Need guidance on fish treatment

[Waters]

I have a Eibli's Angel and a Midas Blenny that have occasionally shown very slight discomfort over the course of a month (Chromis have shown nothing). The Angel has scratched once that I have seen and the Blenny occasionally scratches on the substrate. I have seen only one white spot on both fish which disappeared overnight. Not sure what to do from here. I am pretty confident, if I left the tank as is, everything would be fine (if it is Ich, which I guess it appears to be, it has been very minor). I am concerned about adding future fish though. Should I just remove all fish and treat with hyposalinity to be safe (leaving display empty)? I just don't want to go through the hassle of removing fish and treating if it isn't absolutely necessary. Water levels are all fine and within normal ranges.

 

[Small triggers]

I personally would not treat them, the stress of moving them could cause a severe outbreak...
I would watch them, make sure to give them a good varied diet and add something like selcon or garlic to it...and not add anything for a few weeks to make sure everything is calmed down....
With that said..every time you add a new occupant make sure to QT them prior to...

 

[scruggyj]

I agree with the above!

 

[Waters]

Ok.......so if I don't treat (assuming it is Ich), am I going to have problems everytime I introduce a new fish since it is already established in the tank? Will putting new fish in QT do anything since Ich is lying "dormant" in my tank waiting for a stressed fish to attack? I am only asking because the reef tank is relatively new with only 3 fish. If I am going to be forced to eliminate Ich from the DT at some point, I would rather it be now when I only have to remove 3 fish. That being said, if I can get by without doing anything I like that option the best

 

[scruggyj]

As long as your fish are still eating well you could start soaking their food in Seachem Metronidazole + Focus.

Feeding your fish Metronidazole for a minimal of 14 days will normally get rid of ich. By feeding your fish the metronidazole the parasite consumes it when it bites the fish. This kills the parasite. Good luck.


Using Metronidazole to cure Ick - Seachem Support Forums

 

[scruggyj]

I feed LRS frozen food. So, when I have fish in QT I always mix up some food with tank water and mix this in and let it sit in the fridge for a while. Just as a precaution.

However, I have never battled ich.

 

[Eienna]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php

 

[Waters]

I actually did a lot of research on Metronidazole with Focus and it appears that it doesn't really kill the parasite....just weakens it so that the fish can fight it off. Of course their were some success stories as well.....like anything in this hobby there are both sides arguing back and forth lol.

 

[scruggyj]

Yeah - we were looking for solutions so that you can try while keeping the fish in the DT. So, it is worth a try.