Help Confirming Ich, need advice on shuffling livestock

[jostafew]

Hey everyone, I've got a Clown that appears to be developing ich (I think it's in it's 2nd cycle now). A couple weeks ago I observed a white spot and a the edge of its gill opening which also looked a little funny. That went away and now it's got a couple spots and a more inflamed gill on the other side of its body. I've done my best to get a photo (see below) which shows the spots and the funny looking edge of the gill. This is the only fish of 3 that are exhibiting any symptoms; Royal Gramma and Azure Damsel look fine.

I need some advice with a couple things; firstly am I dealing with ich? Second, I just added a few coral frags and a sharknose goby (discussed in another thread) to the QT tank about a week ago, so I have to figure out what to do with this livestock as I had planned to use the QT tank to treat the clown.... Do I throw the corals in the DT and hope for the best, or leave the Clown in the DT until the corals clear QT? How worried should I be about getting this clown out right this moment?

Thanks in advance for your help

[globaldesigns]

With corals, I wouldn't quarantine. Personally I have always just bought of reputable vendors that dip them. In future I am also going to buy the chemicals, and dip my corals before putting them in my DT. So, you can do some dips and just put them in the DT, IMO, no need to quarantine corals if you do this.

With the clown, the picture isn't that good, but personally I don't think its ICH. But I could be wrong.

As stated in other threads, I am not a big believer in QT tanks and treating for ICH, etc... I feel that catching a fish, stresses it out, then QT'ing it adds more stress, then you have to catch and move back to the main tank. Again more stress.

I don't treat or quarantine fish. I try to provide the best environment possible in my DT and feel doing so is the best thing for the fish. I have had ICH, and have only ever lost one fish to it. And I have never treated. Again just my opinion.

[marie]

If you're going to treat the clown then you will have to treat all the fish and leave the DT fishless for at least 6 weeks or else the treatment will be pointless.
At this time If I were you, as long as the clown is still eating I would leave it alone. Ich in itself is not necessarily deadly, it's just an opportunistic parasite that target fish with weakened immune systems.

[jostafew]

I was wondering about that also (whether I would have to remove all the fish even though the other two show no symptoms). The clown is eating fine at the moment. I am concerned that while it looks like the problem will clear up that it will simply recurr, and worse, in a couple weeks. It sounds like the thing to do for now is to just keep an eye on it for a little while and see what happens.

Thanks for the advice guys

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by jostafew

I was wondering about that also (whether I would have to remove all the fish even though the other two show no symptoms). The clown is eating fine at the moment. I am concerned that while it looks like the problem will clear up that it will simply recurr, and worse, in a couple weeks. It sounds like the thing to do for now is to just keep an eye on it for a little while and see what happens.

Thanks for the advice guys

I would just feed your fish varied types of food. Get some garlic liquid to add to the food, this can help build their immune system.

[naesco]

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

I would just feed your fish varied types of food. Get some garlic liquid to add to the food, this can help build their immune system.

+1 and maybe add a little selcon from time to time.