Mandarin with ICH in QT

[Kebabian]

Have a Green Mandarin and noticed it had ich. (about 10-15 white spots and bumps under the skin). Perfectly happy fish at the time. Immediately removed him and put him into quarantine and started reducing salinity. Reduced it to 1.009 over 48 hours. Now he is just sitting at the bottom of the QT tank and barely moves. He's been like this for the last 48 hours. He is breathing, but the fins that normally move 24x7 don't move unless he is disturbed. He also has faded patch on the top of his head and slightly down his back. Almost like the white when sleeping, but it seems to be permanently there.

Any advice?

 

[ca1ore]

You sure it is ich? I've kept mandarins many times, and seen lots of others, and I don't think I have ever seen one with ich. I'm sure they can get it, but usually it's just sand grains stuck to the fish.

 

[mkoop]

Are you positive it's ich? Most mandarins have some natural white spotting... Sounds odd as mandarins usually have such a think slime coat that it's not normal practice to QT new intros. Otherwise I'd imagine he is very stressed from the tank transfer and salinity drop. Can you get a picture?

 

[Kebabian]

I'm 90% sure. Tiny white spots on the fins and body and they didn't shake off when swimming.....

 

[thompson2224]

Honestly, I hate to the bearer of bad news but if it is a disease its probably velvet. I lost 2 clowns and a mandarin to it about a week ago. I bought the mandarin and put it in the tank, the next morning I saw it had white spots and my clowns were covered much more than what ich would be. 2 days later they died. I never had a chance to QT them because I was still trying to figure out what exactly they had, I thought it was ich at first but theres no way ich would've taken out 2 clowns and a mandarin like that

 

[Kebabian]

Still alive in the QT under hyposalinity. I'll take a picture and post shortly once I know that the coloring isn't sleep induced whiteness.

 

[thompson2224]

On the fifth day of my mandarin showing symptoms it was really white and the slim coat was falling off. Hopefully the hypo helps, do you have other fish with symptoms?

 

[Kebabian]

No other fish with issues yet. Fingers crossed.

 

[Kebabian]

Had to scoop him out to get a picture..... Color is better, but still not moving around. Breathing though and the white patch on the side is concerning too. Almost like something bit him.

 

[AlexRSM130]

It looks like he is hurt somehow.
Is he wild caught?
In some cases while hand collect mandarins,they spear the mandarins tail to catch it.Probably he hasn't healed himself yet.

http://youtu.be/MtMs_6Z_jTE?t=5m19s

If its not this I agree with Mkoop.

 

[snorvich]

It could also be cyanide captured. Pictures are not definitive.

 

[Kebabian]

He didn't have that white mark/patch/spot when I got him..... I have a fairly large hermit crab that I suspect has been eating other snails and such. Wonder if that got hold of him while he was sleeping one night????? No idea if that is even feasible. He does still have a good slime coat.

Should I start raising the salinity and put him back in the DT? It really looked like ICH and I see what looks like little spots of ICH that dropped off in the QT.

I'm at a bit of a loss at the moment.

 

[snorvich]

First, large hermit crabs are opportunistic feeders and it may have injured him. Second ich does not "drop off and be visible". Ich is under the skin.

 

[Kebabian]

I thought I had read that under hyposalinity, ich would "fall" off and the parasite would be visible as a little white speck. Maybe that was BS.

Any suggestions on how to proceed with this?

 

[AlexRSM130]

Is he eating man?
The most difficult IMO part with this fish is the nutrition.

With the hermit and ich +1 to Snorvich.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

How long have you had him?

 

[Kebabian]

Had him two weeks. He was eating live copepods and the occasional mysis. Not eating right now.