Best relief for bad ich case in early TTM

[Spar]

I picked up a purple tang yesterday. Today it has some serious white spots popping up all over it. So at least its a good thing that the parasites are jumping off so quickly, but the fish is acting a little loopy. Hard to tell if it is eating, but it is fat at least.

I can't recall ever seeing in a post about ich on what is the best initial relief option for a fish with ich? e.g. just something to help with the itching until the remainder of them jump off.

I will try to post a picture... as this looks very similar to a powder blue tang that i lost recently due to velvet. not quite the rashy look at least.

edit -- forgot to add (albeit it is in the title), I am doing TTM for the fish. I plan to do every 2 days for the first few water changes.

 

[Deinonych]

Not sure if anything can be done since the trophonts bury themselves under the epithelium. Would be curious if anyone has suggestions.

 

[snorvich]

Not sure if anything can be done since the trophonts bury themselves under the epithelium. Would be curious if anyone has suggestions.

Correct. Unfortunately there is no relief other than life cycle progression. The fish must have come from a source that was uncontrolled cryptocaryon for a considerable time period.

 

[Spar]

Thanks both. Figured the answer.

Here is a picture. Surprised I got such a solid picture! Looks a lot more like ich in the photo than it does in person. Y'all agree on diagnosis?

Steve, yes, I know the source has systemic ich. I use this person for all my fish, but this is only the second time I have had an issue. Typically it is on new arrivals.

 

[snorvich]

Not as bad as I have seen. A very nice fish! You probably want to treat for flukes post TTM

 

[Spar]

Looks really bad this morning. I did a tank transfer, so at least has fresh water. Doubt he will make it.

I noticed his anus is protruding, and he looks a little fatter today... some type of bloating?

Any idea?

 

[Spar]

so coming back to 'temporary relief', is there really nothing therapeutic to help with the exit wound healing? any idea if the exit wounds themselves hurt/irritate the fish, or is the impacting part already done at that point?

 

[snorvich]

so coming back to 'temporary relief', is there really nothing therapeutic to help with the exit wound healing? any idea if the exit wounds themselves hurt/irritate the fish, or is the impacting part already done at that point?

The impacting part, IMO, is primarily the effect on the labored respiration through the gills. But that is only my opinion.

 

[Spar]

Steve, did you happen to know the answer to this question from above:

I noticed his anus is protruding, and he looks a little fatter today... some type of bloating?

 

[snorvich]

Steve, did you happen to know the answer to this question from above:

Know? No. Could be constipation, however. Is the fish eating?

 

[Spar]

Know? No. Could be constipation, however. Is the fish eating?

he did eat the first day i had him. the 2nd day he was already too irritated to eat. i did have Nori in the tank, but didn't see any fish actively eating it, although some was gone so possible he ate some.

he is still swimming around (per my webcam view), so maybe he is pushing through. just need the parasites to finish jumping off!

 

[snorvich]

he did eat the first day i had him. the 2nd day he was already too irritated to eat. i did have Nori in the tank, but didn't see any fish actively eating it, although some was gone so possible he ate some.

he is still swimming around (per my webcam view), so maybe he is pushing through. just need the parasites to finish jumping off!

What temperature is the water you are keeping him in? Lower temperature around 77-78 would be preferable.

 

[Spar]

stays around 80. unfortunately that is the ambient temperature in my fish room. have to run a chiller on my DT.

 

[Spar]

i'm also curious. the vendor had these fish for quite a while. the YT's for 3 months, and the PT for a month. in his tank they never exhibited the white spots. within 24 hours of being in my QT, they are all covered in white spots. obviously these are adults jumping off the fish, meaning they would have already been on the fish while in his tank, and more than likely for a long while (multiple life cycles).

so question -- if ich had been burrowing under the fish skin the entire time (presumably), why would the white spots not have appeared as they emerged in his tank, yet they do in mine? are the white spots just more visible when stress is higher? ... e.g. something to do with the slime coat?

surely this isn't just coincidence anyway...

 

[snorvich]

i'm also curious. the vendor had these fish for quite a while. the YT's for 3 months, and the PT for a month. in his tank they never exhibited the white spots. within 24 hours of being in my QT, they are all covered in white spots. obviously these are adults jumping off the fish, meaning they would have already been on the fish while in his tank, and more than likely for a long while (multiple life cycles).

so question -- if ich had been burrowing under the fish skin the entire time (presumably), why would the white spots not have appeared as they emerged in his tank, yet they do in mine? are the white spots just more visible when stress is higher? ... e.g. something to do with the slime coat?

surely this isn't just coincidence anyway...

Does the vendor run a non-therpeutic (low level) dose of copper?

 

[Spar]

yes he does. not sure how low, but lower than .35ppm for sure. guess that explains it, right?

 

[Spar]

Update: he is looking better spot-wise, and is swimming and eating (nori, not mysis though). i will be doing the next tank transfer tomorrow morning.

his body looks a little worn, so I will keep an eye out for bacterial infection. luckily he does not appear to be scraping on anything (not that there is anything to scrape on anyway).

Steve -- i talked to the vendor and he was wondering what the low copper level does to conceal the ich life cycle. i only had facts around what it does with velvet and brook. how exactly did the copper keep the white spots from appearing in his environment? or are there other factors at play?

 

[snorvich]

Update: he is looking better spot-wise, and is swimming and eating (nori, not mysis though). i will be doing the next tank transfer tomorrow morning.

his body looks a little worn, so I will keep an eye out for bacterial infection. luckily he does not appear to be scraping on anything (not that there is anything to scrape on anyway).

Steve -- i talked to the vendor and he was wondering what the low copper level does to conceal the ich life cycle. i only had facts around what it does with velvet and brook. how exactly did the copper keep the white spots from appearing in his environment? or are there other factors at play?

Actually, we do not know why copper masks certain parasite exhibition. We do know that it does not keep them from being carried on a fish. So, I was correct, the vendor does run low level copper.

 

[snorvich]

But congrats on the improvement. Remember ich is not synchronous, it is not all at the same exact stage of the life cycle.

 

[Spar]

But congrats on the improvement. Remember ich is not synchronous, it is not all at the same exact stage of the life cycle.

right. i'm just hoping that the vast majority of the trophonts have already jumped off; thousands of white spots covering him, so not even sure where else they could be on him! but at least no new ones are getting on him. poor little dude. the other fish don't have near the same coverage, but were in a separate tank at the vendor.