Go Fallow or QT and Medicate infected fi

[Anab262]

So in the 10 years I’ve been in this hobby, I’m unfortunately setting up my first QT tank. I’ve been battling ich and possibly flukes on some, not all of my fish. I’ve done FW dips on those few that seem infected but the relief only lasts so long. Seems like I’m chasing my own tail with it lately. All of these fish seem to be happy and eating like champs. Here are my observations:
-9 year old clown-has two strange larger white spots (doesn’t look like ich, more like faded) on its underside that come and go. Seems like they only show up at night.
-small blue hippo with a slight case of ich, occasionally flashing
-bumblebee blenny- occasionally flashing but has a small white “hole” on top of its head
-cleaner wrasse- has ich but doesn’t seem phased -also tries cleaning blue hippo and bumblebee blenny
-harptail blenny- swims around with mouth slightly stuck open, sorta like lockjaw, and maybe a little ich, hard to tell

Carberry Anthia, ruby red dragonette, long nose hawk, diamond goby, watchman goby all complexly unphased. Not a spot on them and seem happy and healthy

Should I QT all of the fish in copper power, although LFS told me I couldn’t QT the ruby red dragonette. So if I leave him in DT, what’s the point of doing them all right? however, I will risk losing even the healthy ones if I QT them all.

Should I only only QT the infected fish in copper and medicate?

I’ve been told and read so many different things that my head is spinning.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

It is likely that the symptoms, being so varied are not all related to the same issue. First thing to do is to try and sort them out, and then decide if any of them are capable of causing a epizootic (like ich, where all fish in a tank get sick). If the fish do have ich, you would need to move all of them out of the DT, and yes, dragonets do not thrive in QTs due to lack of food.

What is the timeline here? How long has the cleaner wrasse shown ich spots?
What invertebrates are present in the tank?
Have you tried praziquantel for flukes yet?

Jay

 

[Anab262]

Hi Jay, thanks for the reply!

I have a feather duster (have had it for years) snails, crabs, and cleaner shrimp.

I picked up prazi but haven’t done anything yet because I keep hearing mixed reviews on whether it’s reef safe or not. I have a lot of mature coral, mostly LPS so I don’t want to lose any of that.

The cleaner wrasse has shown signs of ich on and off for many weeks. I would say right after I got it. It doesn’t seem like it’s bothered either, like the other fish.

This morning I just saw my Anthia flash on the sand so add that one to the bad list! .

Do you think I can throw everything except for the dragonet into a 45 day copper QT treatment?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi Jay, thanks for the reply!

I have a feather duster (have had it for years) snails, crabs, and cleaner shrimp.

I picked up prazi but haven’t done anything yet because I keep hearing mixed reviews on whether it’s reef safe or not. I have a lot of mature coral, mostly LPS so I don’t want to lose any of that.

The cleaner wrasse has shown signs of ich on and off for many weeks. I would say right after I got it. It doesn’t seem like it’s bothered either, like the other fish.

This morning I just saw my Anthia flash on the sand so add that one to the bad list! .

Do you think I can throw everything except for the dragonet into a 45 day copper QT treatment?

PraziPro is reef safe but can kill tube worms and feather dusters and bristle worms and ive seen it affect some shrimps. A 45 day copper not necessary and 30 day treatment is typical and can be extended Should signs of ich are still present. As Jay Stated, you have to prioritize which treatment is most vital as you have multiple symptoms and certain meds cannot be mixed. For copper, in Quarantine tank and treat with Coppersafe or Copper Power at therapeutic level 2.25-2.5 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.
The display tank should be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure any existing parasites in display tank go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off
A quarantine tank can be as simple as a starter kit from Walmart which most of the needed essentials.
Other option is Ruby Rally Pro which will treat multiple issues but not as quick or effective as conventional treatments

 

[Bucs20fan]

+1 to @vetteguy53081, If you are unsure or want a less holstile med, ruby rally pro does work. Ive used it myself, I wouldnt say it would eriadicate ich or velvet, but it does control it and stop it from killing your fish. But you have to keep dosing it if using in DT.

 

[Weeb]

I’ve done FW dips

Unfortunately dips don't cure. They provide some relief in cases of high to extreme parasite attacks.

I couldn’t QT the ruby red dragonette. So if I leave him in DT,

Definitely a problem. Leaving a fish in the DT just provides a possible host for parasites. Considering how (usually) docile this fish is, maybe put it in its own QT. In that QT you may be able to add pods or feed this fish with frozen foods. Will your fish eat frozen (thawed obviously) Calanus finmarchicus? Maybe your fish will eat Cyclopods -- Hikari makes a frozen brand of these very small pods. There are also other frozen copepods available. You can check them out online.

Best of luck!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi Jay, thanks for the reply!

I have a feather duster (have had it for years) snails, crabs, and cleaner shrimp.

