Help! Small percula with ich (I think), what to do?

[El Langostino]

After removing my friend's aggressive pink skunks, I added a small tank raised false percula (I know, wrong thing to do but I have my heart set on pairing two different species of clowns). I had a bit a bag issue during acclimation which ...aaaaarrrrgh!!really angers me to no end! The fish was extremely stressed on entering the tank and well....you know how the story goes...I notice small white spots, about 8-10 on various parts of his body, his breathing is a bit heavy and on occasion I see him twitching in the water.

Seems like an obvious case of Ich. I reaaaaally REALLY REAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLY do not want to lose this fish because already in just one day he swims with my peaceful 3 inch tank raised gold stripe maroon clown and they get along fine. I have no idea what to do. I did feed the false percula tonight and he seemed to eat just fine.

A friend of mine has suggested I basically don't panic and just see to it that the clown rests and is eating well on a daily basis and this will pass. What ever shall I do at this point? Any other suggestions? I'm really in need of some serious help here so anything is greatly appreciated.

 

[Blown 346]

The ich might look like it will pass but thats the ich's life cycle. They have a life cycle of I think 10 to 12 days. Then after that it is back. The ich will live and hatch in the substrate, rock. The only real way to get rid of it or out of the tank and the fish is to quarantine all the fish. Leave the tank fallow for 6 to 8 weeks. This will be enough time for the ich not to have ahost and it will die. All the fish should be treated in the quarantine with either copper or hypo salinity.

 

[Monkeyfish]

I agree with Blown346. The fish may be able to recover on its own, but then you've got a tank infested with ick waiting for it's next victim. Best bet would be to remove the fish and treat in a hospital tank (no substrate or rock) and leave the display fishless for 6 weeks.

 

[Sm0kin]

do not copper the tank with any inverts in it. Copper will kill them also.

 

[El Langostino]

the clown is still alive and seems fine. All the white spots I noticed on him last night are gone and he is eating fine. The only thing that still worries me is the mouth opening and closing constantly. I've never had false perculas before, do they do this more than other fish or other clowns? He seems to be perfectly fine other than the mouth constatntly opening and closing....I thought this was heavy breathing but perhaps it's not?

 

[Monkeyfish]

Ich typically disappears for several days and then comes back even worse - this is part of it's reproductive cycle. It eventually attacks the gills which is what often leads to the death of the fish.

 

[El Langostino]

Unfortunately at the moment I am limited in options. so far I've just let him remain in the tank and he seems fine and maintains a perfectly normal appetite always ready to eat.

It's really just leaving him in the display, or flushing him and I definitely will not do that. I suppose I could get a cleaner shrimp and hope it eats the spots off.

My friend had several fish with ich and he simply made sure they were eating regularly and they weathered the storm so to say. He just didn't add any other fish for a few months afterwards.

I'm not too worried (maybe I should be) as I think an amphiprion ocellaris will beat this, but it would be a MOST unfortuante loss being that my maroon clown doesn't bother him. With the Maroon establsihing himself over time, any other clown I add will probably be brutalized. Even another Maroon might not work.

~sigh~ Snakes on a plane man...snakes on a plane...ach..

 

[cobs00]

Another thing you can do which is completely overlooked is a big water change. Once the ick has fallen off the fish and falls on the substrate, it begins to lay it's eggs. All you have to do, is a water change while you're cleaning the gravel bed. Logic will tell you that you have already probably sucked up hundreds of eggs.

 

[One Eyed Bunny]

I read mixed reviews about using copper as a means of treatment. Although it thickens the mucus layer around the fish, it also stresses the fish far worse than it will the ich.

So, an already stressed fish could possibly become stressed to the point of sickness or possible death.

 

[sequential]

If you have a good relationship with your LFS, you can ask them to help you out. If you have a small number of items to quarantine, your LFS might even do it for free. Of course, not all LFS have the space to take on other people's fishes, especially ones that will be NFS, but it's an option worth seeking out. One of the LFS I recently visited offered to take on my enormous black long spined urchin for six months if I couldn't find a solution myself.

Failing a helpful LFS, try the large water change suggestion above.

Good luck.

 

[El Langostino]

My friend and I already have our LFS holding his pink skunks, lol, I don't know if I can ask them to hold my 5 fish too, and my wuss Maroon clown is still recovering from multiple nip wounds so I'm afraid to put him in a tank with grammas, another maroon and a mean blenny (the tank I purchased him from) =(

I thought the ich had fallen off the clown, but when the actinics are only on you can still see the white spots, but with both sets of lights on, none of them are visiable. He still seems to be breathing hard but I'm making sure he eats well...

Is it possible than he will just get over this, then I wait an extended period of time (at least 8 weeks) before adding new fish and nothing will get ich? I figure if any fish will beat this disease, it has to be the beloved and hardy false perc.

 

[El Langostino]

Here are some pics of the fish: Ich or not?

 

[El Langostino]

If I set up a small QT tank; 10-20 gallons at most, move my false perc to it and treat it with copper based or other Ich treatment medication, what are the odds for survival and full recovery that we're looking at? He seems fine right now but I just want to be sure.

 

[El Langostino]

If I set up a small QT tank; 10-20 gallons at most, move my false perc to it and treat it with copper based or other Ich treatment medication, what are the odds for survival and full recovery that we're looking at? He seems fine right now but I just want to be sure.

 

[El Langostino]

whoops, just got back in...it's late...accidentally hit back, it re sent my last msg from hours ago, sorry about that.