ID Please! Not Ich or Oolidium(?)

[soupysteve]

I bought two Grammas at an LFS on the 21st of August. They were bagged together (1st mistake). When I got home 2hrs later, one had killed the other. I took the dead one from the bag and tossed it. I floated the bag in the display. I used a turkey baster to take out water from the bag (squirted into the sink) and used the turkey baster to add water from my display to the bag. I repeated the process every 10 minutes for two hours. I do not have a quarantine tank (2nd mistake). I put the Gramma in the display. By 2-3 days later, these mysterious blemishes appeared on his fins and tail. He don't "itch" himself against anything. The spots don't appear "cottony" like Ich. I hear Oodinium kills in a matter of 3-4 days, so I don't think that is what he has. About 10 days ago, I bought a cleaner shrimp hoping it'd solve the problem. There appears to be fewer spots on the gramma now since the cleaner shrimp is in the tank - but the fish DEFINITELY still has some issues. My water params are: 80.5 F, 1.0245 SG, Ca is at 460ppm, Alk tests at norm/low. pH is at 8.2, Nitrite .007 ppm, nitrate <2.5ppm, and Ammonia at .25 ppm. I use Red Sea test kits so, these results aren't perfect...
I have a plenum style bottom to my tank w/ 80 lbs aragonite and 75 lbs of LR. I do a weekly 5 gallon water change using RO/DI and Instant Ocean salt. This is in a 55 gallon tank with a 30 gallon sump. I use PC lighting. The fish still eats A LOT (one of the first to feed) the illness has NOT yet been passed to any other fish in the tank...

 

[beth]

It does look like ich to me. Try feeding him food soaked in fresh minced garlic. What type of tank do you have?

 

[soupysteve]

What type of tank do I have? It's a reef tank - all softies if that's what you're asking. I plan on making a small batch of food for the tank this weekend sometime. I plan to use a small bit of frozen cyclopeeze, the rest of my frozen brine, and garlic. Is there any rule of thumb for the amount of garlic to use? I planned on just getting a clove and taking a section off and setting the blender on liquify... any other ingredient suggestions for some DIY food? The LFS that sold me the Gramma suggested I put some "coral-vital" in the tank. He said it wasn't an Ich cure, but he has noticed that when he's used it, 2/3 of the time, the diseased fish get better. Any other reef-safe meds that you know of? I'll quarantine my fish if necissary, but from the smalll amount of reading I've done, STRESS appears to be a big factor in making a fish ill. I'd hate to make things worse by capturing my fish...

 

[beth]

You can try one of the "reef safe" meds, but they are totally reliable. Not much to do unless you QT. Start the garlic asap. Don't wait.

 

[soupysteve]

I bought a clove of garlic last night. This Am, I busted off a "chunk" of it, and cut it at finely as possible. I then put it all in a dish, added tank water and frozen cyclopeeze, and squished the garlic/cyclop mix. The fish ate it - dunno if it'll clear things up or not.

 

[beth]

That really is all you can do in tank. Or use one of the reef safe meds.
There is a garlic crusher that is pretty handy that you might want to look for next time you go to the grocery store.

 

[powdertoastman]

yes the garlic works best, we had ich show up once and we got a bottle of garlic "juice" from our LFS and soaked everything in it for 10 mins before feeding the tank, within a week the ich was gone and the fish never got it again. very good, but smelly stuff. gl

 

[soupysteve]

well, I found him dead under a rock last night - the hermits had polished off his carcass almost completely. :nope: I guess on the bright side, he won't be a host for the Ich anymore. Anyway, I went ahead and made some food (see Soupy's Stinky Stuff in the Reef forums) with garlic and I will feed it to my tank until it's gone. I hope the gralic in the food will strengthen my fishs' immune system.