Do I have ich?

[lkb3493]

I think my royal gramma may have ich. I am a newbie and am not very sure. :thinking: My clowns, serpant star, shrimp and hermits are all fine. (I know it only affects fish). Anyways the gramma is hiding more than usual but will come out to eat. When he does come out he is diving to the sand bottom and rubbing his face and the sides of his face on the bottom. I don't really see any white spots on him but there is definately something weird going on.

I don't have a quaratine tank so I will have to treat my entire main tank I am guessing. :notsure: Any ideas as to what is going on?

Does this sound like ich?

 

[lion_crazz]

It very well could be ich, but it does not always mean the fish has ich. It usually is one of the first signs of ich, but not always.
Because your gramma does not yet have visible ich spots, I would go out and get a cheap 10 gallon tank to treat your clowns and gramma in. All you will need is a 10 gallon tank, cheap hang-on biowheeel filter, a sponge (so that bacteria can accumulate from the main tank), a few cheap decorations, and a heater. This entire set-up would cost you about $50. That is only about $30 more then your typical "reef safe" med and would be a better way to treat your fish.
This would be the best way to treat ich, and would prevent your clowns from getting it.

 

[lkb3493]

When you say "treat" do you mean the Rid Ich type medicine or the hyposalinity method? They would have to stay in the 10 gallon for several weeks right? Doesn't the 10 gallon need to cycle etc? Sorry to sound stupid but my 55 gallon is the first tank I have set up. All I know if how to set up a tank and cycle it etc... I don't know the short version LOL

 

[lion_crazz]

When I say treat, I mean with hyposalinity. Your main tank will have to run fishless for 6 weeks, and the fish would be in hypo treatment for 3-4 weeks in your quarantine tank.
Here is how to avoid a cycle.
You take a sponge filter and stick it in your 55 gallon aquarium. Let the sponge filter sit in your aquarium for several days to a week or so. This sponge filter picks up biological bacteria from your display tank. You add this sponge filter to your quarantine tank, and voila, your quarantine tank does not cycle because you are adding biological bacteria from your display tank to your quarantine tank. This way, when the ammonia spikes in your quarantine tank, the biological bacteria in the sponge filter will convert it into nitrites, and then nitrates.
Meanwhile, while it is picking up bacteria, make sure the fish have a strong immune system. Feed them vitamin and garlic enriched food so that they can raise their immune system to fight the ich. Garlic Extreme by Kent Marine is a good garlic additive, while Zoe, Selcon/Zoecon, and VitaChem are all wonderful vitamin supplements.

 

[miamireefr]

Dude don't make my mistake of going on a 50/50 chance that kick ick or stop parasite will be "THE SOLUTION". I consider those options if all else fails.... Let me run down the fish I just lost to ick and using both kick ick and stop parasite and got NO WHERE.
Dead fish..$16.00-royal gramma, $20.00-mandarin(he was pretty big), $25.00-bi color angel, $25.00-percula, blue tang-$50.00, $10.00neon goby...and an LTA(not surre ifich solution may have affected it or wasn't related to the treatment but either way it counts since it died when my problems arose. he was $35.00. I finally acted and got a QT tank at the end when I thought I could salvage my percula but totally forgot to get a heater and found my buddy dead in the QT I had treated with copper.
TOTAL=$181.00 +tax= I AM VERY F-IN PISSED I didn't waste the 50 bucks and bought a QT tank to begin with....

Lesson I learned... DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.
Don't waste time and listen to Lion.... It's sound advice trust me.
Nick

 

[lkb3493]

I think you were the one earlier that recommended the different vareties of foods to use. Unfortunately, the only place close to me is ***** so I went there and I was able to get the Formula 1 and Formula 2 foods. I also have the frozen mysis shrimp and I bought some dried seaweed sheets but no one in the tank seems impressed by that. LOL
I looked for the supplements you recommended but they did not have them. I will have to go out tomorrow and find a better place that will have those. My LFS is over an hour away. I only go there to get the fish. I try to get the dry supplies elsewhere if I can.
You say to let the sponge sit in the main tank for about a week. Can the fish stay in the main tank that long untreated while the sponge soaks up the good bacteria? I don't know much about ich but how long can they have it? Can they hang on a week or more till the sponge is ready for the Qt tank?

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by lkb3493
I think you were the one earlier that recommended the different vareties of foods to use. Unfortunately, the only place close to me is ***** so I went there and I was able to get the Formula 1 and Formula 2 foods. I also have the frozen mysis shrimp and I bought some dried seaweed sheets but no one in the tank seems impressed by that. LOL
I looked for the supplements you recommended but they did not have them. I will have to go out tomorrow and find a better place that will have those. My LFS is over an hour away. I only go there to get the fish. I try to get the dry supplies elsewhere if I can.
You say to let the sponge sit in the main tank for about a week. Can the fish stay in the main tank that long untreated while the sponge soaks up the good bacteria? I don't know much about ich but how long can they have it? Can they hang on a week or more till the sponge is ready for the Qt tank?
If your fish are not showing visible signs of ich, they are most likely fine. You have time.
And yes, I was definitely the one who recommended the foods. That's good you got the formula foods. They are wonderful. Give your fish time, they will like them. How are you adding them to your tank? Do you let them dissolve in a cup of tank water before you add them? This is how I would recommend feeding them.
Now it sounds like you are on the right track to feeding a healthy diet!!

:joy:
If you want a link to get those supplements very cheap online, send me an email. It will probably be much cheaper than your LFS, and then you can save the trip. The best way to go is to compare prices. Call your LFS, and then compare the price on the website.
Ry84@MSN.com

 

[lkb3493]

Didn't think about soaking the food. I noticed that it sank quickly so I just dropped a pellet or two at a time. The fish LOVED it. Should I crush up some fresh garlic and let it soak in that also? I just noticed one of my clowns has very tiny white dots on his body. It almost looks like tiny tiny air bubbles but they are not popping like a bubble would. The other clown I saw dive down and rub his face on the sand like the gramma. I don't know how I am going to get that gramma out. I guess try to get him in a net when I feed him....hmmm... :thinking:
I am kicking myself with this QT tank.

I told hubby when we set up the tank in Feb that we needed one but all his buddies that have SW tanks said "why would you need one of those?" Now I know whose advise to listen to...

 

[miamireefr]

Well your husbands friends could may very well have luck and up until now not have had any problems..
Example.....My brother in law is pretty much ghetto when it comes to taking care of tank. Has a 55g tank full of coral(literally full) along with 7 fish in the tank one of them being a harlequin tusk) up for 1 year strong and his acclimation is 10 minutes floating dump in water...Hate to say it but it has worked like a charm up until now and he just adds ph in the correct amount during a water change.. THATS IT.... some got it like that and some try to hard and there are those who got it all.... Good luck!