Help Help Help... your help is requested!

[Flamehawk365]

Its seems I've got some sort of parasite in my tank.

It started with my flamehawk... turning pale pink.
Then I noticed my purple tang had 3 white-ish grey spots on its head (above its eyes).
Now I notice my puffer, flamehawk and purple tang are ALL rubbing themselves against the live rock in the tank.

I've been reading this site, reading books and also other articles on the net TRYING to determine what the problem is.

Is it ICH? Or is it VELVET?

They both seem similar. But all comments tell the hobbyist to determine the actual parasite. I am unsure...


I DO NOT have a quarantine tank. And since it seems half of my fish are having the same problem.. I plan on medicating the entire tank.

I've got 3 clownfish who don't seem to have any signs....


When talking to the fish store.. they all DID NOT recommend using a copper source of treatment. Yet all I'm reading here at this site is copper treatment.

HELP!!!! Please!!!!!

 

[EQCM2B]

I believe if you want to use copper you will have to put your fish in a quarentine tank or else you will kill your inverts and some corals I think. I'm sure someone else will be a little more specific but with all my reading you do not want to put copper in your main tank system.

 

[Flamehawk365]

Thanks for responding.

I didn't use copper. I ended up using Kent RXP. I don't know if its working just yet.

Sadly, this morning, I found my clownfish outside the tank.

I suppose its just that bad IN the tank....

 

[billsreef]

Pepper based remedies I've found are best saved for use as BBQ sauce. If they are breathing rapidly, scratching, and have no obvious white spots, than velvet or flukes are most likely. A brief FW dip of 1 to 5 minutes will remove flukes, they will turn opaque and become obvious as they die and drop off. If it's velvet, the FW dip will knock some of the protozoans off, but not all. In this case they would need to be treated in a seperate tank using Copper, Sea Chems Cupramine is the best IME.