Purple Firefish got ich

[carlos_fb]

Here I am with a new sick fish AGAIN!

I probably hold the record in the forum, 5 out 5 fishes, all got sick.

Anyway, last time I tried Hypo but it didn't work with my poor Gramma. Should I try Copper this time?

 

[Jan]

I dunno...I almost killed a clownfish with a copper treatment. I'll only do it as a last resort now.

You sure have had bad luck with new fishes! Have you got them all from the same lfs?

 

[Reefergeorge]

What happened with your hypo? (I am about to do this with a new fish with ich.)
How long and at what sg were you at?

 

[leebca]

Sorry to hear of this. I'm not too surprised. MANY fishes are coming through the system this summer with ailments.

If you're sure of the diagnosis, hyposalinity is the best treatment for the fish.

If you choose to use a copper treatment, I'd strongly recommend using Cupramine and using a Salifert Copper Test Kit to verify the copper is being kept in range.

I think someone has given you this reference before, but just in case. . .Copper Medications - Good, Bad, and Ugly.

 

[carlos_fb]

My first pair of Perculas got Brook, those I got from a local reseller, fortunately I was able to save them with Formalin baths.

Later I got a Sunburst Anthias and a Royal Gramma from a LFS, both got ich, Sunburst died in a couple of days and I had to put down the Gramma last week since it never recoved from the ich with the Hyposalinity treatment.

Yesterday I got the Purple Firefish from liveaquaria.com and I just noticed some white spots in its fins. I guess I will give Hyposalinity another shot...

 

[Snowboarda42]

Are you using one of these? :

Or one of these? :

Make sure its calibrated (use distilled H2O)

 

[carlos_fb]

Are you using one of these?
Or one of these?

Make sure its calibrated (use distilled H2O)

I have been using a Refractometer ever since I started my tank 7 months ago and I often check it to make sure it is properly calibrated.

I am a new in the hobby but believe me, I have been doing my homework for over a year now so I have a pretty good idea of what I am doing.

Check out my showcase thread when you get a chance.

 

[Scooterman]

Are you using one of these? :

Make sure its calibrated (use distilled H2O)

No not that distilled or pure RO/Di isn't good but to correctly calibrate it Use this!

53.0 mS STANDARDIZED FLUID FOR CALIBRATING YOUR REFRACTOMETER TO 35 ppt OR 1.0264 SALINITY

http://www.thefilterguys.biz/refractometers.htm

 

[carlos_fb]

Firefish seems to be doing better. Looks more active and Today it finally ate some Cyclops. Hopefully it will fully recover.

 

[leebca]

That's very encouraging. Keep up the diligent effort. Please keep us informed.

 

[brady816]

wow seems like your having alot of problems with ich and the other nasty stuff. Is there any other lfs around??? Are you getting the fish from the same place???

 

[carlos_fb]

wow seems like your having alot of problems with ich and the other nasty stuff. Is there any other lfs around??? Are you getting the fish from the same place???

Check out post #5 on this thread.

 

[carlos_fb]

Please check out the following video and let me know if you think this is normal behavior for a Purple Firefish? (sorry the video is not that great)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0E1b0148-74

 

[krisfal]

Please check out the following video and let me know if you think this is normal behavior for a Purple Firefish? (sorry the video is not that great)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0E1b0148-74

It looks to me like it is reacting to its reflection in the bottom of the tank. Maybe it thinks it is another fire fish?

 

[carlos_fb]

It's been doing that for days. Could it be a reaction on the gravity change because of the hyposalinity treatment?

 

[leebca]

Unfortunately, Marine Ich often isn't the only problem for an infected fish. Marine Ich allows bacterial infections to get a foothold, too. That is to say, this fish could be having some bladder/buoyancy problems and/or problems with the hyposalinity.

Where is the fish currently at, in the treatment? Do you see any spots on the fish? Do you see any indistinct, or slight fuzzy spots on the fish? Is the fish flashing?

Despite the behavior in the movie, is the fish eating? What is it eating? How often is it fed?

 

[carlos_fb]

Ouch!

Tomorrow it will be 7 days into the treatment. I only see 1 white spot left in its body, other than that it looks fine to me.

Yesterday I offered him different foods but he wasn't interested so I went back to Cyclops and he ate a lot of that. So far I have been feeding it once a day, should I do it twice or more?

Forgive my ignorance but I don't know what "flashing" means...

 

[leebca]

Sorry for not being clearer. Flashing is when the fish seems to 'scratch an itch' by rubbing (usually its gills) up against something.

I would increase the feeding frequency to 3 times a day, if you can, and add vitamins (not fats) to the Cyclopeze.

Considering the answers, the fish is still infected. Altering the sp. gravity to see if its behavior changes is not recommended. As long as the fish is still eating, let its current behavior go on.

I'm assuming your specific gravity is 1.008 to 1.010 during this treatment. If the fish misses two or more of its regular feedings, raise the sp. gravity up by 0.002 sp. gravity units per day until you get to 1.016. When you raise it each time, raise it slowly over a few hours. If the behavior of the fish changes and it begins to eat again, stop increasing the specific gravity and slowly lower the specific gravity to the previous level before the eating began.

 

[carlos_fb]

Lee, thanks for the clarification. I have not noticed the fish scratching or rubbing agains anything so far.

What kind of vitamins can I add to the Cyclops?

Thanks a lot for your help!

 

[leebca]

You want a marine fish vitamin. You also want a vitamin supplement that is made from seafood sources.

This is a list of some:
GVH by H2O Life (one kind for foods, one kind for algae)
Selco
Vita-Chem
Zoe
Only buy small, fresh containers of these so you will use them up in less than 2-3 months. Alternate their use. Use one product for a couple of months, then switch to another. Keep it in the refrigerator.

DON'T buy any product with "-con" at the end of its name. These are primarily used as fat supplements.