Help identifying disease please

[Export Eh]

I've noticed black spots on my foxface that seem to come and go but I'm now noticing white spots on my clownfish as well. Whatever it is that my foxface has doesn't seem to be affecting him. He still active and still eats like a pig but I've noticed one of my clowns is being really lethargic. I think I know what it is (ich) but don't want to start treatment until I know forsure what it is I'm dealing with.

edit: So far my 2 pajamas, thompsons surgeonfish, mandarin, and snowflake eel are doing ok

 

[Export Eh]

1. How old is this aquarium?

A year and a half

2. If less than six months old, what is ammonia level?

3. What is SG of this aquarium? How measured?

If SG is salinity, 1.024 with vertex refratometer

4. When was the last fish added to this aquarium?

Thompsons Surgeonfish about 4 months ago

5. Was it quarantined? If so, how? And how long? Was it prophylactically treated? How?

No QT setup

6. If you are using a copper based medication, which one? How often do you measure level? When?

7. If you are using hyposalinity, how did you calibrate your refractometer?

8. Please describe in detail, the appearance of the fish? If there is one or more pimples, are they lumpy? What color?

Foxface has little black pimples on it, clownfish have white pimples

9. Please describe the behavior of the fish as best you can. Is it acting reclusive? Is it always up towards the top of the aquarium? Is it avoiding light? How active is the fish?

The foxface seems business as usual. Swimming around just fine, eating like a pig when fed, grazing on algae, no rubbing up against rocks/bottom. Clownfish is lethargic, still eating but not moving around as much as the other one.

10. Is the fish eating? What?

I feed a mix of krill and mysis every 2 days and pellets daily and all fish in the tank are eating when fed

 

[MrTuskfish]

I don't keep any rabbitfish, but they seem to get a lot of dark splotchy problems. I'll leave him to folks that know these fish.

Clownfish looks like brooklynella or possibly velvet. I admit I'm not great with pics; but I'd bet brooklynella because the edges of the problem areas seem to be rough and about to start peeling. Velvet can show up in so many ways, but it is seldom as 3 dimensional as brook is. Peeling/sloughing skin is the real give-away with brook. Plus, its a clown and they are the most likely carriers. Both parasites are deadly. contagious and quick. I'd get some formalin, or a product that contains formalin (Wal-Mart carries one) , and the HT set up ASAP. You'll need copper or CP if its velvet. How long have you had the clown? When was the last fish introduced? Were fish quarantined? If this is brooklynella, the fish could easily be history tomorrow. All fish need to be treated in a HT/DT regardless.

 

[Export Eh]

How long have you had the clown?

The clowns were my one of the first additions to my tank, they've been in there about a year

When was the last fish introduced?

About 4 months ago

Were fish quarantined?

No QT and that's my fault

If this is brooklynella, the fish could easily be history tomorrow. All fish need to be treated in a HT/DT regardless.

 

[Export Eh]

I've also noticed today and yesterday that one of the clowns is trying to swallow a "leaf" of the glove coral they are hosting. Trying to scratch it's throat?

 

[Mrscribbled]

I'd have to lean more toward velvet or ich, the fox face has white specks on it's face also. Copper is the best course of treatment.

 

[Export Eh]

I'd have to lean more toward velvet or ich, the fox face has white specks on it's face also. Copper is the best course of treatment.

Thank you. Not what I wanted to hear but what I thought. I just went into town and picked up a 30G tank to quarantine and some copper. So all fish then have to come out and go into the QT correct? Can this affect eels as well or can he stay in the tank?

 

[EllieSuz]

Eels are fish too, just very long fish. Sorry, they are susceptible also.

 

[Mrscribbled]

Eel must come out also, but be very cautious using copper on them. .35 ppm using cupramine and either a salifert or seachem copper test kit. Ramp dosage up slowly. Just moving the fish to a sterile tank will by time. An established filter is a must to control ammonia.

 

[Export Eh]

On an unrelated topic, I've been thinking about setting up a new tank, if I can find what I'm looking for. Since the tank will be fishless for the next 9 weeks it seems like a good time to do it. Will transferring rock/sand do anything to lengthen the fallow period or as long as they don't have fish to host them 9 weeks is 9 weeks?

 

[Mrscribbled]

As long as fish are not present, the process stays the same. I'd go a full 12 weeks though.

 

[EllieSuz]

Ditto on 12 weeks.

 

[Export Eh]

I need help again. I set up a healing tank and moved all my livestock in there on Nov 11. I dosed with copper for and the velvet seems to be gone. Since yesterday though my, it's either a Thompson Surgeonfish or a Vlamangii Tang (I'm leaning towards Vlamangii), has gone down hill. It's laying on it's side and breathing quick which I know is a bad sign. The only thing I can see wrong is, at the base of the tail, it looks like the skin is peeling back. It's hard to describe. I took a pic

I'll try to get a better pic but I'm not sure what can be wrong here. All the fish have been in the HT for a month with no problems till now

 

[Rea17]

What are your ammonia levels at?

 

[Export Eh]

What are your ammonia levels at?

ammonia is 0. Nitrite is not 0. I'd say between 1ppm and 5 ppm. It's hard to tell a different shade of purple. Nitrate is 5ppm

So I see my problem, what's my options here? I've done a 10G water change already out of 30. Would adding live rock from my tank help bring it down? I have some rock in my sump I could throw in