Clownfish ich?

Tyler Bullock · Apr 23, 2018

I just cycled my tank and on the 2nd day of my 2 new fish I started seeing what spots, one eats the other has not ate much if any at all. They are the only things in my tank at this moment. Is this ich? Stress? What should I do to prevent this. Qt tank is out of the question.

nautical_nathaniel · Apr 24, 2018

Fisrt off, it looks a little malnurished. I would start feeding it some vitamin enriched foods such as Rod's Food, LRS Reef Frenzy, or Frozen Mysis treated with Selcon. A well-fed fish will always be better at fending off parasites and disease.

That does look a little like ich, let's see if someone in the #reefsquad can provide a more positive ID

chowwil · Apr 24, 2018

agree, it's looks malnourished.

Tyler Bullock · Apr 24, 2018

After doing way to much research. I am going to set up a QT tank, and dose it with Seachem. The one in the picture eats often. The other one in the back has not looked at food for 3 days. I have only had these fish for 4 days now. I should have asked the fish store to feed the fish in front of me. When I purchased them there was no visible ich on them on anything in the tank at the fish store. Also my tank has just cycled and these are the first fish in it as well.

Humblefish · Apr 24, 2018

Agree with malnourished, but that could be a result of intestinal worms: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/internal-parasites-intestinal-worms.267419/

I would also check for flukes: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/freshwater-dip.248898/

Tyler Bullock · Apr 25, 2018

Every spot was gone in 24 hours. Both are eating well now. They had the white spots for 24 hours. I know it takes ich 5-7 days to fall off and populate.I'm not thinking it was ich. I left the tank lights off for 24 hours as well. At this point I am quite confused with what has happened. Maybe my fish were just stressed moving to a new tank. I will update in a few days.

Humblefish · Apr 25, 2018

Marine Velvet Disease can remain on a fish 12 - 96 hours before dropping off: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/

Porpoise Hork · Apr 26, 2018

It may also be the start of Brooklynella or Saprolegnia (marine fungus). One of my clowns had a similar issue with the latter creep up on it's fins and just under the dorsal just as I started a Fluconazol treatment for hair algae. I noticed it on the fish the same day and decided to give it a day and see what happens as my LFS said it wasn't super serious and it happens to clowns a lot. Within 2 days all the spots on the fins were gone and the one on its side took another day. It's been almost 6 weeks since then and haven't seen a recurrence.

Dom · Apr 26, 2018

Tyler Bullock said:
After doing way to much research. I am going to set up a QT tank, and dose it with Seachem. The one in the picture eats often. The other one in the back has not looked at food for 3 days. I have only had these fish for 4 days now. I should have asked the fish store to feed the fish in front of me. When I purchased them there was no visible ich on them on anything in the tank at the fish store. Also my tank has just cycled and these are the first fish in it as well.

Setting up a QT tank now is kinda like closing the barn door AFTER the horse gets out. If they are the only two in the tank, you might as well just treat them IN THE TANK as the tank itself is already contaminated.

I'd leave them in the tank and try HYPOsalinity along with FW dips. I was successful treating a puffer with ich in that way.

HB AL · Apr 28, 2018

I would feed them as much as they will consume a couple times a day, maybe for the time being feed them whatever they seem to eat the best, feed, feed, feed.

mitch91175 · Apr 28, 2018

First off welcome to the hobby :). Good way to start out right. Like others have mentioned, I say feed them well and see what happens from there. If they STOP eating then you have a more an issue to deal with. You're gonna get ich and other things in your tank (even with proper QT protocols) and you just have to try to deal with it the best way possible without going overboard. Sometimes no action is the best action.

Tyler Bullock · May 1, 2018

Update for you all.....the 2 clowns have passed........was not how I wanted to start out the hobby. Since my tank does in fact have ich, I guess I'm looking at an 8 week period without fish. I do have crabs and snails. This tank will be quite boring with nothing in it but 4 frags of coral. Is it ok for me to get a shrimp? or should I just not get anything till the 8 weeks are over?

Humblefish · May 1, 2018

Tyler Bullock said:
Update for you all.....the 2 clowns have passed........was not how I wanted to start out the hobby. Since my tank does in fact have ich, I guess I'm looking at an 8 week period without fish. I do have crabs and snails. This tank will be quite boring with nothing in it but 4 frags of coral. Is it ok for me to get a shrimp? or should I just not get anything till the 8 weeks are over?

You can add any corals/inverts you like, but doing so restarts the 76 days fallow period. So, I would add them soon. ;)