Ich?! Dead Gramma.

[Prettymuchnow]

Novice reefkeeper here. First tank has been running for 5 months.

I think I made an error introducing some unclean chaeto or possibly the last fish (firefish - my last post was about this) into my system and now have ich?
Lost my Gramma suddenly today and am quite upset about it.. She had such a big personality for a little fish. I couldn't see any spots leading up to this and thought the change in behavior was concerning but didnt really know what to do. See my last post for video of her behavior if interested.

These are pictures of her when found this morning.

It might be worth noting i was out of town for the 38 hours preceeding this and had an auto feeder running for the first time. Normally she would eat mysis shrimp and pellets x2 a day but I thought she would be alright missing just one day of mysis and pellets only... I guess I was wrong. The only other thing I can think of is I have been having a lot of evaporation and am running my salinity on the higher end at 1.026.. which might have ticked a little higher before I topped off with rodi when I got back... I wonder if this could be making things worse and if I should lower it some.. I am literally hooking up an auto top of as we speak.

Anyway on to the important part now! - saving the remaining fish in the tank!

I want to confirm that my ich suspicions are true - I have 2 clowns left and here is a video and some stills of them from 15 minutes ago:

They have been rubbing in the sand for a while now but only just today did I notice the little spots on them were as bad as they are. I'm about to run out and get a qt 10 gallon and do this properly but I want to be fairly certain that it is ich before I run the DT fallow and attack this head on. ( the wife will roll her eyes at ANOTHER tank for sure but I'm determined to save these dudes)

Thanks for your help and I'm hoping I can keep these friends alive!!

 

[Prettymuchnow]

Oh! Water params:
0.25 - (api kit always shows some) ammonia
0 nitrite
0 - 5.0 Nitrate
Salinity 1.027 in refractometer

I have some samples before I topped off with rodi to take to the LFS tomorrow.

 

[Prettymuchnow]

Just bumping this to see if anyone can "confirm" my ich suspicions on the clowns? I've ordered copper and will set up a hospital tank today hopefully.

 

[Prettymuchnow]

Still looking for some input. Their behavior is much worse today... didnt eat this morning and the bigger female clown had just one bite this evening... this video is less clear; sorry for the quality. I've set up the hospital tank and seeded it with media from my main tank. About to add the copper but I'm very nervous as I've never done this before and I really want to take good care of these guys!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Theyre rubbing in the sand because they appear to have what is known as Brooklynella. At the onset, fish may scrape up against objects, rapid respiration develops, and fish often gasp for air at the surface as the gills become clogged with mucus. Very quickly the fish will become lethargic, refuse to eat, and its colors will fade. The most noticeable symptom of Brooklynella is the heavy amount of slime that is produced by a fish that has contracted this parasite. As the disease progresses, a thick whitish mucus covers the body. This will usually start at the head and spread outward across the entire body. Skin lesions appear and it is not uncommon for signs of secondary bacterial infections.
Typical treatment is a standard formalin solution is mixed with either fresh or saltwater in a separate treatment container. Initially, all fish are given a quick dip in the formalin at a higher concentration, followed by continued treatment in a prolonged bath of formalin at a lower concentration in a quarantine tank (QT). Of course, the longer the fish are exposed to the formalin treatment, the more effective it will be at eliminating this disease.
If a formalin solution is not available for immediate use, temporary relief may be provided by giving fish a FW bath or dip. Even though this treatment will not cure the disease, it can help to remove some of the parasites, as well as reduce the amount of mucus in the gills to assist with respiration problems.
Treatment is best done in a QT tank. Quick cure works well for this condition.

 

[Prettymuchnow]

Oh no! Does this mean I have the wrong stuff? I was really hoping to get them in the hospital tank tonight with the copper.. do you know where to get formalin on short notice? Really worried now!

 

[Prettymuchnow]

I managed to FW dip the male who was in a very bad condition but I couldn't catch the female who kept dipping behind the rocks. Tried late at night but might have needed a second net.

After the dip the male seemed to breathe easier but I think the stress of it was too much.

Female died overnight in the DT male died in Quarantine tank with a half dose of copper. I did all I could.

Man this hobby is rough. Going to let the tank sit fallow for the appropriate time and QT + treat everything going in going forward.

 

[Ro Bow]

Oh! Water params:
0.25 - (api kit always shows some) ammonia
0 nitrite
0 - 5.0 Nitrate
Salinity 1.027 in refractometer

I have some samples before I topped off with rodi to take to the LFS tomorrow.

too high salinity and nitrate. Also i do not recommend using api