Ich only in the morning and only on 1 fish?

[JakeK]

There is the possibility I have ich in my tank, but I'm not sure. I read the stickies but this particular situation has me feeling perplexed.

Tank: 93 gallon, 78-79*F, no detectable ammonia, no detectable nitrites and nitrates around 2ppm, PH of 8.1. Salinity at 1.026.
Fish: 2 wrasses, 2 anthias, 1 flame angel. All fish were quarantined for between 4 and 6 weeks and all were added within the past 2 weeks although not all at the same time.

Ok, so 4 days ago I noticed white specks on my flame angel when I turned on the lights and it came out of the rocks. None of the other fish exhibited any white specks. About 2 hours later almost all the white specks were gone and by the evening, there was only 1 on one of its pectoral fins.

Next day, I turn on the lights, and the flame angel had about 1/4 the amount of white specks as it did the day before. Same thing happened. White specks disappeared several hours later and no other fish had white specks.

Yesterday the flame angel had no specks on it the entire day. No specks on any of other fish.

Today, turn on the lights and flame has about 10 or so white specks and 3 hours later they were all gone. Again, no other fish showed any white specks.

Do the ich trophonts only show up in the morning? By now wouldn't the other fish show signs?

 

[JakeK]

I'll add that all the fish act normal. The flame spends every day picking at the rocks from lights on to lights off.

I will try to get a picture tomorrow morning and then another later in the day.

 

[ca1ore]

Depending upon the kind of wrasse, they and the anthias are generally less susceptible to ich, so the lack of any spots may not mean much. Are you sure that the spots are not sand grains from the fish sleeping at night? A picture would help.

 

[JakeK]

No white specks or any other oddities on the flame or the other fish this morning.





Perhaps it was microbubbles or the tiniest flecks of sand. I'll keep monitoring the fish.

 

[JakeK]

I think I'm dealing with velvet but need some help from the community.

Today the flame angel is not acting its normal self. Normal behavior is picking at the rocks all day long. From lights on to lights off. Today, it did not pick at the rocks in all the time I watched it, which was for 10-15 minutes at a time at least 5 times today. All it did was swim in the flow of the gyre. I have never seen the flame do this.

Upon closer inspection there is a white film on the surface of the fish. Now, I did have an occurrence where my red head wrasse chased a goby into the same causing a huge sand storm in the tank, so the film of white could be very fine sand particles attached to the slime coat but the unusual swimming behavior and lack of appetite make me think it is more than that.

Compare to the pictures above.


Ich? Marine Velvet?

 

[ThRoewer]

I would catch that fish ASAP and give it a formalin dip. If you don't have formalin at hand do a freshwater dip instead.
After that put it into a HT with lowered salinity (~1.016) and dose it with Chloroquine Phosphate (it should also help against ich). Do not use any bacterial starter products!!!! Instead feed lightly (or not at all) for a few days and do water changes as needed (redose the appropriate amount of CP for the replaced water)
If it is velvet and the fish's gills are not irreparably damaged it should clear up within a few days. If the fish is not getting better within 2 to 3 days you may be dealing with Brooklynella. The only reliable treatment against that are formalin baths in combination with tank transfers.

 

[JakeK]

Thank you for the advice ThRoewer.

Tried for about two hours this evening to catch him/her. No luck. I'll have to try again tomorrow evening.