What's wrong with my 6 line wrasse?

SteveVai9708

New member
I bought a six line wrasse 2 days ago and he has something weird. I think it's velvet, but I don't know because he's acting normal and he doesn't have a gold color from what I read online. It looks like he has a slightly pale spot on him that is hard to see through a picture... Only can be seen if it's out in the light and the wrasse is pretty fast. He has two torn spots on his fin and the edge of them is white, but not like a palish spot. Are these spots just discoloration from adjusting? I think he has a little bit of ich to, but I got a fish with ich before and used a reef safe medication and it worked. Does my wrasse have something bacterial, or fungal? I hope my whole tank doesn't get wiped out... I should've QT in my old 5 gal, but it it is not cycled and I don't have a lid to prevent it from carpet surfing >_<.
 
There is really no excuse to put an unquarantined fish into the DT

Cycling QTs is vastly overrated. Just use water and maybe a rock or some gravel from the DT and feed lightly in the first few days. Bacteria reproduce quickly and it will only take a few days for them to reach the required numbers. In a small QT you can also do small water changes every other day for the first 2 weeks.
As for the cover - if nothing else is at hand a clear container lid will do. Otherwise get a piece of glass or acrylic sheet or a window screen from a local hardware store - just get creative.
In a pinch even garbage bags or cellophane foil may work as long as you ensure enough gas exchange (airstone, skimmer).

Reef safe ich medications never-ever work - no exceptions. They are snake-oil. If the fish get over it, they would have gotten there with or without the snake-oil. It's called acquired immunity and is more common than most people realize.
Some things like vitamin C or beta glucan may have a booster effect on the fish's immune system and be beneficial for that reason, but they also don't target the parasite itself.

As for the fish - hard to say without a picture.
Sixlines are pretty resistant against ich - they usually just slime it off. Velvet usually starts in the gills and by the time it becomes visible on the fish's skin you should see clear behavioral symptoms (rapid breathing, apathy, loss of appetite).
If the spots are on the edges of the fins it could be bacterial or maybe a beginning Lymphocystis infection.
A beginning Brooklynella infection would be another, more serious possibility.
 
Wow that's scary. I'll fill up the 5 gallon with water from the DT... I thought clowns only get brokynella, but I'm wrong about that and I heard brokynella is very deadly and contagious. I'll take a picture when I the sixline is out tomorrow (he's sleeping) and hopefully he won't be too quick. Thank you for your reply, very useful information. Now how would I catch him, the LFS spent like 20 minutes catching him. I'm a poor high school kid, so I can't really afford traps at the moment, all I have is $10 and sold most of my games.
 
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