I picked up prazi but haven’t done anything yet because I keep hearing mixed reviews on whether it’s reef safe or not. I have a lot of mature coral, mostly LPS so I don’t want to lose any of that.

The cleaner wrasse has shown signs of ich on and off for many weeks. I would say right after I got it. It doesn’t seem like it’s bothered either, like the other fish.

This morning I just saw my Anthia flash on the sand so add that one to the bad list! .

Do you think I can throw everything except for the dragonet into a 45 day copper QT treatment?

For proper treatment of ich, you’ll need to medicate all of the fish and keep them out of the display for 60 days.
If you are confident the wrasse has ich, you’ll need to watch things and be prepared to move everything out for treatment if the number of spots increases and spreads to other fish.
For the scratching fish, you might consider a Prazipro treatment, 2x, 8 days apart with good aeration. It might harm your feather duster, but everything else will handle that fine.
Jay

 

[Anab262]

For proper treatment of ich, you’ll need to medicate all of the fish and keep them out of the display for 60 days.
If you are confident the wrasse has ich, you’ll need to watch things and be prepared to move everything out for treatment if the number of spots increases and spreads to other fish.
For the scratching fish, you might consider a Prazipro treatment, 2x, 8 days apart with good aeration. It might harm your feather duster, but everything else will handle that fine.
Jay

Ok sorry for all of the questions. I have the QT tank filled with saltwater, heater on, microbacter in, bubbler is going in today for aeration. Should I take all of the infected fish and first do prazi in the QT or should I maybe take the feather and shrimp out, put it in the QT for now, then dose prazi in the DT? Then after 2x 8 days apart, take all of the fish and do copper treatment in QT?

 

[Anab262]

Ok sorry for all of the questions. I have the QT tank filled with saltwater, heater on, microbacter in, bubbler is going in today for aeration. Should I take all of the infected fish and first do prazi in the QT or should I maybe take the feather and shrimp out, put it in the QT for now, then dose prazi in the DT? Then after 2x 8 days apart, take all of the fish and do copper treatment in QT?

I need someone to give me a game plan. I have too much anxiety over this to decide on my own

 

[Anab262]

Unfortunately dips don't cure. They provide some relief in cases of high to extreme parasite attacks.

Definitely a problem. Leaving a fish in the DT just provides a possible host for parasites. Considering how (usually) docile this fish is, maybe put it in its own QT. In that QT you may be able to add pods or feed this fish with frozen foods. Will your fish eat frozen (thawed obviously) Calanus finmarchicus? Maybe your fish will eat Cyclopods -- Hikari makes a frozen brand of these very small pods. There are also other frozen copepods available. You can check them out online.

Best of luck!

So small QT tank for the dragonet but without copper?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I need someone to give me a game plan. I have too much anxiety over this to decide on my own

Ultimately, you’ll have to make a judgement call here - it boils down to how confident you are about your wrasse having ich. If you post a video of it, I might see enough to help diagnose.
If the wrasse doesn’t actually have ich, then I think you should treat your DT with prazipro. If it does have ich, but if it isn’t serious yet, then you could treat your DT with prazipro and then move all of the fish out and treat them with copper. If the ich is advanced too far, you would move the fish out, give them a freshwater dip to buy some time with flukes, then treat with copper and then with prazi, keeping the fish out of your display for 60+ days.
Jay

 

[Anab262]

Finally got a good pic of bumblebee blenny and cleaner wrasse. The blenny you can see the hole on top of his head and a small red spot that’s recently developed. Could that be uronema? The cleaner wrasse definitely has ich but it’s looked like that since right after I got it and that was back in Jan.

 

[brandon429]

can you help us discern where the break may have been introduced, we want to learn prevention as best as possible, that's an aged/matured system u have they're as sound at disease rejection then as they'll ever be (the notion that diverse matured systems can suppress disease expression in multiple subtle ways compared to an all dry rock started setup/no maturity)

what was the last thing you added from a pet store to the tank that may have vectored in the change

 

[Anab262]

Finally got a good pic of bumblebee blenny and cleaner wrasse. The blenny you can see the hole on top of his head and a small red spot that’s recently developed. Could that be uronema? The cleaner wrasse definitely has ich but it’s looked like that since right after I got it and that was back in Jan.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Yes, the cleaner goby does have ich. The lesion on the blenny’s head could be an injury. The red spot on its gill is not a place where Uronema shows up, it can also be an injury. The other blenny’s mouth is stuck open, not sure why, probably a mechanical injury.
Not sure of the possible causes for the injuries, but you will need to address the ich so it doesn’t spread to the other fish….best option would be copper or hyposalinity in a treatment tank (ugh).
Jay

 

[Weeb]

So small QT tank for the dragonet but without copper?

Yes. Or Hyposalinity. Whichever keeps the dragonet eating.