"ICH FREE TANK" Quest Begins

[tjay]

Well here is our weekly update. Fishes are all still healthy and happy. The naso still has that one spot on his fin.
According to the ich cycle that was supposed to have fallen off in 7 days or less. Well we are past that now and he still has it and is still a happy, eating healthy fish.
We can only hope at this time that it really is not ich at all but some sort of abrasion from the transfer or one real stubborn grain of sand.

I tried catching him to give a fresh water bath. Needless to say that did not work.
So for now we are still monitoring the situation. So far so good.

 

[markcasto]

Well,at least the maroon clowns looking good!

 

[Triggerfish]

very nice top view...

 

[markcasto]

The 52 gallon QT tank is still going and the chromis and damsels seem to be making a bit of progress.The spots have all gone and the brown blotches are healing up on all the fish that are left.So I hope the remaining fish will survive.I will keep them in there for another 6 weeks then move them out if all is well.

Those litte yellow tailed damsels are the toughest little fish ever they have survived everthing, the ammonia peeks the copper the endless water changes and tank moves.If only all fish could be that tough we would be laughing.

The 4 clowns and the maroon clown fish have gone back in the main tank /second day/ and no ich at all so far will keep you posted on there progress.

 

[Triggerfish]

that's good..would like to know what the heck the blotches were..
i also have 2 yellowtails in the 55 QT,one has almost a hole on the top of his head where a large trophont was feeding.

no ich two days...so far so good for you.. between 7-10 days would be decent indication.

 

[markcasto]

leebca-The copper test kit was by salefert and was maintained at .14ppm but I think a better test kit could be found.Not that keen on saleferts kits I like tetra test kits better but I dont think you can get them in the states.

 

[markcasto]

Triggerfish-what is a trophant? sounds horrible

 

[markcasto]

doh! thats the ich in its next stage curse my dyslexic brain... what do you make of this mind bending tecno babble...

The ciliated stage with somatic kineties mostly as monokinetids that each have a lateral kinetodesmal fibril, a reduced (or absent) transverse microtubular ribbon (usually accompanied by a left-directed transverse fiber), and a somewhat convergent postciliary ribbon extended posteriorward to accompany ribbons of more anterior monokinetids; ribbon-like subkinetal nematodesmata arise from somatic monokinetids, extending beneath kineties as subkinetal ribbons, which in cyrtophorids and chonotrichs probably extend anteriorly and in rhynchodids and suctorians posteriorly; oral region with radially arranged microtubular ribbons, the phyllae, which, in cyrtophorids, are enclosed by large, rod-shaped nematodesmata of hexagonally packed microtubules held together near the cell membrane by filaments; four subclasses.
SAY WHAT!!

 

[Triggerfish]

lol..

couldn't find much info on that cuprazin stuff you used.. what type of copper is it? the description gives no indication.
and the manuf does not even have a copper test kit to use.. not good..

the salifert kits will measure chelated copper... if the cuprazin is anything but..then that could have been your issue.....

 

[markcasto]

MMM... not sure what sort of copper it has in it I sent them an email to find out.Those brown blotches are very strange the only thing I could think they might be is the ich parasites damage under the skin where they spin around feeding on the fish.But the chromis that died along with my tangs had ich all over his head very badly. I recal when my mandaring got ich on the bottom of his fins the fins where left very ragged when it dropped off him.When it reaches large numbers it does a lot of damage thats certain.

 

[water`bug]

Ok yall,

I just took pictures of Betty B. (Betty Boop) TJay and I's Blonde Naso Tang. As you all know, we've been concerned about "one" spot or lil bump she has on her front left fin. She went 6 full weeks of hypo-selenity and has been in the main display for 9 days now. The spot is still there.

In researching ICK, they say trophonts will stay on the body for 3-7 days before falling off. Today made 8 days. There are no other visible signs on the Blonde Naso, nor any of the other two; a Yellow Tang and a Copperband Butterfly.

She is eating like a little pig, so appetite isn't an issue. She is very active, no glancing of the rocks and showing no signs of unusual behavior. Unless you call mothering Tango 24/7, our Yellow Tang... unusual behavior! lol

Is there anything else this could be besides ick? If you look closely in the pictures, you can see the spot. Whatever it is, it isn't affecting her right now and we hate just sitting here and doing nothing. if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please let us know.

here are some pics taken of her... within the last hour:


Here's Betty B. posing for me... she's such a good little girl!

