Black ich?

[calev]

Hello everyone, I have a question mu sailfin has these black spots they lighten and darken here and there through the day, breathing seems fine, eats like a pig daily

Water parameters are in normal limits, phos is slightly high but still not too bad. Sailfin resides solo with a cleaner wrasse and pair of clowns

 

[14 foot reef]

No I do not think so at all. I ran a collecting station in Hawaii for 10 years in the nineties. The black ick we always seen was so so small, I think this is something else.
@Jay Hemdal .....Thoughts Jay ?

 

[Jekyl]

Have any coral that sting?

 

[calev]

Have any coral that sting?

Green octospawn on opposite side of tank in sand bed but sailfin is rarely there I hardly ever see it near the octo

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

No I do not think so at all. I ran a collecting station in Hawaii for 10 years in the nineties. The black ick we always seen was so so small, I think this is something else.
@Jay Hemdal .....Thoughts Jay ?

Looks too large to be black ich to me also. There are at least two types of turbellarian worms that cause “black ich”.

There are some digenean trematodes that cause larger black spots. These have multiple hosts during their life cycle, so they can’t reproduce in aquariums.

Have you seen the tang posturing for the cleaner wrasse?

 

[MnFish1]

Did you treat your fish with medication before adding to tank? I agree black ich is usually 'smaller' - but to me it looks like it - and would likely be treated in the same manner

 

[calev]

Looks too large to be black ich to me also. There are at least two types of turbellarian worms that cause “black ich”.

There are some digenean trematodes that cause larger black spots. These have multiple hosts during their life cycle, so they can’t reproduce in aquariums.

Have you seen the tang posturing for the cleaner

Looks too large to be black ich to me also. There are at least two types of turbellarian worms that cause “black ich”.

There are some digenean trematodes that cause larger black spots. These have multiple hosts during their life cycle, so they can’t reproduce in aquariums.

Have you seen the tang posturing for the cleaner wrasse?

Looks too large to be black ich to me also. There are at least two types of turbellarian worms that cause “black ich”.

There are some digenean trematodes that cause larger black spots. These have multiple hosts during their life cycle, so they can’t reproduce in aquariums.

Have you seen the tang posturing for the cleaner wrasse?

Right now it's in a cycle of some sort. It will start with black spots for a week or so then white ich. White ich for 3-5 days then clear for a weekish then back to black and cycle again. I do recall posturing during the white ich phase but I can't recall if it happened during the black spot. Through all phases swims well, eats heavily and grazes most of the day.

I was able to catch a picture of my peppermint shrimp today that had similar spots.

 

[calev]

Did you treat your fish with medication before adding to tank? I agree black ich is usually 'smaller' - but to me it looks like it - and would likely be treated in the same manner

Tang was treated with copper, has been in the tank for 2 years. My 4 year old dropped a few MLs worth of water from the lfs about 6 months ago but this started about 1-2 months ago.

Im worried about certain livestock such as my lettuce nudis and bta

 

[vetteguy53081]

Right now it's in a cycle of some sort. It will start with black spots for a week or so then white ich. White ich for 3-5 days then clear for a weekish then back to black and cycle again. I do recall posturing during the white ich phase but I can't recall if it happened during the black spot. Through all phases swims well, eats heavily and grazes most of the day.

I was able to catch a picture of my peppermint shrimp today that had similar spots.

Shrimp often get this right before a molt and will be gone after molt. The tang appears to have puncture wounds from and urchin or sting from either anemone or euphyllia coral

 

[calev]

Shrimp often get this right before a molt and will be gone after molt. The tang appears to have puncture wounds from and urchin or sting from either anemone or euphyllia coral

The large spot on the tail fin near barbs is just natural coloring just bad lighting. The body is just random spotting, no urchin and these started before my bta was introduced from quarantine.

 

[vetteguy53081]

The large spot on the tail fin near barbs is just natural coloring just bad lighting. The body is just random spotting, no urchin and these started before my bta was introduced from quarantine.

The large spot by the tail im familiar with, the small dots is what im referring to. Blach ich is caused by worms and much smaller in size

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Right now it's in a cycle of some sort. It will start with black spots for a week or so then white ich. White ich for 3-5 days then clear for a weekish then back to black and cycle again. I do recall posturing during the white ich phase but I can't recall if it happened during the black spot. Through all phases swims well, eats heavily and grazes most of the day.

I was able to catch a picture of my peppermint shrimp today that had similar spots.

I’m not sure what the changing between white and black spots signifies, there isn’t any disease that I know that does that.

You could try Prazipro, it is reef safe, but doesn’t work on turbellarian worms, but will work if it is a digenean or other fluke.

The black spots on the shrimp isn’t related.

 

[MnFish1]

I would treat as black ich. I am not the expert