Newbie mistake!!

Well, I thought I could beat the odds and not use a quarantine tank:-/ I added a 6 line wrasse from a lfs that I had never used before (this was the only one around town that had one).
Everything was going well for about a week until I noticed some white bumps on both of its sides. I didn't see it laboring to breath or scratching, so I thought it might be just from it swimming between rocks (newbie, remember?) Once I started to see it starting to scratch, I knew it must be something not good, but I didn't think it was ich since I didn't see any small white dots.
Yesterday picked up a 10 gallon to try to save my fish. What a bit** trying to get the fish out of my live rock, so I went to bed and stewed on it. Is it normal to have nightmares about your tank?? I ended up getting out of class early today and decided to take apart my live rock to get my fish out. I fresh water dipped my 6 line and saw the clear scales fall off. I am thinking it was flukes. All of my fish are now in the hospital tank which will also be my new quarantine tank.
The only death so far might be a mushroom that was attached to the largest rock which I took out for about 10 minutes.
Never again will I add anything without a quarantine.

 

This is a bit vague. White bumps can mean any number of things, but I would think either ich or velvet. Flukes are rarer. A mushroom coral is not going to be impacted by any sort of fish disease. Any more info?

 

I am not thinking that the mushroom caught a disease, it is just looking a little strange after staying out of the water for a length of time (around 10-15 min).

The scales that fell off in the freshwater dip looked like small sesame seeds that were opaque. It did not look anything like the small dots that ich produces, and it did not look like gold dust from velvet.

 

Why would you put all of your fish in the hospital tank? How many fish are in that thing?

 

2 clowns and the 6 line. I wanted them out of the main tank. Won't the clowns need to be treated for a possible outbreak??

 

Hi, I know you meant well, however, many, many aquarists who use QTs still have fish that get an ich breakout. Contrary to the belief of those who use the QT, this will in no way prevent or guarantee, an outbreak of ich. If the fishes immune system is healthy it will ward off ich on its' own. Vitamins and products like Marine-Max (all natural bacteria, vitamins and anti-oxidants) are in my opinion a more natural and scientific way of giving our little critters the best chance of survival and prevention of disease.

 

Thanks for that unclejed. I will swing by the lfs to pick some up. Any thought on all of the garlic that I am reading about??

 

i'm not in any way dissing anyone who uses a quarantine tank but i will say that i have never used one in my life. If your tank is healthy and your parms are straight, most fishes immune systems will fight against most diseases

 

Have I just opened the proverbial "can of worms" on people for and against quarantine??

 

No, a quarantine or hospital tank won't ever hurt. I have came close to needing one due to a fish that got injured, but myself have never used one either.
But in your case I dont know if it would have made much difference. Ich is present in all systems, all the time. It will lay dormant until it finds its host. It is only if that host is weakened or distressed by other means does it do any damage. Think of it as like the fish version of influenza