Might Have Ich

[Mike S]

In the past I've been pretty diligent about doing a 3 to 4 week quarantine but with my latest additions I cheated and it may have come back to bite me. Figures that it was pretty much the last fish that I had planned on putting in my tank. I was two weeks into the quarantine of a pair of 8 line flashers and had the heater go on my qt tank the other night. They had been eating very well and looking good so I made the decision to put them in my display. Tonight a right before lights out I notice some dreaded white spots on them. They are breathing ok, eating well and active and they aren't scratching but I'm worried its ich. None of my other fish are showing any symptoms although I did have a line spot flasher suddenly go into hiding two weeks ago. I'll get a better look when the lights come back on.

Assuming the worst my plan would be to try to get the 8 lines out and back into my qt tank right away and then plan to get the rest out and let my reef sit fallow for 8 to 10 weeks. I'm wondering how much space I will need for my fish coming from my 120. In my tank I have 1 small ocellaris clown, 1 small blue chromis, 1 firefish, 3 dispar anthias, 1 midas blenny, 1 blue spotted jawfish, 1 medium potters angelfish, 1 medium bp leopard wrasse, 1 small carpenters wrasse, 1 medium lineatus wrasse, 1 rhomboid wrasse and the 2 8 line flashers. I currently have my 20 qt and and extra 29 gallon tank available but I'm thinking that it won't be enough space. I'm thinking about getting a 40 or a 55 using and it with the 29 to house the fish? Would that be enough space? I'll need to pickup another hob filter for the second tank.

I'm going to research treatment options but with the wrasses and jawfish I don't think I can do copper and will have to do hypo. I'll also need some sand in one of the tanks to keep the leopard and jawfish happy.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Mike S]

Ok my lights are on and am able to get a better look. I'm not sure if this is a false alarm. I'm not seeing any spots on the one 8 line and the other have maybe a half dozen white specs on this. I want to be sure before I do something a drastic as pulling all my fish out. Is there anything else that this might be. The one with the white specs is acting fine. No signs of any scratching.

 

[ultracorals]

ich does cycle. if it is, your 8 line could be in the phase where the ich has left the fish and is now free floating or getting into your sand bed. if it is it will come back to him probably worse. If you didn't see anything in the two weeks of qt hopefully it is not. maybe just stress from the new tank and or tank mates. if it is you have already introduced it to your tank. keep an eye on everything for more signs of it. keep your livestock well fed and happy with a varied diet. garlic extract in the food will help with their resistance. if the other fish show signs then remove them back to qt. keep them there for at least 6 weeks. ich has around a month cycle. with no hosts it should die off after that.

 

[Mike S]

Thanks for the response. The 8 line still seems to be doing well and eating like a pig. I only seem to be able to notice the spots when my lights are low and there are definitely less of them. I've decided to just keep an eye on them rather than stressing everything out by tearing apart my display when I'm not sure. In the meantime I'll get a 40 gallon breeder and get that cycled along with my 29 gallon tank just in case.

 

[Hawkeye]

stupid question but what color grain sand do you have....you're sure it's not sand stuck to the mucus?

 

[Mike S]

That thought occurred to me also. I have white sand. During the first night the fish was in an acclimation box but got out. In found him sleeping wedge up between the sand and rocks. Is it unusual for a fish with ich to seem otherwise fine other than having the spots?