and quickly... how soon do you leave?

I’m hesitant to recommend leaving a fish in QT while you travel unless you will have someone that is some what knowledgeable checking on it regularly. Ammonia is manageable in QT, but you do have to keep an eye on it and be ready to do a water-change if needed. If you aren’t able to be there for at least the first few weeks to make sure everything is stable... contacting an LFS and asking them to take/QT the fish (make sure you tell them it has suspected velvet so they don’t put it in the main system) may be a better option.

 

[Bryce Mazloum]

I’ve had 2 ich outbreaks. Both killed most of my fish. Only thing I’ve found is to hit it hard and fast.
Quarantine fish. Copper. Be VERY CAREFUL w copper and follow all instructions exactly. The treatment will kill fish if done incorrectly (as I learned the hard way). Then, leave display tank fishless for 3 mths.
The copper treatment requires constant monitoring so don’t think it’s such a good idea w your upcoming break. Ugh. That sucks!
Good luck. And sorry for your loss.
Also, from experience, firefish are the first to go. I assume because they spend so much time near the substrate. I dunno.

What you describe and what I see on that fish is velvet. Clownfish have thicker slime coats and will last longer in velvet than many other fish. Firefish are small, so the size of those spots to scale is smaller than ich, and if they become notably more numerous quickly that describes velvet.

I agree, that looks and sounds like velvet to me as well. I do think a QT is necessary, and quickly... how soon do you leave?

I’m hesitant to recommend leaving a fish in QT while you travel unless you will have someone that is some what knowledgeable checking on it regularly. Ammonia is manageable in QT, but you do have to keep an eye on it and be ready to do a water-change if needed. If you aren’t able to be there for at least the first few weeks to make sure everything is stable... contacting an LFS and asking them to take/QT the fish (make sure you tell them it has suspected velvet so they don’t put it in the main system) may be a better option.

The day of the death the firefish had very fine white specks and was swimming rather slowly, as the day went on I noticed that he wouldn't eat and right before I turned the lights off I noticed that the specks had turned into white blotches. And the next morning he was dead.

Is there any differences in treatment between velvet and ich? I've only really done a lot of research on ich so I'm not sure what I should do

 

[Deiblerj]

There’s been lots of great advice posted above. I would start QT immediately on your clown. Do some research on velvet. While away have a LfS continue QT. Once you return continue QT until your DT has gone through the life cycle of ich or velvet

https://m.liveaquaria.com/article/84/?aid=84

 

[Bryce Mazloum]

There’s been lots of great advice posted above. I would start QT immediately on your clown. Do some research on velvet. While away have a LfS continue QT. Once you return continue QT until your DT has gone through the life cycle of ich or velvet

https://m.liveaquaria.com/article/84/?aid=84

Got it, are there any specific medications and treatment that you guys would reccomend?

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

The day of the death the firefish had very fine white specks and was swimming rather slowly, as the day went on I noticed that he wouldn't eat and right before I turned the lights off I noticed that the specks had turned into white blotches. And the next morning he was dead.

Is there any differences in treatment between velvet and ich? I've only really done a lot of research on ich so I'm not sure what I should do

Copper, cheleted copper (copper power) is easier on fish. Therapeutic minimum is 1.50 ppm but I would target 1.75ppm using a Hanna checker. Treat for 14 days then transfer into a sterile tank or treat for 30 days without transfer. Your DT will need to be fallow for 6 weeks (fishless)