What's this look like to you?

[AllieBdot]

Ich? Best course of action?

 

[fishguy242]

hi,lets get some expert help here, @Jay Hemdal #reefsqaud

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Yes, that seems to be a moderately advanced case of ich. The best course of action would be to move the fish to a stable QT and dose with copper using a test kit. Once ich gets to this point, the "reef safe" meds typically do not work, in fact copper sometimes has trouble clearing it at this point. I hate moving a CB to a QT, they just don't take well to that, but I'm afraid you'll lose it in a few days if you don't treat with copper. What other fish are in the tank?

Jay

 

[Hincapiej4]

ICH!

 

[AllieBdot]

Yes, that seems to be a moderately advanced case of ich. The best course of action would be to move the fish to a stable QT and dose with copper using a test kit. Once ich gets to this point, the "reef safe" meds typically do not work, in fact copper sometimes has trouble clearing it at this point. I hate moving a CB to a QT, they just don't take well to that, but I'm afraid you'll lose it in a few days if you don't treat with copper. What other fish are in the tank?

Jay

@Jay Hemdal
Kole Tang
Lemon peel angel
2 clowns
2 blue damsels
1 yellow tail damsel
2 chromis
1 yellow head goby

The copperband is active and eating and not acting bothered at all. No other fish have any physical symptoms.

What if I introduced a cleaner wrasse as an alternative to moving him?

 

[AllieBdot]

Yes, that seems to be a moderately advanced case of ich. The best course of action would be to move the fish to a stable QT and dose with copper using a test kit. Once ich gets to this point, the "reef safe" meds typically do not work, in fact copper sometimes has trouble clearing it at this point. I hate moving a CB to a QT, they just don't take well to that, but I'm afraid you'll lose it in a few days if you don't treat with copper. What other fish are in the tank?

Jay

@Jay Hemdal
Kole Tang
Lemon peel angel
2 clowns
2 blue damsels
1 yellow tail damsel
2 chromis
1 yellow head goby

The copperband is active and eating and not acting bothered at all. No other fish have any physical symptoms.

What if I introduced a cleaner wrasse as an alternative to moving him?

 

[Hincapiej4]

@Jay Hemdal
Kole Tang
Lemon peel angel
2 clowns
2 blue damsels
1 yellow tail damsel
2 chromis
1 yellow head goby

The copperband is active and eating and not acting bothered at all. No other fish have any physical symptoms.

What if I introduced a cleaner wrasse as an alternative to moving him?

Let me say this loud enough so even the people in the back can hear it.

*Ahem*

THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR QUARANTINE. NO FISH OR CLEANER SHRIMP WILL HELP WITH ICH, VELVET, OR ANY OTHER DESEASE. YOU EITHER ERADICATE OR MANAGE AND MANAGEMENT ONLY MAYBE WORKS WITH ICH.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

@Jay Hemdal
Kole Tang
Lemon peel angel
2 clowns
2 blue damsels
1 yellow tail damsel
2 chromis
1 yellow head goby

The copperband is active and eating and not acting bothered at all. No other fish have any physical symptoms.

What if I introduced a cleaner wrasse as an alternative to moving him?

Sorry, cleaner wrasse won’t help. There is a study showing cleaner shrimp remove ich from fish at night, but many fish will not tolerate having a shrimp crawl on them at night, plus the study never actually showed it would control the infection, just that the shrimp ate some parasites. Likewise, reef safe medications are a pipe dream - they really are unable to control moderate to severe infections without dosing high enough to harm the inverts. Ruby Reef Rally pro actually has proven ingredients in it (not just snake oil), but the dose is too low to really be effective.
jay