Big Mistake??????

[mikeyfish]

Okay I only have my tank for 4 months so far!! I have made a few mistakes like starting with CC instead of sand. But besides that I been patient and been reading alot of info. I also have a Q tank which is only 15 gallons. Anyway I have 2 clowns and a foxface in the main display doing real well to this point. I have a Flame Angel in my Q tank with one more week to go. He looks awesome, very active and eating everything I give him.
Well, last night I added 4 lbs of cured live rock to give me 50lbs total and I added a cleaner shrimp. I didn't Q them I just dropped the rock and acclimated the shrimp last night. Now this afternoon my fish have some salt spots on there fins and body. Did the rock or shrimp introduce the ick? I didn't think inverts can do this?? Everything was ick free for 4 months. The fish are still swimming and eating. But I don't know what to do because I have a Flame in the Q tank so I can't put the fish in there. Will Garlic help, since it's only a few spots?? I can't belive this happen because some stupid rock or shrimp. I also have a UV sterlizer running 24/7.
Any ideas would help!!!!!!!
Thanks
Mike

 

[thomas712]

Rock and shrimp should not be able to introduce ick into a system unless the ick landed on the rock prior to your introducing them in.
You'll have to ask Beth or Terry about that.
Where did the rock come from? My lfs cures rock in seperate vates and then into aquariums in the sales floor with no livestock in them always seperate.
What are your water paramiters? could be something wrong there.
Temp?
Salinity?
Thomas

 

[beth]

As Thomas said, the ich could have been introduced via the LR if the LFS had LR in a fish tank where fish had ick, or filtration was shared with a fish tank that had ich.
The other possibility is that you didn't QT the orignial fish? If so, they may have had ich that went unnoticed and the addition of the rock and shrimp caused some stress resulting in the ich manifestation.

 

[mikeyfish]

Yeah the Live rock was with fish and so was the shrimp. I qt the foxface which was put into my tank about 2 months ago, so I don't think it was him. Well, this morning all the fish had around 4- 5 white spots on them. Now it's all gone. Should I put them all in the Q- tank and do Hypo. I only have a 15 gallon Q tank with a healthy Flame in there. I don't think 2 clowns a foxface and a flame will survive 3 weeks in this tank all together. What do you think?? Should I buy another 10 gallon tank??
Thanks so much
Michael

 

[beth]

I agree, that will be a tight sqeeze for the fish. Can you set up a larger QT, or a smaller 2nd one? Terry suggested here resently using a large rubbermaid which you can get for just a few bucks.