dipped clownfish with ich

hugo

New Member
Hi,
One of my clownfish had 4 ich spots on him so I did the freshwater dip. I had heard about this method and it seems to have worked but I could not figure out how long the dip should be. So I dipped him for 30 minutes. He is doing much better. I am curious if the dip was too long or not long enough.
 
Hi, I think the dip was pretty long. I never done the freshwater dip, but I heard people doing it for 3 to 9 min. or so.
 

hugo

New Member
BTW - I forgot to mention this in my initial post. Even if the dip time was not right I am so glad I dipped! While he was in the bath he swam more energetically and his breathing slowed. So I realized the water in the dip was better for him than in the tank.
I got suspicious and tested my tank water. My nitrites were in the stress range. So I did a 1/3 water change and he seems to be doing a lot better! I think the other fish were not as affected by the water condition because they're healthy!
They don't have ich spots on them yet. I am keeping a close eye because I know there is ich in the tank. I also tried raising the water temp 2 degrees to 78 as I heard this helps fight ich.
I retested the water after the partial change and my nitrites have dropped considerably...
 
That sounds great. Good thing you dipped, now just because your fish don't look like they have ick, they have it tho, you just can't see it.
 
The dip was about 23 minutes too long, glad the little guy made it. When I dip I will keep the fish in at most 10 minutes (most dip for 3-7 minutes) as they will usually stress out. Just make sure the temp and ph in your dip water matches your tank. Good to hear all the fish are doing well. Raising the temp to 78 will not do much for you as most keep their tanks in that range anyway. I believe you need to get into the 82 range but IMO it's not worth it as it only speeds up the little buggers lifecycle and adds to stress. Should look into purchasing a UV sterilizer for preventative measures and find the source of your trites. I am assuming we are past the cycle since you stated that you have other fish. BTW, what size is the tank and how many fish are in it. Reason I ask is an overstocked tank can lead to stress and poor water quality which inevitably leads to ich amongst other problems. Was this fish being picked on? any fighting in the tank? could be other factors besides your water quality. Trites should remain at a steady 0 so if they read anything but you should find the problem or you will encounter more "down the road" gl!
 

hugo

New Member
The tank is a 25 gallon. I have fish only and some dead coral for them to hide in and around. There are 2 clowns, a domino damsel and a yellow tail damsel. I also have a cleaner shrimp which I added recently. All the fish are on the small side. There is only chasing between the damsels. They leave the clowns alone.
The larger (not affected clown) is apparently very healthy. He swims around as if he owns the place. He acts as if the damsels aren't even there.
The two clowns are often seen close to each other and I am afraid one will contaminate the other. I am hoping the cleaner shrimp will be able to help the ich problem some.
 
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