Fish issues in 180 gallon reef

[Kormik]

Please Help!

Is this Ich or Velvet? Just popped up a few days ago. Just trying to figure out what we're dealing with here. We have a 180 with 2 engineers, powder brown tang, yellow tang, purple tang, coral beauty, leopard wrasse, chromis, clownfish, purple queen anthia, flame hawkfish, ruby red dragonette, and sharknose goby. We would hate to lose any of these guys. I'm thinking we need to QT and treat asap but want advice first.

 

[Florida Sunshine]

I can't see clearly enough to tell but either way the treatment is to treat in a hospital tank. I would get that up and running and get the fish in there. A freshwater dip or a dip in Ruby Reef Rally could help temporarily to give them a better chance.

 

[cboylan1606]

Looks like ich to me.

 

[Kormik]

I can't see clearly enough to tell but either way the treatment is to treat in a hospital tank. I would get that up and running and get the fish in there. A freshwater dip or a dip in Ruby Reef Rally could help temporarily to give them a better chance.

Ok so my next question is how do I treat my ruby red dragonet? He cant go in copper and will have a hard time feeding in QT

 

[Kormik]

Another question is I have been debating getting a UV staralizer to help keep Ich and Velvet under control since I suck at keeping it out of the tank. (already this year QT all fish for 90 days and its back again...) My question is if I go this route should I go inline with return pump and get the largest one (bit of a pain to do this) or get a normal size one and have it connected as an off shoot from the main pump?

 

[Kormik]

Well I just ordered the Pentair Aquatics Smart High Output 80 watt UV.
Been debating it for a while and pulled the trigger this am, will be set to run to kill pests at a lower flow rate from an offshoot from my main return back up to the main tank.

This is not a fix for the problem but will manage the issues in the tank better from all my reading.

 

[Billdogg]

IMHO, the Tank Transfer Method (TTM) is a much better option than copper. It isn't that difficult, requires exactly ZERO water testing for appropriate levels of medications, and is much easier on the fish (copper is toxic if the levels are too high, ineffective if the levels are too low)

I use a set of 5g buckets (3) that are dedicated to it and sterilized with bleach after use.

 

[Vyper]

That is what I have on my wife’s 160 gallon. I did it to try and help manage parasites. I think it helps prevent breakouts but once a breakout is in progress you have to take other measures.

 

[Vyper]

IMHO, the Tank Transfer Method (TTM) is a much better option than copper. It isn't that difficult, requires exactly ZERO water testing for appropriate levels of medications, and is much easier on the fish (copper is toxic if the levels are too high, ineffective if the levels are too low)

TTM is definitely an option but once a fish is covered in the parasites it could be to late for that. Copper will get them off the fish fair quickly. I don’t know if you could do dips prior to TTM to get them some immediate relief or not.