Killer clown or ich in my tank ?

rona2035 · May 9, 2021

so Im going to try and make this short without leaving to much detail out I think I had bought a possible sick six line about a month ago with ich that I added to my tank after the six line died some of my other fish died weeks apart (watchman , cleaner wrasse )without showing signs of ich maybe a spot here or there they would be gone by the next day so coming to present most my fish have died except my two clownfish and are doing perfectly fine I added a lawnmower and next day it was dead I’ve noticed my bigger clown Reyes to be territorial to even my hermits and I’m starting to wonder if it might be my clownfish he hasn’t killed the other clown but I notice he also doesn’t let the smaller clown leave a certain area of the tank (behind my hob ) I’ve tested my water parameters and have had same good water quality results just wondering what my best bet would be should I fallow or try separating my clown ?

hds4216 · May 10, 2021

First, you should try using periods lol. This is super hard to read.

Second, how do you know the six-line had ich? If it did have it, then your tank has it. Ich can be controlled, but it often stresses fish out, especially new additions. Also how big is the tank?

Suohhen · May 10, 2021

How big/new is the tank? Six lines are aggressive and cleaner wrasse/watchmen are quite peaceful so that could have been the start of the issues. One thing that happens a lot in new tanks is the fish get stressed, break out in ich or the like, die, and eventually your left with only clownfish surviving since they are very hearty and able to stand up well against aggression. However this is largely due to them being the most territorial fish we keep in this hobby. They can be kept at bay because they are happy to claim territory the size of an anemone but once the other fish are gone they can and often do claim the whole tank as their territory.
I would recommend you either get the offending clown out of the tank and into a holding tank for a while or give them to a store. However the issue of possible infection means you need to decide what to do about that. The safest route is to follow a strict fallow period to make sure your tank is rid of any trace of disease.
I don't know if I'd recommend you do so as you don't know for sure what your dealing with and ich can be managed. It is your call, here is some good information on ich.

Ich eradication vs. Ich management

Ich eradication vs. Ich management The purpose of this article is to discuss the pros & cons of ich eradication and ich management, and present the best methods for implementing each. Ich eradication - Simply put, this method means doing everything possible to keep ich out of your tank. That...

www.reef2reef.com

and the new fallow period for ich is 45 days if you follow these guidelines.

45 Day Fallow periods

I've been doing some research into the "76 day fallow period". I never heard of that prior to coming to Reef2Reef this past summer. I had always used 32 days as the maximum time for a tomont to remain viable under tropical conditions, and then I would round up to 45 days to help ensure that...

www.reef2reef.com

Bo. · May 10, 2021

Post your water parameters instead of just saying they are good will help. Just as much as periods will.

rona2035 · May 10, 2021

hds4216 said:
First, you should try using periods lol. This is super hard to read.

Second, how do you know the six-line had ich? If it did have it, then your tank has it. Ich can be controlled, but it often stresses fish out, especially new additions. Also how big is the tank?sor

Bo Lin said:
Post your water parameters instead of just saying they are good will help. Just as much as periods will.

Ammonia:0
Nitrite 0
Ph:8.2 8.3 can’t really tell but for sure between the two
Sal: 1.026
Nitrate: i usually read about 5ppm but I never trust my test and go to Lfs and they say it’s usually almost zero but no higher than that. I don’t think it would be water quality as the clowns I had have been in there since I started the tank. I did fish in cycle

rona2035 · May 10, 2021

hds4216 said:
First, you should try using periods lol. This is super hard to read.

Second, how do you know the six-line had ich? If it did have it, then your tank has it. Ich can be controlled, but it often stresses fish out, especially new additions. Also how big is the tank?

I noticed a day before he passsd a white spot when he would turn to his side other than him turning I wouldn’t see it. his tail looked nipped too like if he had been subject to agression at the lfs I didnt check until I got home. The tank is a 30 that I’ve had for a couple months now. Wondering if anyone has ever tried ginger been hearing some people swear by it

R33fDaddy · May 12, 2021

Do you have any pictures of your fish? This sounds like Ich but it would be helpful to some pictures.

HB AL · May 12, 2021

By your description and new fish dying very shortly after adding to the tank I would look at all your water params as ich is not that quick of a killer.

rona2035 · May 12, 2021

R33fDaddy said:
Do you have any pictures of your fish? This sounds like Ich but it would be helpful to some pictures.

rona2035 · May 12, 2021

I know the quality isn’t too great it does look like he has some white spot even after I separated my clown so I’m guessing it’s ich. I just don’t know how I should go about it as my clowns seem to not show any signs of ich at all. I can’t really fallow if I leave the clowns in there and I’m reluctant to invest in qt tank after reading forums. some people say they lose more fish in qt than not :/ he’s not gasping or anything like that yet so fingers crossed

rona2035 · May 12, 2021

HB AL said:
By your description and new fish dying very shortly after adding to the tank I would look at all your water params as ich is not that quick of a killer.

I’m going to get a water test again I did my nitrate yesterday and was at 5ppm ( as usual ) but I’m going to get a second test at Lfs just to be sure but every time they tell me my params are good maybe just something a little off. but they say it it’s not something that would affect the fish for them to be stressed. Usually I don’t always trust lfs but the guy there has been in the hobby a while so I know he’s pretty knowledgeable