Possible marine ich on clown

[stingeragent]

Ok, 20 gal tank, has been set up about a month and a half. I got 2 tank raised clowns a few weeks ago. I didn't QT them as there only fish in the tank. I got up this morning and noticed one of them had several white spots on it. He wasn't really acting out of the ordinary. I've done a lot of research today, and the white spots weren't the size of a grain of sugar/salt, they were probably double to triple that size. The other one had no spots. I inspect my fish numerous times a day and I can just about be certain this is the first day they have been there. I got home from work and all the spots are gone. From my research I did while at work panicking it seems like ich once its on the fish stays there for close to a week before falling off. Like I said, I look at the fish numerous times a day, and also several hours after the tank lights go off and there have been no spots until this morning. I'm kind of unsure what to do. I would post a pic but all the spots are gone. Is there anything else it could be besides ich where the spots could come and go in less than 24 hrs? I read sometimes the spots are more prevalent once the lights go off, and go away when lights are on, but I've been keeping a very watchful eye. Any thoughts would be helpful. I'm just hesitant to go into an 8 week hypo salinity treatment if its not ich.

 

[HumbleFish]

Could have been grains of sand stuck to the mucous coat. Especially if you have sugar sand in the tank. My big fem Maroon clown likes to throw sand everywhere with her tail, and plenty gets on her as well.

I would also research Brooklynella; even though TR clowns are unlikely to have that.

 

[stingeragent]

Ok. Turned light on early this morning and all the spots are back on the same fish and no spots on the other one. Im assuming the spots just recede when light comes on. Should i qt both fish or just the one with spots

 

[HumbleFish]

Ok. Turned light on early this morning and all the spots are back on the same fish and no spots on the other one. Im assuming the spots just recede when light comes on. Should i qt both fish or just the one with spots

If you are confident this is Ich, both clowns need to be QT'd and treated.

 

[MrTuskfish]

If you are confident this is Ich, both clowns need to be QT'd and treated.

Yes.^^^
Your tank has ich, not just one fish. Please read the ich stickies by Snorvich, vital info for any of us. If you treat for ich, the DT will need to remain fishless for 12 weeks or so, a good reason to use a QT with ALL fish.

This just doesn't sound like ich to me. But without a pic, treatment may be your only option. Are these spots 3 dimensional, or just skin discoloration? There are lots of surface spots that some fish get at night or when stressed, not common with clowns, though. Ich doesn't disappear like clockwork when the lights come on. If you end up treating: tank transfer would my first choice. Cupramine 2nd, CP 3rd and hypo way down the line. Lots of folks do well with hypo, but IMO, it isn't working for more and more folks. It is very demanding, no room for error and I think some strains of ich have developed some immunity to hypo.

 

[stingeragent]

I'm usually super pressed for time in the morning. I also thought it was weird that the spots are only there in the morning, and this is now 3rd night in a row, I'm home from work and he has no spots. I would say today they looked alot more like grains of salt sprinkled on him. I'm gonna turn the light off now for like 2 hours, and turn it back on before I go to sleep to see if they come back and try and get a pic.

 

[stingeragent]

Ok, been a few weeks I think since I've posted on this. I did a freshwater dip on both fish for about 5 mins. I then transferred them to a new tank for a few days, then to a different one, then stupidly back to the original tank. The last week or so they have been fine, no spots. Woke up this morning and fish looked terrible, covered completely in spots. I managed to snap a couple quick pics, but had a very early work day so wasn't really able to do anything. When I got home, one of them didn't make it. The other one, is not nearly as covered in spots. I have a few days off now so hopefully with pictures, I can get it ID'ed and get a treatment started for the remaining fish.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Sure looks like classic ich to me. Tank-transfer would be my first choice for treatment. FW dips do nothing for ich.