clownfish possible ich

[Gladys221]

hi! I recently set up my first salt water fish tank- 20 gallons. I started with 2 clownfish in mid February. They have been doing great. 2 weeks ago I added a watchman goby and all was good. But yesterday I started noticing some funny behavior from one of the clowns- he was resting on the sand bed or by the rock and then when I took a closer look I saw small white dots on both clownfish. I called my lfs and they said it may be ich and recommended herbtana. I put a dose of the herbtana last night but this morning the clowns seemed way more lethargic and seemed itchy so I did a fresh water dip for about 3-4 minutes. when I put them back in the tank the white spots were gone. but they have been very lethargic all day- just hanging on the sand and not really swimming and breathing heavy. wondering what the next steps should be? should I try ich x? checked water yesterday and all seems good. please help! I don't want them to die. I don't have another tank to qt.

 

[vetteguy53081]

hi! I recently set up my first salt water fish tank- 20 gallons. I started with 2 clownfish in mid February. They have been doing great. 2 weeks ago I added a watchman goby and all was good. But yesterday I started noticing some funny behavior from one of the clowns- he was resting on the sand bed or by the rock and then when I took a closer look I saw small white dots on both clownfish. I called my lfs and they said it may be ich and recommended herbtana. I put a dose of the herbtana last night but this morning the clowns seemed way more lethargic and seemed itchy so I did a fresh water dip for about 3-4 minutes. when I put them back in the tank the white spots were gone. but they have been very lethargic all day- just hanging on the sand and not really swimming and breathing heavy. wondering what the next steps should be? should I try ich x? checked water yesterday and all seems good. please help! I don't want them to die. I don't have another tank to qt.

Yes I see ich and this is an example of the power of quarantining as you will now have to place All fish in a separate tank and treat for a full 30 days, no less andyou also have to leave your display tank theyre in Fallow (fishless) for 6-8 weeks to allow parasites to die off without a host fish. Ant inverts or coral can remain in the tank during fallow period.
Treat with coppersafe at therapeutic level 2.25 For a FULL 30 days (do not interrupt this 30 day period) monitored by a reliable Copper Test kit such as Hanna Brand- No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.

 

[Gladys221]

Thank you so much the response! Unfortunately, I don't have another tank and even if I were to get one, doesn't the new tank have to go through a cycle before I can even put fish in? (I'm very new at this so I don't really know). Is there a product I can use to clear the entire tank with the fish still in. I don't have any corals or anything else in the tank, just the 2 clowns and the goby.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

hi! I recently set up my first salt water fish tank- 20 gallons. I started with 2 clownfish in mid February. They have been doing great. 2 weeks ago I added a watchman goby and all was good. But yesterday I started noticing some funny behavior from one of the clowns- he was resting on the sand bed or by the rock and then when I took a closer look I saw small white dots on both clownfish. I called my lfs and they said it may be ich and recommended herbtana. I put a dose of the herbtana last night but this morning the clowns seemed way more lethargic and seemed itchy so I did a fresh water dip for about 3-4 minutes. when I put them back in the tank the white spots were gone. but they have been very lethargic all day- just hanging on the sand and not really swimming and breathing heavy. wondering what the next steps should be? should I try ich x? checked water yesterday and all seems good. please help! I don't want them to die. I don't have another tank to qt.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Don’t use ich-x, it has a really poor track record for treating marine Ich. The copper treatment mentioned is your best option, but if that isn’t feasible, your next best option would be hyposalinity. Here is a post about that;

Hyposalinity

Hyposalinity Jay Hemdal 2024 This term refers to a long-term bath treatment for marine fishes in which the salt content of the water is lowered and held below the point that certain parasites can survive. The salt level reached, and the time of the treatment are the two variables...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Gladys221]

Thank you so much! Can I do the copper treatment in my tank? And what product is it?

 

[Grant_J]

Thank you so much! Can I do the copper treatment in my tank? And what product is it?

Copper Power seems to be a pretty common source. If you have nothing else in your tank you should be ok, but I wouldn't put copper in a tank if you intend to put inverts and coral in later. I'm not an expert, but read enough to know I'm not putting copper in the display tank since I plan to do corals later.

 

[Gladys221]

Copper Power seems to be a pretty common source. If you have nothing else in your tank you should be ok, but I wouldn't put copper in a tank if you intend to put inverts and coral in later. I'm not an expert, but read enough to know I'm not putting copper in the display tank since I plan to do corals later.

Thank you!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you so much! Can I do the copper treatment in my tank? And what product is it?

Separate tank unless you have no intention of adding inverts or coral. Again, place All fish in a separate tank and treat for a full 30 days, no less andyou also have to leave your display tank theyre in Fallow (fishless) for 6-8 weeks to allow parasites to die off without a host fish. Ant inverts or coral can remain in the tank during fallow period.
Treat with coppersafe at therapeutic level 2.25 For a FULL 30 days (do not interrupt this 30 day period) monitored by a reliable Copper Test kit such as Hanna Brand- No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.

 

[Gladys221]

Thank you all for your responses! Unfortunately, the two clowns passed away- we noticed they were sick too late. We now have a watchman goby left but I would like to have the Dt in fallow to get rid of the ich. I will remove the goby and place him in another tank. How do I treat the goby for ich- is it the copper treatment mentioned above?

And for the dt- do I just leave it as is for 8 weeks or should I do water changes or any other treatment?

Thanks for all your help!