Bumps on firefish?

Crested

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
198
Reaction score
139
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hey everyone, just turned the lights on in my tank and noticed these bumps on my firefish. Any idea what it is?
IMG_20190307_104502.jpeg
 

geddavis

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 7, 2018
Messages
519
Reaction score
306
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Could be ich but maby flukes. I’d catch and QT him along with a few better closer pictures. Try a freshwater dip to see if they are flukes. Have you noticed anything difrent about his behavior or water parameters that needs to be mentioned.
 
OP
OP
Crested

Crested

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
198
Reaction score
139
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Could be ich but maby flukes. I’d catch and QT him along with a few better closer pictures. Try a freshwater dip to see if they are flukes. Have you noticed anything difrent about his behavior or water parameters that needs to be mentioned.
I changed the filtration yesterday so it kicked up a bunch of crap sitting on the bottom and the water is still cloudy so maybe bacterial bloom? But I don't know if that would cause it
 

Big G

captain dunsel
View Badges
Joined
Jun 8, 2017
Messages
12,921
Reaction score
24,228
Location
Southern Oregon
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Firefish are pretty well known for beating themselves up darting around the tank and especially into rocks and crevices. Sometimes they even tear off that beautiful top fin doing so. It will slowly grow back BTW.
Love me some Firefish. One of my favorites in my DT.
 
OP
OP
Crested

Crested

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
198
Reaction score
139
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Firefish are pretty well known for beating themselves up darting around the tank and especially into rocks and crevices. Sometimes they even tear off that beautiful top fin doing so. It will slowly grow back BTW.
Love me some Firefish. One of my favorites in my DT.
It doesn't really look like an injury, it looks like tiny grains of sand around his head and on a couple fins
 
OP
OP
Crested

Crested

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
198
Reaction score
139
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
He's hiding right now but I'll try to get more pics when he comes out
 

Big G

captain dunsel
View Badges
Joined
Jun 8, 2017
Messages
12,921
Reaction score
24,228
Location
Southern Oregon
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
OP
OP
Crested

Crested

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
198
Reaction score
139
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Well, I did a freshwater dip for 3 minutes and I believe the majority of the bumps are gone. Hes hiding now so I'll try to check him out later today. Little bugger hid in every crevice while I was trying to net him and of course I had to take apart my entire scape. I just threw the rocks back in to give him a place to hide without stress. I'll have to redo the scape at a later date (if the bumps are actually gone)
 
OP
OP
Crested

Crested

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
198
Reaction score
139
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Well, the bumps are still there. I'm pretty sure it's ich
Any suggestions?
 

Big G

captain dunsel
View Badges
Joined
Jun 8, 2017
Messages
12,921
Reaction score
24,228
Location
Southern Oregon
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Well, the bumps are still there. I'm pretty sure it's ich
Any suggestions?
Here's Humblefish's complete thread on treating Ich. Lots of options to consider. We're here to help, so ask away. The most common way is to treat with copper for 30 days. Firefish usually do well as long as the copper dose is spread out over 3-5 days getting up to the therapeutic level. Recommend Copper Power and a Hanna Copper HL Checker in a QT. The checker is amazing. No more guessing at a color chart.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ich-cryptocaryon-irritans.191226/#post-2192627
 
OP
OP
Crested

Crested

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
198
Reaction score
139
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Here's Humblefish's complete thread on treating Ich. Lots of options to consider. We're here to help, so ask away. The most common way is to treat with copper for 30 days. Firefish usually do well as long as the copper dose is spread out over 3-5 days getting up to the therapeutic level. Recommend Copper Power and a Hanna Copper HL Checker in a QT. The checker is amazing. No more guessing at a color chart.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ich-cryptocaryon-irritans.191226/#post-2192627
Ok so here's the predicament, I don't have QT and would have to set one up tonight. I would dose copper right into the tank, but heard that it can be absorbed by the rock and sand. So how long would it take with weekly water changes to remove the copper to reef safe levels (if ever)? I don't have corals yet and have a friend with a tank that I can temporarily move my snails to. If I move the fish to QT and dose them there, would my tank still have to be fallow? Or did I catch it soon enough that I could put the fish back in after the 30 days? My tank is only 2 months old so would it be better to just tear the tank down while they're in QT and recycle it and restart?
 

Big G

captain dunsel
View Badges
Joined
Jun 8, 2017
Messages
12,921
Reaction score
24,228
Location
Southern Oregon
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sorry but once the crypto parasite (Ich) gets into the tank, the tank should be left fallow for 76 days :(

And yes the sand and rock would absorb the copper making maintaining therapeutic level very difficult and then you'd have to toss it because of the copper would leech back out later hurting/killing corals, inverts, etc.

