What is this? - not ich I think

[FlyPenFly]

Hopefully not ich, the spots don't seem normal.

Should I dose with copper? I have a fire shrimp and 2 hermit crabs but I can move them to another tank. There are also 2 snowflakes in there.

So the situation is that all 3 fish are new pickups from the same LFS. I didn't quarantine because they shared a tank at the store and no other fish are there. They are about 2-3 days in this new tank. I do plan on breaking this tank down though for a while after another tank I'm still plumbing gets setup.

They didn't really eat the first 24 hours but are eating some thawed Hikari bloodworms. I suppose I could just wait it out?

 

[MrTuskfish]

Looks like ich to me, especially on the pectoral & caudal fin. If it is: All of your fish need to be treated in a HT/QT and your DT left fishless for 10+ weeks. You cannot "wait out" ich. It may disappear for a while; but it will come back X100. I'd read the ich stickies above and decide on a treat method. I think tank transfer is easiest and very effective if you have the equipment. There is no good reason to avoid a QT with ALL new fish, ALWAYS.I'm not perfect with pics; but if skin is peeling or there seems to be an opaque coat on the fish; it could also be velvet or brooklynella. Its either my vision, a pic out of focus, or the fish has some peeling skin.

 

[FlyPenFly]

Hmm according to a couple guys on 3reef, this doesn't look like ich to them?

 

[MrTuskfish]

Hmm according to a couple guys on 3reef, this doesn't look like ich to them?

If you have the answer you want, why post it here?

 

[FlyPenFly]

What's with the angst? I'm just reporting back what other people have said. I'm asking because I don't know.

 

[BossHoggin]

Looks like ich to me as well...

 

[Mrscribbled]

This is typical clown gobie ich. Why I say this is because people get confused and think ich looks the same on all fish, I have noticed it varies quite a bit from small fish to large fish.

Follow the instructions from Mr tuskfish, and always quarantine no matter were from, and quarantine anything wet.

 

[FlyPenFly]

Yeah there are no other livestock that was in the tank besides the inverts and ones that were sharing the tank at the LFS.

So, at this point, should I just be moving the inverts and dosing this tank with the proper level of copper?

I plan on breaking this tank down and cleaning it out anyway.

 

[MrTuskfish]

If you only have one fish, I'd use the tank transfer method. Its easy, safe, and foolproof. There is a sticky at the top of the disease forum. Your main tank will need to stay fishless, inverts are OK, for 10+ weeks to eliminate the various stages of ich that are still in your tank. I'd also read some of the info on ich; knowing parasites is vital info and will make sense out of treatment options.

 

[FlyPenFly]

Okay, I'll read up, there are 3 fish in there but they shared a tank at the LFS and they're the 3 fish that are in the tank right now.

2 Snowflake clowns and this Goby.

Attached a closer photo.

 

[FlyPenFly]

Is there any chance this is lymphocystis?

Looking at him again, does Marine Ick really poke out like that?

 

[Ostara]

Is there any chance this is lymphocystis?

Looking at him again, does Marine Ick really poke out like that?

No, it does not appear to be lymphocystis. But yes, crypt/marine ich does stick out like that on clown gobies. Like Mrscribbled mentioned, ich looks a bit different on clown gobies than it does on other fish. They seem to get odd lumps or nodules accompanying it that other fish don't develop. That is definitely crypt from what I can see, and I would start treating it immediately. Cupramine or tank transfer and 10 weeks fallow, followed by a strict quarantine of new additions to prevent future outbreaks or exposures. Good luck with him.

 

[FlyPenFly]

Okay thanks, I think I'm just going to leave this tank fishless after I move all the livestock out and use it as a mantis tank (acrylic).

If I were to use CopperSafe in a quarantine tank, how long do I need to leave the fish in that tank?

 

[MrTuskfish]

Okay thanks, I think I'm just going to leave this tank fishless after I move all the livestock out and use it as a mantis tank (acrylic).

If I were to use CopperSafe in a quarantine tank, how long do I need to leave the fish in that tank?

I'm not sure that the bump near the eye is ich (too smooth to be lympho, IMO); but it could be---I just can't tell. Ich is very visible on the tail and pec fin , especially on the 1st pic. Individual Ich spots will disappear after 3 days or so and the presence of spots is not a real indicator of an ich infestation. The ich drops off and forms a cyst, which will release its next ich generation. I would read a couple of the ich stickies at the top of the disease menu. Reading the first few posts will do. Ich is hard to battle if you don't know the life-cycle.

I use Cupramine copper, but I think options are the same. Unless fish are in real distress, take about 5 days to get Cu up to the recommended level and keep fish at this level for at least 4 weeks. This may differ from the instructions on the bottle. The DT must remain fishless for 12 weeks, this number is constantly going up as all ich don't follow the rules. Inverts are safe in the DT for this period. While in the QT/HT; its a good time to dose Prazi-Pro, an excellent and very safe wormer. I use PP on all of my fish. When you're back to normal, use a QT with all new fish and avoid this PITA (or worse) again.

BTW, "angst" wasn't really the proper noun to use in your post #5 above. "Angst" suggests a rather severe state of anxiety, fear, or anguish; my response was just a slight annoyance. Good luck with the fish!

 

[FlyPenFly]

You're certainly right that angst was a poor word to use.

Thanks, it appears I'll also need a copper test kit, the Seachem one to test copper levels accurately.

I will definitely keep a QT running in my cupboard or somewhere innocuous.

 

[FlyPenFly]

So in the hospital tank, the original white dots have gone but this growth on the head has gotten much larger...*
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It is eating well and comes out a lot.
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