treating ich w/freshwater dip.

[mnewsome]

I thought my powder brown tang had developed Ich because these tiny white dots appeared on one side of his body. He never lost his appetite and I never noticed him scratching against anything. So, I assumed it was Ich and removed him from the tank. I freshwater dipped him for 8 minutes and it took less than a day for the white specks to "fall off." I have noticed though that his fins are disfigured now. It looks like his top and bottom fins have been halfway "melted" off or something. Does anyone have any ideas about his fin problem or treating ich?

 

[leebca]

The most important first step is a proper diagnosis. Then, the proper treatment.

A freshwater dip is not a cure or treatment for Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans). The FW dip would not affect the spots already on the fish, because the fish skin/mucous membrane protects the Marine Ich parasites from coming into contact with the freshwater.

To better understand what it is you're seeing, I'm afraid we'll need a photo.

A freshwater dip can be very stressful to a fish, IF the water is not properly adjusted in pH and temperature.

 

[mnewsome]

I read a lot on the dip and adjusted temp and PH accordingly. I don't know what to say about the white specks being gone. Before I dipped him they were there, then the next day they weren't, so I know they've disappeared. Well, I have no photo but did want advice on using Flagel in food to help treat mild Ich. What else could the white spots of been?

 

[leebca]

They could have still been Marine Ich. Only what you saw was them moving on to their next stage, not dying. Having spots go away are often misinterpreted as having 'killed' the parasites, when what has really happened is just that they have moved on to their next stage in their life cycle.

If the spots were Marine Velvet, they would have come off immediately and you'd see them settled to the bottom of the freshwater container.