Help! Ich infestation and Lfs closed.

[Taylorcz]

I'm only new to the hobby, my tank is 6 weeks old and was given the all clear by my lfs to introduce my first few fish. I have bought a tiny yellow tailed damsel, a sand shifting starfish and a Percula clownfish 4 days apart. I have only had the clownfish since Friday and it is now Sunday night. I've been watching him like a hawk because he's so gorgeous so I know he didn't have any white spots earlier today. But I left the house for 4 hours and have come back to him having a good cluster of white spots all over his body! His face looks to be a little paler/pinker aswell.

To make matters worse it's 10pm here ATM and tomorrow is a public holiday so I'm highly doubting any of my lfs will be open. I don't have a quarantine tank. What can I do???

As I said I'm new so any advice is much appreciated!!

 

[JustinM]

As long as you're dealing with ich, not velvet, you will be fine till tomorrow. As soon as the store opens though, get what you need for a qt and get it set up. Some basic items are a tank, a thermometer, a heater, a powehead, and an ammonia badge. Ich is very serious but you usually have some time before it becomes very bad.

Can you post a pic of the infected fish? Also, have you figured out what method you're going to treat with?

 

[Taylorcz]

I'm praying it's not velvet, but I'm scared that it might be. I feel like he's losing his colour.?
I have a friend who might be able to loan me a tank to set up as a quarantine since there will be no stores open. Do u think a fresh water dip may provide some temp relief until then?


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[Taylorcz]

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[Louis Z]

Do you have any other type of containers ? You can switch him to something else and put him with an air supply line with out using too much air . Do you already have new salt water mixed. If so you can transfer him every morning to a newly cleaned container with new water . You must disinfect everything that you take him out of . I am trying to describe to you a way of transferring him each day so as to leave whatever it is behind . Yes you can try a freshwater dip . Between each transfer . But when fish are weakened by a disease .any type of treatment can be harsh . When the store opens see if they have a formalin medication solution that you can use as a dip

 

[JustinM]

The trophonts are too big so I would say it's ich. As Louis has said, you could use that method or just hold off till tomorrow. How is their breathing? A FW dip would help clear their mucous of the gills but if they're breathing normally, I wouldn't worry about it.

Just out of curiousity, how long did it take the fish to get to that point visually?

 

[lagatbezan]

I agree with above that you are probably dealing with ich.
Velvet trophonts usually tend to be much smaller than ich and perfectly round; kinda like dusted fine powder where as Ich trophonts tend to be more oval shaped and larger, kinda like salt grain sprinkles. Both start off small but then grow in size before dropping off.
usually If you can count the number of dots on the fish, then you are most likely dealing with ich. If they are too numerous to count then it is most likely velvet unless the fish is heavily infested with ich.
The best treatment for either ich or velvet is either copper or Chloroquine phosphate (requires a vet prescription and obtained from pharmacy). Both would need to be in qt.
All your fish would need to be treated and display tank would have to be fishless for 72 days minimum.

 

[Taylorcz]

So after a sleepless night worrying about whether i was going to wake up with him alive or not, he seems a lot better.

He Still definetly has white spot but his colour is back and just generally doesnt look so sick. I am going to go out and buy a quarantine tank today if the shops are open.

Now just a few questions so i do this right, Will the sand sifting starfish stay in the tank or go in the qt tank aswell. And am i only needing a basic setup in the qt? pump for airflow, thermometer fake rocks for hiding etc? I suppose what im asking is do i have to go all out and really spend a heap of money on a specific SW setup or can i keep it simple as its only temporary? And can everything run as normal in the display tank?

 

[JustinM]

Make it as simple as you can. You can use large pvc fitting for hiding spots, a seachem ammonia alert badge, a heater, a powerhead or HOB filter. I prefer to use a a powerhead so I can point upwards torwards the top to break the surface for O2 exchange.

There are 4 methods to treat ich:

Copper(there is chelated and ionic)

CP

TTM

And Hypo

I personally find copper to be the easiest. You will need a test kit for copper though, seachem for ionic copper and the API for chelated.

Your star would stay in the tank and your tank would need to remain fishless for 76 days. All fish need to be treated.

 

[Taylorcz]

Thankyou so much for your help

 

[Jdub968]

Thankyou so much for your help

How's your fish doing today ?

 

[Taylorcz]

How's your fish doing today ?

He's actually doing really well, all whitespot gone. He's loving life haha


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[Jdub968]

Your seeing the normal life cycle of ick they come and go did you get him in qt and copper?
If so you will need to keep him at thereputic levels for 30 days test every day and keep a eye out for bacterial infection. Glad he's doing better