Is this ich?

loneboat · Feb 3, 2020

I'm 99% sure that's what it is, but just verifying. I'm new to aquariums, so I only know what I've been googling.

I have a lot of snails/crabs - are there any considerations for medication with inverts? Are there certain treatments to avoid?

Thank you!

Euphyllia97 · Feb 3, 2020

Unfortunately no reef-safe treatment :/ Copper will kill all the inverts. You should take the fish out and treat them in a QT or go the ich management way. I also have seen ich on my fish once, but by keeping stress low and providing a good diet, the fish are able to fight off the parasites. Haven’t had any outbreak or signs of illness yet. (Has been 8 months)

4FordFamily · Feb 3, 2020

That appears to be ich, yes. I am no longer a proponent of managing ich.

loneboat · Feb 3, 2020

Yikes, that's a shame. Thanks for the replies.

I don't have any large corals, but a few frags which have been doing well. So keep the fish separate during treatment, then put them back in DT?

I read the sticky post regarding treatment vs management (here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ich-eradication-vs-ich-management.188775/ ). From my understanding of the ich lifecycle, what would be the point of treating the fish in a separate tank? Wouldn't the tomonts/tomites in the water just reinfect the fish as soon as I put them back in?

MERKEY · Feb 3, 2020

loneboat said:
Yikes, that's a shame. Thanks for the replies.

I don't have any large corals, but a few frags which have been doing well. So keep the fish separate during treatment, then put them back in DT?

I read the sticky post regarding treatment vs management (here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ich-eradication-vs-ich-management.188775/ ). From my understanding of the ich lifecycle, what would be the point of treating the fish in a separate tank? Wouldn't the tomonts/tomites in the water just reinfect the fish as soon as I put them back in?

This is correct and why you have to leave your display empty or fallow for 72 days. That means no fish!!

After 76 days to be sure the life cycle is completely done. Its actually 40ish but there is 1 strain that lives for a crazy 70 days or something.

It's just better to be safe than sorry.

LAReefer4Life · Feb 3, 2020

loneboat said:
Yikes, that's a shame. Thanks for the replies.

I don't have any large corals, but a few frags which have been doing well. So keep the fish separate during treatment, then put them back in DT?

I read the sticky post regarding treatment vs management (here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ich-eradication-vs-ich-management.188775/ ). From my understanding of the ich lifecycle, what would be the point of treating the fish in a separate tank? Wouldn't the tomonts/tomites in the water just reinfect the fish as soon as I put them back in?

Your display tank must remain fallow for minimum of 76 days to starve out the parasite. Good luck

destro · Feb 3, 2020

I like this method for dealing with ich but it's a chore.

Tank Transfer Method

Tank Transfer Method What It Treats – Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) only. How To Treat – Tank transfer (TTM) is my favorite method for clearing a fish of Marine Ich, but the prevalence (and similarities) of Marine Velvet Disease can make TTM a risky gamble nowadays. To properly execute...

www.reef2reef.com

loneboat · Feb 3, 2020

Thanks everyone for the advice. I don't have a quarantine tank set up, but I will set one up today as soon as I can get a tank for it.

One question I have is about minimum size - I have the following fish:

2 small clown fish
1 purple fire fish
1 chromis (added 2 a few days ago, but one died - he's the first fish I've ever had die; maybe he's the one who brought the ich in?)
1 diamond goby

Would a 10 gallon be sufficient? Or do I need something larger?

Also, should I put some sand in? I know QT's usually don't have sand from what I've seen, but the diamond goby spends his whole day sifting sand through his gills. Would it stress him out too much to suddenly live in a tank with zero sand?

Again, thanks for everyone's help.

Pbh-reef · Feb 3, 2020

If you have space for a 20 I’d suggest it for that amount of fish, clowns could get aggressive in a smaller tank too.

Humblefish (the premier disease expert) has said that sand doesn’t absorb much copper so you can do a little sand.

My advice - get a sponge filter with air pump, get biospira or fritz turbo start to seed the tank and add the fish the next day. You may want a second air stone to aid in surface agitation and oxygenate the water. For your fish I would not recommend a hob filter because there is no easy way to fully cover a tank with a hob. The firefish and diamond goby will almost certainly jump to their deaths if the qt tank isn’t fully covered, I lost a small shrimp goby through the tiniest of cracks in my qt, even in my display my shrimpgoby has nearly died by entering the back chambers through the overflow. Another option which I would actually recommend even more is to get something like this and put the goby and firefish in it-

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/imagitarium-pet-keeper-for-aquarium-fish-large-2441272?cm_mmc=PPC-GG-_-PTC_P_SUP_LIA-GG_FY19_SBU05_Companion_Animal_BOPIS-_-76332473423-_-A&kpid=go_6471950367_76332473423_380230977733_pla-324731645754_m&utm_config=tad0iunwp&utm_campaign=PTC_P_SUP_LIA-GG_FY19_SBU05_Companion_Animal_BOPIS&utm_source=google&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoJXt4_q15wIVix-tBh3ChAFtEAQYAiABEgIoMPD_BwE

I Would still cover the tank for the clowns and chromis btw

Finally if you choose to treat with copper most people here use copper power and my advice is to pair it with the Hanna checker - it’s expensive but worth it to reliably test your copper levels.

Good luck! We’ve all been where you are!

Pbh-reef · Feb 3, 2020

Another way to help prevent fish jumps is to see if someone is selling a used biocube or similar aio tank with a built in full cover for cheap on Craigslist (or if a local reefer can lend you one). I found a scratched up biocube on Craigslist and while my goby used to jump into the back chambers he at least didn’t die! I ended up underfilling the tank to discourage jump into the back, which has actually worked

loneboat · Feb 3, 2020

Uhhh, guys? How do I CATCH my fish?!

I set up a QT, but now I can't get the fish into my net!

Pbh-reef · Feb 3, 2020

Take off the top and wait for them to jump out...

Ok so seriously it’s a pain. You can make a bottle
Fish trap (google it) but in my experience I’ve had to remove all or most of the rocks to catch them. It sucks but the tank will recover

loneboat · Feb 5, 2020

Well, it took 2 full days of chasing them, but we're finally in quarantine! I finally had to build a partition system out of egg crate and chase them into it. I dosed Copper Power. Now I'm just gonna play the waiting game for a while. Thanks everyone for your suggestions! Pic below of my cat checking out the newly populated QT.