Here is a picture of her right side

Here is a picture of her left side with the spot in question

She doesn't like worrying us... as you can see from this picture:

That's my baby! Any ideas??

donna in New Orleans

 

[plaz]

Beautiful fish! I don't know, but it looks like she may have just scraped it? In one shot, it looks like the cleaner shrimp antennae brushed across her. Since he didn't try to clean it off - it may not be a parasite. I would just watch her really closely to make sure it doesn't turn into anything or get infected.

If it starts to look like a bacterial infection is setting in, you could add some caulerpa to the sump under 24/7 low light (from an ich free tank of course!). It is a natural antibiotic and helped my Yellow Tang get over red streaks. I thought I was going to loose her when she developed them after hypo... they were not going away and she could not eat... less than 3 days after adding caulerpa to her qt she was fine. You have to watch the caulerpa to make sure it doesn't go sexual (turn white and die) - but that usually won't happen if it is lighted 24/7 and keep it out of the main tank because it attaches to rocks. Just a thought if you end up needing it - at least it is completely reef safe (good for HLLE too).

I'll keep my fingers crossed that it is nothing! Good luck!!

 

[markcasto]

Got an email back from cuprazin it is chelated copper in there product.

 

[AquAsylum]

Just a white spot? In the picture it eerily reminds me of the cirolanid isopod that first plagued our royal gramma before the ich. You'd definitely have been able to tell if that was it.

 

[tjay]

how did you treat it and how do we know if that is what it is?

 

[AquAsylum]

The main way to tell what it is would be if you see black eyes. It really looks like a bug on your fish, so if you haven't thought "what a strange bug on my fish," it probably isn't a c. isopod.

Check out this reefkeeping article: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/rs/index.htm

We had to catch the fish and then remove the bug with tweezers. Fingers are crossed that it hadn't laid eggs before making itself known to us.

 

[water`bug]

The main way to tell what it is would be if you see black eyes. It really looks like a bug on your fish......

This doesn't have little beady black eyes, thank goodness! In fact, looks like it is less predominant than it was yesterday. I am almost convinced as well, that it's not ick.

I'm crossing my fingers anyway!

She is just as active today and eating like a little pig. We are keeping a close eye on all of them. I am finally beginning to feel that hypo-selenity was well worth it. (We're at 9, pushing towards day 10 out of hypo-selenity and into the main display)

(Knock on wood)

Thanks for your input!

donna in New Orleans

 

[leebca]

Mark,

The Salifert test kit does not test chelated copper very well. Its technical data sheet indicates it is good for free copper tests and only 'weakly' chelated copper (whatever that means).

For instance, if it measures the copper like it says it does and you're adding chelated copper to your tank, to get the "X" reading you are targeting, you'd be overdosing in chelated copper medication.

I would say that the Salifert test kit was not the one to use for monitoring your copper treatment. The kit though is very good for monitoring copper that might be a component of your tap water or makeup water.

 

[markcasto]

Leebca- Thanks for that I will in future try another test kit.The strange brown blotches I belive are the result of the damage done to the skin tissue where the parasite was feeding.It seems that during the hyposalinity treatment the parasite was only slowed down and not killed off.

I have dealt with ich before 2 years ago on my clowns but this one has been very nasty indeed.
All the remaining fish now seem to be picking up nicely and regaining there colour and strength and the ich is all gone from them.Hopefully this will be the end of it but they are all going through another 6 weeks full QT before they go back in my main tank. The clowns in the main tank are all very well and so far no sign of the dreaded ich reappearing.

What test kit for copper would be a good one to use do you think?

 

[leebca]

I researched Marine Ich (Crytpocaryon irritans) for four years while at college in the early '70's. I've treated about 500 fishes for the disease. I have never known any fish to have 'brown blotches' as a result of Marine Ich. Maybe you've discovered something new to science?

You need to use the exact copper test that is recommended by the medication manufacturer. You want the manufacturer to tell you which kit to use. AND you want the medication manufacturer to tell you exactly what copper range to keep the medication according to that kit.

Each medication manufacturer uses a 'secret formula' for their medication and only they know the best test kit to use to measure their medication concentration.