Firefish with white spot

[adamlodge14]

Hi,
I’m having a problem at the moment with white-spot in my 50 litre saltwater aquarium.
About 1 month ago I bought two coral gobies for my tank that both ended up introducing ich.
I started immediately treating with polyp lab reef medic to try to help (I also have a purple Firefish, scooter dragonet and Yasha goby in the tank).
Unfortunately both the coral gobies ended up passing and now my Firefish has had white spot.
He seems to be acting completely normally right now.

my question is, will polyp lab reef medic work the best or are there other superior options out there that would be worth doing/picking up?
I am aware that copper treatment is good but I have a cleaner shrimp, a pistol shrimp, many snails and corals in my tank so don’t think this would be a viable option

I also currently do not have the space or time to keep a quarantine tank.

Any help would be much appreciated,
Thanks

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi,
I’m having a problem at the moment with white-spot in my 50 litre saltwater aquarium.
About 1 month ago I bought two coral gobies for my tank that both ended up introducing ich.
I started immediately treating with polyp lab reef medic to try to help (I also have a purple Firefish, scooter dragonet and Yasha goby in the tank).
Unfortunately both the coral gobies ended up passing and now my Firefish has had white spot.
He seems to be acting completely normally right now.

my question is, will polyp lab reef medic work the best or are there other superior options out there that would be worth doing/picking up?
I am aware that copper treatment is good but I have a cleaner shrimp, a pistol shrimp, many snails and corals in my tank so don’t think this would be a viable option

I also currently do not have the space or time to keep a quarantine tank.

Any help would be much appreciated,
Thanks

Given that the new gobies died first, and then based on the picture, it does seem that the firefish has a moderate case of ich. Polyp Lab does not always work for moderate cases. I have heard that some people have gone "off label" and used it at a higher dose, but I can't say if that is a good idea or not. Polyp Lab Medic is a peroxide salt, and higher doses of peroxide will harm snails and shrimp, and perhaps the corals.

Are there any other fish in the tank?
Do they show any symptoms?

Without a QT and then using copper or hyposalinity, I don't think there is a good solution for this. I know it doesn't sound good - but if the firefish is the only other fish, and your options are limited, you may just need to let it run its course. If the firefish then dies, you should leave the tank fallow for 76 days to clear the infection. After that point, you then need to decide how to handle this sort of issue going forward. Without a QT, you should consider buying pre-quarantined fish.


Jay Hemdal