What is this on my blenny?

[Jay Hemdal]

Unfortunately it had passed when I woke up this morning.

What's left in the tank:
Tomini Tang (the last surviving fish from the Dr. Reef's order)
Lubbock's Wrasse (model citizen, one of the first fish introduced into the tank ~6 months ago, looks and behavior is great)
Diamond Goby (same as wrasse)
Purple Firefish
Handful of inverts - urchin, shrimp, snails, hermits, emeralds, etc.

Is there way I can treat in DT? H2O2 dosing with a UV sterilizer?

I can setup a QT with copper, but I'm positive I'd have to completely tear down my DT to capture the inhabitants.

It is unlikely that you will be able to manage ich in a tank where fish have begun to die from it....the ich parasite multiplies geometrically, and when it hits a certain number, it goes out of control without proper treatment.

 

[Gribbles]

Unfortunate news to hear, but I thank you both for your help. Take care

 

[Brian1f1]

Unfortunate news to hear, but I thank you both for your help. Take care

It is possible you could manage but you might have more losses. Some fish are more resilient. I’ve had it in my system years ago and it did kill some fish. My cleaner gobies were actually very sensitive to it. I did not treat it. Just good water chemistry and nutrition. Some of my other fish got mild cases. They ultimately shook it off. That was about 5 years ago. Many of those fish are still with me, I’ve had no ick since. I do quarantine still, but in theory it’s still present but it never appeared again at all, even on new additions.

This may not work for you at all. It’s not working out so well so far fwiw. It’s not considered best practice but it is common and it works out well enough for some.

Prior to that my friend in the trade rehomed a pyramid butterfly from one of his customers tanks without telling me, it was a cool surprise, but it ended up having velvet and I lost everything, my black tang, my 15 year old purple, and so on. Point is you’ll get through this. It sounds like you quarantine already or buy quarantined. I’d be an unhappy camper if that order had this and you paid for QT. Ugh.

 

[Gribbles]

Hi there again

It has been 3 weeks since the last fish passed. Could you offer guidance on adding more fish to the aquarium?

The other inhabitants appear to be flourishing - fish and coral both. They eat well and aren't shy about it. No aggression that I have witnessed.

Parameters
Alk 9.8
pH 8.1 to 8.2
NO3 11
PO4 .08

I don't actively test the others, but do have ICP results from a month ago if needed.

I have also since purchased a Lifegard Aquatics 25watt UV but have not plumbed it yet (wife and I just had a new kid huzzah!)

Since the other fish seem to be fine, is it safe to add more now?

 

[Brian1f1]

Congrats on the baby!!!!

I’d wait a couple more weeks and don’t start with anything extremely ick sensitive or expensive. It’s in the system now. That said if no symptoms after say 6 weeks it’s time to test the waters again pun intended. In my case I had one outbreak and a few smaller ones and then nothing last 4 years or so even when adding new (quarantined) fish.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi there again

It has been 3 weeks since the last fish passed. Could you offer guidance on adding more fish to the aquarium?

The other inhabitants appear to be flourishing - fish and coral both. They eat well and aren't shy about it. No aggression that I have witnessed.

Parameters
Alk 9.8
pH 8.1 to 8.2
NO3 11
PO4 .08

I don't actively test the others, but do have ICP results from a month ago if needed.

I have also since purchased a Lifegard Aquatics 25watt UV but have not plumbed it yet (wife and I just had a new kid huzzah!)

Since the other fish seem to be fine, is it safe to add more now?

I generally wait at least 45 days (60 is safer) in a tank where there was partial fish loss before adding any new fish. As you are no doubt aware, a repeat scenario can happen if the new fish bring in a different disease with them. If you can buy properly quarantined fish, that can help, so can quarantining them yourself:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2023 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

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