lionfish without ick???

[joebuckmaster]

Is it possible for my lionfish not to be infected with what ever my clowns had???? About two weeks ago my clowns(two of them) came down with something that I thought was ick. A dusting of white all over them. I took them out and qt'd them. My lion shows no signs he has been in my main tank for about a month and the clowns about two and one half weeks. is it possible???

 

[beth]

Anything is posible. Also, just becaue the lion has not been "infested" doesn't mean that he hasn't been exposed and, therefore, compromised.
Why don't you give a bit more details about what your problem was/is with the clowns and tell us how you treated the clowns, etc. Maybe we can be more helpful.

 

[joebuckmaster]

I noticed the white dust looking stuff on the clowns and they would not eat I removed them and put them in qt. I am treating them with saltwater coppersafe. I did not remove the lion because of no signs(stupid me). But he still has no sign of anything and he eats like a pig. should i qt the lion also, I only have a small qt tank and two clowns and a lion might be a little tight.

 

[fmarini]

Hey Joe:
may i ask what type of lion? In general, lions once established in the tank are pretty hardy and disease resistant, especially since they have a cuticle which they shed periodically to prevent parasites from settling on their skin. They do get ich if stressed severely.
My guess is that the lion is prolly harboring the parasite, so i would also Quarentine the lion.
I will say thou, that IME lion can be tempermental in copper, i hope you are monitoring the dose 2 times daily.
What copper level are you keeping the water at?

 

[beth]

Do you know what you are treating the fish for? Are the spots you are seeing salt sized dots or are they more powdery and dusty in appearance? I'm assuming the problem is ick.
Better to treat all the fish with hyposalinity if you have a clear diagnosis of ick. Coppersafe is not all that safe, and it requires diligence in terms of maintaining therapeutic levels. Hyposalinity is the better choice for treating ick. However, if you are dealing with oodinium [velvet] then you will have to treat with copper.
While Franks comments are very correct relating to the lionfish, its shedding and its lower tolerance of copper, I’d add that as long as the lion is in the main tank, he is a host and propagator of the parasite. Even if the lion resists infestation, he will host the parasite in your tank; thus, when your other “well” fish return to the tank, they will be exposed to the parasite again. It is advisable to treat all your fish, preferable with hyposalinity in the case of ick, rather than with coppersafe.

 

[joebuckmaster]

Can I remove copper from qt tank add all three fish and then perform hypo? Also since hypo works so well could this be done to new fish before adding to main tank? Also one clown looked like it had swam through a white web,he died but in the qt tank now only a few white spots. my lion is a volitan.