Ok so update,
As I said I am 11 days in with keeping the gramma, the spots I saw appeared 24 hourd ago, ans now they are completely gone... other fish still fine. Still going to lfs, any thoughts? Tempted to say is sand, really hope it is ofc
This is a typical progression of marine ich, Cryptocaryon. You're aware by now, of the basic life cycle, where the ich trophont drops off the fish, turns into a tomont and then, after a few days, releases theronts that re-infect the fish. Early one in an infection, the trophonts are all about the same age, so they drop off at the same time. This makes it seem like the fish is suddenly healed. Now, if it is sand, or some other non-ich issue, the spots are gone and all is good. However, if it is ich, new spots will show up. Eventually, the ich parasites get out of sync with on another, and the fish will have spots all the time, and in increasing numbers.
To add to some other thoughts, here is my write up for "ich management" :
“Ich Management” Because many aquarists mix fish and invertebrates, they are ill-prepared to then treat for marine ich, as the two best treatments, amine-based copper or hyposalinity, cannot be used with invertebrates. A popular technique has then arisen, “ich management”. It is popular not because it works well, but because it is an easier alternative. Be forewarned, it often fails if applied during moderate infections. The reason that it exists as a technique at all is because people find themselves in situations like this and are desperate to try anything.
The basic idea is to reduce the infective propagules (tomites) of the ich parasite to the point where the fish's acquired immunity can fight the infection off. This is done through a series of techniques for stress reduction and tomite limiting. Unfortunately, the ich tomites themselves cause stress to the fish, so if the fish have more than 30 or so trophonts on them, the method often fails.
1) Install a powerful UV sterilizer on the aquarium.
2) Ensure that the fish's diet and water quality are the best you can make them.
3) Keep the water temperature close to 78 degrees F.
4) Siphon off the tank floor nightly to remove as many tomonts as possible.
5) Employ strong filtration to trap as many tomites as possible.
6) Try a proprietary "reef safe" marine ich medication. These rarely cure ich infections on their own, but some may have benefit when combined with other management methods. Avoid the herbal remedies, focus on those that contain peroxide salts. There is, however, some evidence that using peroxides with UV does not work, as the UV can break down the peroxides (this include Polyp Lab Medic) .
Jay
