Is this ICK? First fish in tank, very Newbie

[viper222]

OK, I am brand new here, I have read and read. I finally after 3 weeks of reading, picked up a 60gal tank, 70lbs Live Rock, 60lbs live sand, wet/dry and completed my cycle, did a water changeout and then added 5 green chromis and 2 tank raised clowns. I being new, am checking my nitrite, nitrate, dkh, and salinity daily. I figure, can't hurt, and at least I will get really good at it.
Anyway, 2 days ago I noticed what looked almost like little air bubbles on one of the clowns. two of them spaced about an inch apart, on bigger than the other one. Two days later (today) one of the spots is gone, but the bigger spot is bigger.
I have also learned that taking a picture of these guys is ALOT harder then you would think, they always turn the WRONG side to you. Anyway, here is the two best shots of it I could get. Am I paranoid, or is it something I should be treating?? Thank you in advance.

 

[cjworkman]

I'm no expert on disease. I've had my tank for 1.5 years though and haven't had any problems.
I did notice a very similar spot on one of my clowns about 2 months ago. I kept an eye on it and it eventually went away without doing anything special about it.
My conclusion was that my clowns like to swim in and around very close to the rocks. I think he simply scraped himself on the rock. It healed within a week, whatever it was.
Keep an eye on it. If it's still there in a week or doesn't look like it has improved or is worsening, then try medications.

 

[pontius]

if you're referring to the spot between the first 2 stripes, no, it doesn't really look like ich. though it could be the beginning. looks more likes lymphocystis or something similar. just watch it for a couple of days. how big is that fish?

 

[viper222]

He is about 1 1/2 inches total from nose to tail.
Like I said before, I have only had these guys a little while, actually I got them July 5th. So I am probably very paranoid. Today, this one started being mean to the other clown. He will just go up and ram the other one, not ALL the time, but probably a few times an hour. I am sure that is unrelated, but just figure I will throw that in. I ONLY have 2 clowns, then the 5 chromis.

 

[michael r]

Wow, I'm surprised in how close a position you are as I was when I first got my Clownfish.
Being my first saltwater fish, I was, of course, very paranoid about anything that comes up on them.
A few days after having bought them, one started to develop the exact same spots in the EXACT same area.
I also thought it was ick, but I posted it on here and was told it was lymphocystis.
If it is, your best bet is to continue doing what you're doing with regular water changes and a varied diet, and it will go away by itself.
My fish have also had it for about a month now, and though it had progressed, almost 50% is healed by now.
I decided against adding any fish while they're healing, and I suggest you do the same.
P.S. My Clownfish also ram each other, but this is not related to that.
Hope that helped.

 

[petjunkie]

Doesn't really look like ich, but I would keep a close eye on it for a while. Adding seven fish at a time wasn't a great idea however, your tank is going to have a difficult time keeping up with the bioload, I would have stuck with the two clowns to start out with. Chromis pretty much always kill each other until one is left, they aren't a great schooling fish although they are always the first recommended for some reason.

 

[pontius]

if the fish is only 1.5 inches, that spot looks to big to be ich. possibly lymph, which is a viral fungus often brought on by poor diet or water quality. usually not fatal. the clownfish would probably be the last fish that the ich would show up on because of it's mucus coat.

 

[meleerock]

The one picking and raming on the other one might be the female, which tend to be bigger and more aggressive. While they bully, they tend not to hurt eachother.

 

[viper222]

In response to adding so many fish, I wish I would have read that somewhere. My lfs of course didn't seem to mind, they seem knowledgeable though, and are pretty good about telling me to decide what I want in my tank, and then making sure what I buy will all live happily ever after.
As for bioload, I have the 5 chromis and the 2 clowns, 10, turbo snails, and 24 really little bitty crabs. I did get a Red Serpent Starfish because I was told they would eat whatever, and if something died, would get it right away before it screwed up the ecosystem. I did make sure my nitrites and nitrates and Phosphates were at 0, also my salinity is and was at 1.026, my dkh was 12, my calcium was a little low, at about 360.
Like I said, I am monitoring it daily, my salinity, phosphates, dkh, and calcium is staying exactly the same over these 5 days. My nitrates is slightly up from the bottom of the scale on the card 0 ppm, but way more the first color then the second color of 5.0 ppm. It would be about 1ppm if I had to guess. My Nitrite seems to be the same pretty blue color it started with, maybe a hint darker, but I would have to see them both side to side to tell, so pretty much 0.
Oh, my water temp does go from about 79.3 after the lights have been off all night long, and slowly goes up to 80.2 or 80.3 right when the lights turn off in the evening. I don't want to turn the heater up to match the 80.2 because I fear that it would start at 80 and climb to 81 before they go off. Do you think that is a problem?
My plan was to wait about 3 to 4 weeks before adding 2 more fish (probably a yellow tang and a blue tang) if my numbers stay perfect for the whole 3-4 weeks.
So, what have I done wrong, or right, and what would you recommend I do for now. If I have overloaded my "bioload" capacity, is that just because I added so much at one time? If I pay attention and make sure my nitrates and nitrites stay between 0-5ppm and 0-0.25 respectfully, by doing partial water changes if it does climb, then will it level itself out. Like I said, I do have 70lbs of LR, and a 125 wet/dry with bioballs. AND is 3-4 weeks, if everything stays good, long enough to wait before adding the additional 2 fish?
FYI, I have some very light brown powdery like algae I think. It is on some of the LR and just a little on the bottom of the W/D. From what I was reading, if this is what the other person was talking about, that is a good thing. MAN, so many questions, maybe I should have started like 3 or 4 threads.
Thank you so much for your input. I do enjoy this even now, my family (My wife, 5 year old son, and I) do watch the fish together probably 3 or 4 times a day, so I enjoy that as well.

 

[cjason3041]

i have had my clown for ....hmmm over 3years and he had the same marks about a week ago...i moved HIS torch coral (he tried to bite me) and now it is close to where one of my emerald crabs usually sat....the clown rammed him until he moved...i think the mark was from the crab...sooo i am guessing yours might be a battle scar, i would give him some tome...take a wait and see approach.....and whatever you do...don't anger the clown!!!!

 

[petjunkie]

Well it sounds like you are watching levels closely and that's important, if ammonia or nitrite rise at all, that means your tank is unable to support them and you will have to do major water changes until everything settles down. A 60 gallon isn't really a good size for a tang, yellow's get 8 inches and hippos hit 10 and they need room to move, a long wide tank would be better. Plus they really do better in an established tank than a new one.
Your algea sounds like diatoms, pretty normal, they bloom and then go away usually. A month would be good before adding anything else, just make sure you research whatever you want to add to make sure it's compatible. I made a list of fish I wanted and narrowed it down based on what would fit, get along with each other, and also the order in which to add fish, sensitive or aggressive fish last, after smaller, hardy, or timid ones.