Is it Ich? Now what

[Saltyreef24]

I woke up to my clownfish looking terrible this morning, with what appears to be Ich. It is much worse on my male than on my bigger female although neither looks happy. It is also prevalent on my banggai cardinal and firefish. As I haven’t had experience with marine Ich before, I’m not sure if that’s actually ich or if it is velvet or some other marine fish disease. I popped a 9w / 50 gal “green killing machine” UV sterilizer in my DT to help reduce parasite load, with plans to move it to my filtration chambers tomorrow. What are my best treatment options to save my clowns and restore all of my fish to healthy shape? Most of what i am reading about Ich treatment mandates a fallow tank for months and copper treating the fish in a separate tank.
I don’t want to do anything that will hurt my fish or my corals, but I don’t have another tank I can move them to right now. I also read that most tanks have Ich present in background concentrations but it doesn’t flare up unless the fish are weakened. If that is the case, how do I get my tank into a sort of remission?

Tank is an evo 13.5 mixed reef, 5 months old.

 

[Lavey29]

Those clowns have brook not ick. Set up QT and treat with formulin.

All fish need QT treatment and tank needs to fallow for 76 days.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I woke up to my clownfish looking terrible this morning, with what appears to be Ich. It is much worse on my male than on my bigger female although neither looks happy. It is also prevalent on my banggai cardinal and firefish. As I haven’t had experience with marine Ich before, I’m not sure if that’s actually ich or if it is velvet or some other marine fish disease. I popped a 9w / 50 gal “green killing machine” UV sterilizer in my DT to help reduce parasite load, with plans to move it to my filtration chambers tomorrow. What are my best treatment options to save my clowns and restore all of my fish to healthy shape? Most of what i am reading about Ich treatment mandates a fallow tank for months and copper treating the fish in a separate tank.
I don’t want to do anything that will hurt my fish or my corals, but I don’t have another tank I can move them to right now. I also read that most tanks have Ich present in background concentrations but it doesn’t flare up unless the fish are weakened. If that is the case, how do I get my tank into a sort of remission?

Tank is an evo 13.5 mixed reef, 5 months old.

This is cryptocaryon which is marine ich.
You will need to place fish in Quarantine tank and treat with Coppersafe or Copper Power at therapeutic level 2.25-2.5 For a FULL 30 days (do not interrupt this 30 day period) monitored by a reliable Copper Test kit such as Hanna Brand- No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.
The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off
A quarantine tank can be as simple as a tank from a second hand store or a starter kit from Walmart which most of the needed essentials.

 

[Lavey29]

This is cryptocaryon which is marine ich.
You will need to place fish in Quarantine tank and treat with Coppersafe or Copper Power at therapeutic level 2.25-2.5 For a FULL 30 days (do not interrupt this 30 day period) monitored by a reliable Copper Test kit such as Hanna Brand- No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.
The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off
A quarantine tank can be as simple as a tank from a second hand store or a starter kit from Walmart which most of the needed essentials.

Ich doesn't go grom nothing to full salt spread dots overnight right? Few dots then they disappear and come back later with more...etc...

 

[Saltyreef24]

Ich doesn't go grom nothing to full salt spread dots overnight right? Few dots then they disappear and come back later with more...etc...

There were a few spots on my firefish yesterday but they were very small so I assumed they were some irritation, as my only Ich experience was with freshwater Ich which always appeared to be larger grains. But I didn’t notice anything really wrong with my clowns until today. My banggai cardinal didn’t have any noticeable spots this morning but now is showing a few specks

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ich doesn't go grom nothing to full salt spread dots overnight right? Few dots then they disappear and come back later with more...etc...

Trophozoites mature in the skin of the fish and suddenly appear and appears to be rapid but in essence have been stabilizing and producing. The firefish and Bangaii appear per OP to have it and they are not going to get brook as another clue. Brook lesions will not spread all over the way its on the fish

 

[Lavey29]

There were a few spots on my firefish yesterday but they were very small so I assumed they were some irritation, as my only Ich experience was with freshwater Ich which always appeared to be larger grains. But I didn’t notice anything really wrong with my clowns until today. My banggai cardinal didn’t have any noticeable spots this morning but now is showing a few specks

I've had brook which killed off my tank and it started with my Clowns so I know what it looks like. The clowns battle it hard and take several weeks to succumb but the other fish go in less then 48 hours when infected.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Ich doesn't go grom nothing to full salt spread dots overnight right? Few dots then they disappear and come back later with more...etc...

This does look like ich to me. It is common for folks to miss the early start of ich and then notice it when it gets really bad. The discrete white spots are the key diagnostic here….
Jay

 

[Lavey29]

This does look like ich to me. It is common for folks to miss the early start of ich and then notice it when it gets really bad. The discrete white spots are the key diagnostic here….
Jay

Well I trust your opinion as the expert here but I can see discoloration on the clowns which to me indicates mucous trying to fight off infection and that's indicative of brook on clowns.

But I defer to you for help to the OP.

 

[jmichaelh7]

Drop them in Copper power 2.0 ppm immediately

The little uv sterilizer will only help maybe a little bit. .. they will continue to reproduce in tank.

 

[Saltyreef24]

Drop them in Copper power 2.0 ppm immediately

The little uv sterilizer will only help maybe a little bit. .. they will continue to reproduce in tank.

Are there any alternatives that are coral-safe? I don’t have the option to set up a secondary tank right now

 

[Saltyreef24]

Would polyp lab medic work? It is supposedly a reef-safe treatment for external parasites like marine Ich and flukes. Does anyone have experience with this product, either good or bad?

 

[MnFish1]

Would polyp lab medic work? It is supposedly a reef-safe treatment for external parasites like marine Ich and flukes. Does anyone have experience with this product, either good or bad?

Generally I would say 'no - not for an extreme case'. And this looks like an extreme case. Many reef safe products do not seem to be as good at treatment - but seem to perhaps have more of a role in preventing spread. As already stated a hospital tank can be a very simple setup.

Additionally, would treat all of your fish , then leave your display tank fallow for 45-76 days depending on the protocol you decide to use