True perc with ich, is this the best I can do?

[wetWolger]

I notice today that one of my clowns has very small bumps. I tried to convince myself they were air bubbles, but when they were still there later in the evening tonight I decided it is best to be safe.

I have removed her from the tank as well as her male mate (figured since they rub against each other and such). Placing them in a 5 gal bucket with water, a power head, and a 150watt heater, and am treating it with copper (I assume copper is safe for a true perc). I plan to replace about 75% of the water every day since it is obviously not cycled.

I have never had to quarantine like this. Any advice on how to protect my clowns best? I am not sure how I can inspect them in the bucket to check for signs of the disease....any advice on how I should do such, as well as how long till I should inspect it to be cleaned up?

Sorry for another ich thread, I just really enjoy my clowns and worry about them (and of course hope the other fish stay ich free as well).

 

[stykthyn]

do a search, tons of info out there.

on that note copper is great for ich, but BAD for clowns.
if you catch it early enough its very treatable. I like to use hyposalinity slowly lower the SG to around 1.01

if you have a heater raise the temp of the main tank. this will cause the trophonts metabolism to speed up and shorten their life expectancy.

 

[WDLV]

do a search, tons of info out there.

on that note copper is great for ich, but BAD for clowns.
if you catch it early enough its very treatable. I like to use hyposalinity slowly lower the SG to around 1.01

if you have a heater raise the temp of the main tank. this will cause the trophonts metabolism to speed up and shorten their life expectancy.

Not me. I drop it straight to 1.009. I also hate copper but will use it as a last ditch effort.

 

[jt_milstead]

If it is ich you really should QT the fish in your tank, for about 45 days. Read up on Ich so that you understand the life cycle of Ich, and under stand why I said 45 days. I have used Kordons Rid Ich+ for Ich, and Brook with success. The instructions say to do a 25% water change daily.Im not so sure a bucket is a good idea. I think it could increase their stress levels. Put them in a 10-20 gal tank.

Ich and illness are stick subjects.This is what i have used in the past.

 

[mattypw]

+1, I don't think 2 clowns (even 1) would do well in a bucket. You can get a small tank for pretty cheap.

 

[JHemdal]

Clownfish will have no problem with a properly instituted copper treatment: 0.20 ppm copper, tested twice a day, re-dosed as needed, for 14 days.

I've never done that in a five gallon bucket though. The ammonia may build up faster than a 75% water change can correct AND remember that ionic copper binds with carbonate in the water - so each time you change the water and re-dose the copper, you'll lose some of it to the new carbonate...I don't think it will work. Also, the lack of lateral viewing is going to make it really hard to see how things are going.

The problem with hypo is that it is not fast enough acting to take care of an acute outbreak of Cryptocaryon, and damsels (including clowns) sometimes develop Uronema infections as a result. I don't know if your fish are at the acute phase or not - nobody asked the big question: How many spots are on the fish? If the answer is, "I can't count them all" then you are in the acute phase of the disease, and even copper may not act fast enough.

Jay

 

[jt_milstead]

Is it still eating?