whats wrong with my clown?
- Thread starter romsoccer12
- Start date
romsoccer12
New member
i didnt know they sold them. can somone answer my other 2 questions?
romsoccer12
New member
heres another update. the one clown that eats a lot now has a parasite on him i think. at first it looked like a little white growth so i thought ich, but than it became stringy almost like a little white hair and than later in the day went back to normal. hes showing no signs of bad breathing or scratching agaisnt the rocks. ive also noticed another thing. the other clownfish that still hasnt eat anything and spends the whole day in one spot zoned out is doing something strange. right when the moonlights turn on and all the other lights turn off, he leaves his little spot and joins in with the rest of the fish swimming around. im going to try to feed him at night tomorrow and see if that works. any suggestions on what the white growth is and why the zoned out fish comes out at night?
romsoccer12
New member
I also think it can be brook. How long will it stay in my system if i take it out? Can it spread to other fish? If i get new clownfish, will it get on them?
romsoccer12
New member
they dont seem to scratch agaisnt rocks or have any breathing problems gasping for air.
1geo
1geo
If one of your fish has parasites, Ich or Brook, ALL have the parasite even if they do not have any symptoms. Ich has a three stage life cycle. On the fish, in egg form in the substrate of your tank and in the water as swimmers looking for a fish host. The egg form can persist in your tanks substrata for up to 8 weeks. Brook multiplies by cell division, the new cells become swimmers looking for a host and can persist in the water for up to 4 weeks. If its Ich, then copper is the chemical of choice. If its Brook then only Formalin 37% will cure it. Formalin will also cure Ich. Copper will NOT cure Brook. You need to do the following.
1. Remove your fish to a QT tank and start giving them Formalin baths. One bath every other day for 10 days. This will cure the fish but NOT the infected tank they came out of.
2. The tank the fish came out of must remain fallow, fishless, for 8 weeks. Do NOT use anything from this tank on your QT tank such as filters etc.
3. If you do not wait long enough for the swimmers do die off in the main thank before you put fish back in, they will be reinfected and you'll have to start all over again.
There is no magic bullet or short cure for these parasites. And, unless you are sure of what you have, use Formalin since it will cure BOTH Ich and Brook. If you got this from introducing wild clownfish the probability is its Brooklynella since it is estimated that 80% of wild stock are infected with this parasite. In the open ocean, its not a problem but in a closed system like an aquarium, its fatal.
1. Remove your fish to a QT tank and start giving them Formalin baths. One bath every other day for 10 days. This will cure the fish but NOT the infected tank they came out of.
2. The tank the fish came out of must remain fallow, fishless, for 8 weeks. Do NOT use anything from this tank on your QT tank such as filters etc.
3. If you do not wait long enough for the swimmers do die off in the main thank before you put fish back in, they will be reinfected and you'll have to start all over again.
There is no magic bullet or short cure for these parasites. And, unless you are sure of what you have, use Formalin since it will cure BOTH Ich and Brook. If you got this from introducing wild clownfish the probability is its Brooklynella since it is estimated that 80% of wild stock are infected with this parasite. In the open ocean, its not a problem but in a closed system like an aquarium, its fatal.
romsoccer12
New member
would a UV sterilizer help the DT at all?
iFisch
New member
No. Google UV sterilizer.
What you NEED to do, is go to Petsmart/Petco get a 10 gallon tank, a small canister filter, and some sponges.
Setup a QT tank, get ALL your fish out, and QT them. If you have brook or any parasite, it can and will attach itself to other fish.
Google how to setup a QT tank. Most use a few sponges seeded with bacteria and drop in their QT tank when needed.
romsoccer12
New member
okay. right now im gonna just let my tank run because itll be a while until i save up for a QT tank and than get it cycled. I guess i learned my lesson and should have gotten a QT tank in the first place. Can this stuff affect inverts or corals? How about my blenny? he doesnt have scales so maybe it can get to him. do you think the fish will live long enough for me to get the qt and cycle it? i would think it would take 2months. im doing what you said ifisch and just restarting. im going to keep all the corals in my 29gal though and just let them grow in. thx again
iFisch
New member
Nope. If it's brook, you have a few more days max. If it's a parasite or something, it can happen any day.
Also you need to research clownfish diseases heavily and how/if it can affect other tank mates.
Doing 30% WC's every 3 days may help. I don't know, because I've always done my research first. The only wild fish I have is my Damsel. IF I were to buy ANY wild caught fish, I would QT them for a minimum of two weeks, to as long as it takes to cure the fish/fishes/coral.
Since I always know the source that I'm getting stuff from, I have yet had the need to QT. I do dip every and all corals.
Honestly dude, you got a LOT of research ahead of you. Skimp on the research, and it will reflect on your tank/end result.
1geo
1geo
A QT tank can be as simple as a 10 gal rubbermaid tub from Kmart. Since there is nothing alive in the tank, except fish, no live sand, rock or other live creatures, there is no cycling of the tank. You worst enemy in a QT tank is excess food. You will have to vacuum it up. The only thing on the tank is a heater, a basic fabric filter to remove small particles, an airstone and a small powerhead for circulation. Since you will be using 1 gal every other day for the Formalin bath, you will exchange about 40% of the water in the first week. All of this should keep your chemistry in balance. After 10 days you have cured your fish now you need to find them another place to live until your main tank is free of parasites, i.e., 8 weeks.
1geo
1geo
One thing you can do is buy a product name "Revive" put out by FishVet. This can be used on your main tank with the fish in it and will kill the swimmers in the tank. It will not kill the eggs or the parasites attached to your fish but killing the swimmers will buy you time. Google "FishVet" to find the product.
romsoccer12
New member
okay i think im gonna get some of that stuff. couple questions on QT. So basically im not cycling it? would adding 50% of my tank water and than 50% of premaid fresh saltwater work? when you keep the fish for 2 weeks, do you do water changes every day to keep the ammonia out? plus adding that ammonia remover. than would adding an airstone a heater and a nano koralia work? iFisch, I obviously am doing research by being on this website and asking questions, i would just dumb enough not to QT them. I thought if you gave them a good look and didnt notice any abnormalites on them they would be fine. Guess not =/.
iFisch
New member
Well, there's a difference between asking for all your answers, and doing actual research and posting for a second opinion/to confirm you understand what you're doing etc.
It seems your expecting people to reply with all the answers. Not all the time will people be able to answer or give you a 100% solid answer, and you need to be able to research and find the answer out for yourself. For instance, in school, I feel you're the one who "cheats" off the other person who knows what he/she is actually doing.
This is how I feel. Asking questions is great. But it seems you want everyone to give you all the answers.
You ask SO many questions, I kind of question what knowledge you do have in this hobby. It seems you bought the tank and everything, and just thought you could wing it by asking questions instead of doing necessary research.
romsoccer12
New member
what if I add revive in? wouldnt that kill the swimmers?
romsoccer12
New member
ifisch i looked up QT find stuff out and asked you guys if it worked...please start helping answer questions instead of giving me life lessons every other comment. 1 is enough
iFisch
New member
Here, knock yourself out.
http://www.google.com/search?q=sett...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
Copy everything in between the tags.
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