HELP : posible white spot ?

[new_world_disor]

just got home from work and one of my clowns and my regal blue tang appear to have what i assume is white-spot. they have a fair few teeny weeny ( pin ***** sized ) white dots on them. just checked all the params and they came up as follows :

PH : 8.4 ( bit high maybe ?? )
Nitrates : 0.0
nitrates : 0.0
amonia : 0.0
water temp is at: 82.1*f ( preety much where it always sits )
lights are on ( have been for 4 hours now )
and all the pumps are running fine
there also seems to be loads of teeny particels floating in the water. even with the surface skimmer and external filter on

im going to do a 40% water change in the morning

i did change the carbon bags in my external filter today. but everything else is fine. the other clown is ok, and the crabs and cleaner shrimp are fine. all of the fish are acting normally. they all ate when i fed just now. and they are swimming fine.
can anyone help ?

took sum pics but really show it that well :(
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l179/new_world_disorder/Picture007-2.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l179/new_world_disorder/Picture006.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l179/new_world_disorder/Picture010.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l179/new_world_disorder/Picture004-2.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l179/new_world_disorder/Picture003-3.jpg
( if u click the pics and view them in full its clearere to see )

[reefergeorge]

There is a lot of info on treating ich on this site, I would get a hospital tank set up asap just in case.

You should kill that aiptasia in the fourth pic.

[new_world_disor]

is the aiptasia bad ? and how do i kill it ?
and i cant set up a hospital tank i cant afford to. :(
is it deffo white spot ?

[reefergeorge]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11130635#post11130635 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by new_world_disor

and i cant set up a hospital tank i cant afford to. :(


A hospital tank doesn't have to be expensive. You can go get a plastic tub from walmart, some pvc fittings to hide in, and a small sponge filter. A 20 long would be better for viewing but isn't necessary.

[new_world_disor]

i could set up my old 20g and stick the powehead out of my nano in there for now . but i litrually have no money for a heater or filter or ne thing like that. is it deffinatley white spot though ? and what do i do once there in a hospital tank ? just leave them till it goes ? wont it stress them moving them again :S

[CompNrdCR]

I would get two cleaner shrimps and then slowly lower the salt to 1.022. The white stuff you see floating around is the ich trying to find a host... Goby/Cleaner Shrimp/lower salt is what I used to fix my ich problem with out using any chemicals.

The aiptasia I would use Joes Juice and or a peppermint shrimp...

Shrimps are a reefs friend =)

[CompNrdCR]

I would not go any lower then 1.020 with shrimp in the tank...

[reefergeorge]

You shouldn't go below 1.023 with shrimp in there and ich is not effected by anything over 1.009. If you think it is ich. Put all the fish in you 20 with the salinity at 1.009 for six weeks and let the main go without fish for the whole time.

I would see if others think it is ich or not before treatment.

[reefergeorge]

This has everything you need to know. http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27155

[new_world_disor]

cheers for all the fast replies guys :) ive done a big waterchange. and im halfway through setting up my 20g tank. had to buy a powerhead nd a filter nd a heater nd some salt. ive also bought another cleaner shrimp.
i laos found some whitespot treatment at my LFS. it says marine safe. ( well marine only ) and invert safe. is it worth a go ?

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[ArgonDreams]

There are only two methods that have been proven to kill Ich (White Spot) Copper and Hypo Salinity. BOTH need to be done in a hospital tank. Set up your 20 gallon now and read those articles. Also don't mix the two techniques, it only adds more stress, either pick hypo or copper.

[new_world_disor]

well the tang is in the hospital tank now. should i put the clows in their too ? both clows are ok ? theres no sign of whitspot on either of them now ?

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[ricks]

If you treat the fish, be sure to keep them out of your display for 4 weeks..

The cysts from itch take 3 weeks to hatch. Your fish will become reinfected, if you return them to soon.

Ozone and UV will help control the outbreaks.

Itch can be caused by unclean water ( overfeeding) and STRESS..

Which brings in the Tang police, a 30 gallon is to small for Tangs...

Happy Reefing.

[new_world_disor]

even if the tang is only 2.5" and going to be upgraded to a 200g by summer ? is it best that i give the tang to my mate with his 275g now ??

[new_world_disor]

oook. well after much debate. im having my tang transfered to my mates 50g quaranteen tank. then hes going to drop it into his 275g. sucks that i cld keep him. ah well :( thanx for the info guys

i think even with him being so small the lack of space stressed him out to much. was nice whist it lasted. just means ill have to get sumthing new in a month or 2

[luke33]

You still have ick present in your tank so it will outbreak agian.

[new_world_disor]

yeh i know . the 2 clowns are in my 20g. and will be for a a month :( boooring .lol. thanx for the help :D

[nemonick84]

If you're running your tank FOWLR then I would've just removed the inverts and placed them in QT or given them to your friend. Then just lower the salinity on your display tank. Would've been less stress on the fish, that's for sure.
But oh well...now you've got a QT tank for all your future additions.
Also, you may want to feed the fish some garlic or soak some of their foods in garlic oil. This will help boost their immune systems and help them fight the battle.
One more thing: the ich parasite will always be present in your system regardless of what you do. The reason fish become susceptible to it is usually due to stress. Poor water quality - high bioload/too many occupants, too small a space for a given species, even salinity/temp swings due to improper water changes/evap can all result in a fish becoming overly-stressed. Keeping your fish healthy, well-fed, and in a balanced environment will allow your fish to successfully fight off any would-be infections. The same applies to us. If we put too much stress on our bodies we become vulnerable to things like colds and flus.
Right now, concentrate on rehabilitating your fish. Garlic - as mentioned above, vitamin-enriched foods or additives, and high water quality will all do wonders right now. Also, I'd avoid using lights over your QT for the first week or two. Just make the fish as comfortable as possible for now.

I fought off an ich outbreak by raising the temp on my display tank a couple of degrees, using Kick-Ich (a reef-safe product), and feeding garlic. I never removed my fish or inverts. However, many have had success going the route that you've chosen.

Good luck,

Nick

[new_world_disor]

thanx for the info again. whilst the tank is fishless im going to moove it as a matter of fact. i think im going to build a stand for it and add a sump. means i will have the space for more kit. protien skimmer etc.

im just glad i have this place :P id be screwed without it !