Wife messed up!!

[Superman]

About 4 days ago I came home to find that my wife had taken some live rock out of my 75 gallon tank, and put it in her 58 gallon tank that is being cycled. I had told her that the live rock would be for her, but she though that there was enough live rock left in the tank. The 75 gallon has my 2 clown fish, 1 cowfish, 1 chromis, 1 renegade damsel, and my snowflake eel. about 2 days after she took the live rock out, I noticed I noticed that the tank was going through a small cycle, and all the water parameters were back to normal the next day. Today I saw a couple of white ich spots on the cowfish, what would you do? Should I just sit tight and see if he is going to be fine? I am about 75% sure that the small cycle that the tank went through is the cause, but there is always that small possibility that he may be stressed out from another cause that I haven't noticed. What would you guys do, I have never had to actually deal with ich first hand, and I know that sometimes quick action is the only thing that can save the fish. I need help!

[Alice]

I don't know much about how to treat cowfish, other that they and other scale-less fishes do not fare well with copper treatments.

I hope someone else will chime in who has more experience.

Alice

[Mkelly]

My guess, probably a result of raised nitrates. Up'd nitrates = Dirty water, natural result of cycling.

Cure
Change some water, and if you can turn up the heat a tad. Do not exceed 80 degrees F. And if you can raise the heat do it Sloooooooowwwwwwwwwwwww. Degree or 2 a day topps, so you dont cause more stress. Same when you bring it back down to normal.

If you run at 80, change the water and wait. Heat the water before you put it in the tank. Dont drop 70 degree water into an 80 degree tank. I'm sorry but I hadda say it

Ick is also caused by stress, fish coulda got a lil freaked out by all the commotion of rocks getting pulled out. Only thing ya can do for that is move slowly aroud the tank, no loud noise ect.. and wait.


Clean water never hurts and then you wait. If the fish has been healthy all along I wouldnt run to medicate.

[newreefers]

If you have a QT put him in there and start hypo. The only cure I know for ich.

[jesspaul]

I would guess there were sponges on the rock you moved and the air killed them. One bad sponge can go along way. In any case doing a water change and checking the skimmer never hurts.

[Superman]

I didn't have any sponges on the live rock, but thanks for the reply.

I will slowly bring the water temp up over the next two days, I just did a water change, but will in another day or so. I am making sure that he is fed the good variety of foods that cowfish like, and making sure that he is fed regularly so that he can fight off this ich. I am in the process of cycling the quarantine tank, so I can't put him in it, I wish I would have set the quarantine tank up sooner, hindsight is 20/20. I will keep you posted on how this all goes. Thanks again guys!

[JennM]

Why would the tank cycle? Unless the fish are very heavily fed, and a huge proportion of the rock removed, the tank should have been able to manage the change.

IMO a few spots is nothing to panic about... I'd watch to see if they go away (I concur with the stress theory...) and if they don't then perhaps other measures are in order, such as quarantine etc., however that adds more stress too.

A couple of spots is no biggie... but hope it clears up fast for you.

Jenn

[Superman]

My wife took out about 60% of the rock, so a small cycle occured. I hope that he pulls through, he is normally a very healthy growing fish.