Clown Fish Help !

I think he has the ich. What do I do? There are 2 PJ Cardinal fish in the tank as well. I am new to salt water and have had this tank for a little over 2 months. I do not have a test kit yet . I am getting one real soon.
I take my water to get tested at the Fish tank store.
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Hey, don't panic, one thread is enough. I posted on the one with pictures some options for you.

 

Thanks.

Thanks for your help. I am thinking of just taking them back where i got them and they will give me a credit and just going fishless for awhile. How long does it take the parasite to run its course. I read something that said it would take up to 8 weeks for it to be gone. Or should I try one of the options that you said.

 

I doubt they will take a fish back that has visible signs of ich on it. I've heard six weeks fishless is usually a safe bet. If it's not very active, I would try the food soaked in garlic as moving it out of the tank will cause even more stress and could be the final straw.

 

Food soaked in garlic.

They actually took back a royal gramma last week and gave me a $15 credit and he was almost dead. I think that was the one that infected the tank. So this might be a silly question but what is the process of soaking the food in garlic and what kind of food. I feed them mysis shrimp rigtht now. I think one of the PJ cardinal fish is infected also.

 

By soaking the food in garlic, will that get rid of the parasite ?

 

I usually buy the organic minced garlic at the grocery store, you know the one that comes in the little jar with all of the juice, it's a lot cheaper than buying the aquarium stuff and works just the same. Then you get a little cup of tank water and thaw out your frozen food in it with a few drops of the garlic juice. I usually let mine soak for about 15 min before feeding.

 

and that will get rid of the parasite? I am going to try that. How long should i do that ?

 

No, that won't get rid of the parasite. The garlic is like cat nip for fish, they go crazy at the smell of it. It keeps them eating and is good for their immune system. I kind of equate it to a person taking vitamin C supplement for a cold. The only way to truely get rid of the parasite is to go fishless. Naturally, a fishes immune system is strong enough to fight off the parasite but any kind of stress can compromise that, hence the onset of ich.

 

If by how long you mean how many feedings, I would do it until the spots disappear and then some random feedings after that. I usually do garlic about once every week or two.