frankieg2293
Active Member
Hey guys I can’t tell if this is flukes or ich. I’m new. To the hobby what do I do ? Will the rest of the tank be infected??! I do not have a QT tank set up do I need one? No other fish is showing signs.
ICH or FLUKES?!
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frankieg2293
Active Member
ariellemermaid
Well-Known Member
The thing about flukes is that you can’t see them. They’re completely invisible in saltwater but become cloudy in FW. So the very fact that you’re seeing something (as opposed to wounds) suggests it’s not flukes. White spots suggests ich or velvet and it’s time to set up a hospital tank.
corey904
Active Member
Definitely ich
There’s a lot of things you can do id recommend watching the Brs video
However
Polyp lab medic
Uv sterilizer
Feed more
Herbtana
Are all things that help with ich inside the main display
There’s a lot of things you can do id recommend watching the Brs video
However
Polyp lab medic
Uv sterilizer
Feed more
Herbtana
Are all things that help with ich inside the main display
Spare time
10K Club member
Looks like marine ich. Flukes kinda look like semi transparent patches on the skin and are hard to see. You only option is 45 days fallow at 81 degrees F (with the fish remaining in copper at 2-2.5ppm at 81F) or risk ich management (every new fish gets ich, and residents get cyclically reinfected)
ariellemermaid
Well-Known Member
The only cure for ich is copper QT for all fish plus fallow for the rest of the tank (72-76 days below 81F or 6 weeks above 81F). A good starting point is to Google “ich management vs. eradication” and decide on which pathway you’re going to do. If you’re going to do management then lots of folks have had good success with UV and good nutrition, but personally I don’t believe in herbal products for fish or people. However, even if you’re going to do management (instead of QT for every new inhabitant) I personally would still QT an actively infected fish and treat it with copper.
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frankieg2293
Active Member
should i QT inverts like star fish crabs shrimp snails?
what is this fallow
you speak of?
Fallow means you leave your main tank without fish for a certain period say 76 day to allow the ich to go though all phases to die off since they need a host fish. You can leave in all snails and innverts only the fish need to be removed
There is some great sticky threads in the disease section explaining exactly how to treat. Unfortunately it is a pain but I felt much better when all done. The snails crabs and sea star anemones etc will stay in display for the whole time with no risk.
Unitylover
Valuable Member
you could also move all the fish to a qt, treat with copper, and maybe use a non copper-based treatment in the main tank, which might reduce the cure time to 30 days
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frankieg2293
Active Member
Do you know of such non copper treatment because I’m currently trying to get my tank ready for corals. I’m pretty sure I’m not suppose to use copper with corals
Unitylover
Valuable Member
yes, no copper with corals, but I dont know of any good non copper based anti ick treatment. You could do hypo, but you would need to have all inverts including corals taken out of the tank.
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frankieg2293
Active Member
what do i do with hypo ? what does this mean?
ariellemermaid
Well-Known Member
Hyposaline is a treatment for ich but it’s difficult to do properly for the time period needed and you’d have to remove all corals and inverts. There is no such thing as an effective non-copper based medication for ich. Some mystery herbal products make claims, but it’s mostly woo and I wouldn’t trust my corals and inverts to them. Much better to just go fallow (I.e. just be patient). If you do use copper in a QT tank there’s a lot to know about that, especially very accurate testing, to know your copper level.
Rather than reinvent the wheel here, start with this website and then click through other sections as interested; it covers just about every marine fish disease. Jay Hemdal also has a good thread on here with his QT process that’s very good.
Unitylover
Valuable Member
hyposalinity is very hard, but very effective. It kills ick, but and again, inverts and corals
SlugSnorter
2500 Club Member
ehhhhhh QT with copper is best and most effective. In a DT, the best treatment I have found that is reef safe is Kick Ich + Metro w Focus even then, its nowhere near as good as QT copper and a tank fallow
Jay Hemdal
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We need a bit more history about the tank and fish. Here is a link:
Some Helpful Hints When Posting or Responding to Threads in the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Section
Aquarium Fish Disease Problem Solving Determining the best course of action for a problem with your aquarium can be a difficult task. Even advanced aquarists will often need to seek the help of others for complicated or unique issues. Our intent here on Reef 2 Reef is to offer expert advice...
www.reef2reef.com
As said, flukes do not show as white spots. However, in looking at your photos, I see spots of vastly different sizes, some are pretty large. Ich doesn't have that much variation. However, sometimes poor focus in these photos gives the illusion of different sizes, so I'm not ruling out ich right now, but you should consider that these could be idiopathic mucus plugs, something that blue tangs do in response to stress.
The best way to tell the mucus from ich is to take a photo of the fish and then take a second photo, from the same vantage point, 24 to 36 hours later. If the spots are essentially in the same location, it is most likely mucus. If the spots have mostly change location, and changed in number (both decrease of increase) then it is more likely ich.
Jay Hemdal
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frankieg2293
Active Member
so are the mucus plugs harmful? Because they are definitely moving, going away and coming back in different spots around and there is one really big on his tail nowWe need a bit more history about the tank and fish. Here is a link:
Some Helpful Hints When Posting or Responding to Threads in the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Section
Aquarium Fish Disease Problem Solving Determining the best course of action for a problem with your aquarium can be a difficult task. Even advanced aquarists will often need to seek the help of others for complicated or unique issues. Our intent here on Reef 2 Reef is to offer expert advice...
As said, flukes do not show as white spots. However, in looking at your photos, I see spots of vastly different sizes, some are pretty large. Ich doesn't have that much variation. However, sometimes poor focus in these photos gives the illusion of different sizes, so I'm not ruling out ich right now, but you should consider that these could be idiopathic mucus plugs, something that blue tangs do in response to stress.
The best way to tell the mucus from ich is to take a photo of the fish and then take a second photo, from the same vantage point, 24 to 36 hours later. If the spots are essentially in the same location, it is most likely mucus. If the spots have mostly change location, and changed in number (both decrease of increase) then it is more likely ich.
Jay Hemdal
LeftyReefer
2500 Club Member
If the spots are moving, then it isn't mucus plugs, its probably ICH.
Mucus plugs don't move, ICH spots do.
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