A QT doesn't have to be a tank. Could be a Rubbermade container. Just need a filter and heater.

Your snails could carry Ich to your friend's tank. :eek:

How big is the tank?
 
OP
OP
Crested

Crested

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
198
Reaction score
139
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sorry but once the crypto parasite (Ich) gets into the tank, the tank should be left fallow for 76 days :(

And yes the sand and rock would absorb the copper making maintaining therapeutic level very difficult and then you'd have to toss it because of the copper would leech back out later hurting/killing corals, inverts, etc.

A QT doesn't have to be a tank. Could be a Rubbermade container. Just need a filter and heater.

Your snails could carry Ich to your friend's tank. :eek:

How big is the tank?
Awe man, ok
It's a 13.5 gallon so it wouldn't be hard to just tear down and reset it. If I leave the rock out of the tank for a week or 2 will it be safe to reuse?
 

Big G

captain dunsel
View Badges
Joined
Jun 8, 2017
Messages
12,921
Reaction score
24,228
Location
Southern Oregon
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Soaking the rock in bleach, rinse, rinse, rinse, and then treat with a product like Prime that neutralizes the bleach works pretty well.

The tank and equipment will need to be cleaned to kill/remove any encysted Ich parasites with bleach, rinse, rinse, rinse, and then completely dried.
 
OP
OP
Crested

Crested

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
198
Reaction score
139
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Soaking the rock in bleach, rinse, rinse, rinse, and then treat with a product like Prime that neutralizes the bleach works pretty well.

The tank and equipment will need to be cleaned to kill/remove any encysted Ich parasites with bleach, rinse, rinse, rinse, and then completely dried.
Ok, guess I have a project on my hands for the next month
Thank you so much for your help!
 
OP
OP
Crested

Crested

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
198
Reaction score
139
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ok, I got the quarantine all set up and dosed with seachem cupramine.
I added the filter sponge, pump, biomax, and a couple pieces of rubble for biological filtration.
Added the fish about 5 minutes ago and as of now they are just sitting on the bottom of the tank looking stressed and breathing somewhat heavily. Crossing my fingers tonight
IMG_20190307_201649.jpeg
 

4FordFamily

Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
View Badges
Joined
Feb 26, 2015
Messages
20,508
Reaction score
45,793
Location
Carmel, Indiana
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ok, I got the quarantine all set up and dosed with seachem cupramine.
I added the filter sponge, pump, biomax, and a couple pieces of rubble for biological filtration.
Added the fish about 5 minutes ago and as of now they are just sitting on the bottom of the tank looking stressed and breathing somewhat heavily. Crossing my fingers tonight
IMG_20190307_201649.jpeg
Don’t forget some biospira for ammonia. Good luck :)
 

Big G

captain dunsel
View Badges
Joined
Jun 8, 2017
Messages
12,921
Reaction score
24,228
Location
Southern Oregon
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'd leave the lights off and only use ambient room lighting from windows. Do you have some sort of mesh to put over the top to keep the fish from jumping?
Best of luck with your beautiful fish.
 
OP
OP
Crested

Crested

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
198
Reaction score
139
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'd leave the lights off and only use ambient room lighting from windows. Do you have some sort of mesh to put over the top to keep the fish from jumping?
Best of luck with your beautiful fish.
Yeah, the top from the original tank covers most of it, there's only like half an inch gap on one side, may put a towel over that part just to make sure
 
OP
OP
Crested

Crested

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
198
Reaction score
139
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Quick update for when I look back on this experience in the future...
Both fish are still alive, and I saw the firefish eat twice today. Hopefully the YWG is getting the stuff that settles to the bottom. Both seem slightly stressed as expected, but not nearly as bad as last night.
I bleached the rocks in a 95% water, 5% bleach solution for about an hour an a half, rinsed them off well about 3 times, and let them soak in RO water with seachem prime for about 7 hours. Just took them out and set them next to the window and plan to let them dry for at least 5-6 days.
While the last 48 hours have been extremely stressful, challenges are good. I gained a lot of knowledge through this, and have this experience to fall back on later in my reef keeping hobby. And hey, I was thinking about redoing my scape anyway :D
IMG_20190308_223040.jpeg
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

WHAT AMOUNT OF LIVE ROCK AND SAND SHOULD BE PRIORITIZED FOR OPTIMAL BIODIVERSITY/FILTRATION?

  • 100% live rock + bagged sand

    Votes: 34 27.9%
  • 100% dry rock + 100% live sand

    Votes: 42 34.4%
  • 50/50 live/dry rock, 50/50 live/bagged sand

    Votes: 27 22.1%
  • 75% live rock, 25% live sand

    Votes: 11 9.0%
  • 25% live rock, 75% live sand

    Votes: 8 6.6%
Back
Top