Ich? White Spots on Powder Blue Tang

[Tanggy]

This is a friend's PBT. Just posting here to see if we can help her out. This was my fish originally. I had it for about 1 month in quarantine with cupramine. Gave it to her after quarantine. She said the day she put it in her DT she noticed these white spots. Started at the fins and moved to the side of the gills. She did a fresh water dip. It seems to help a bit but the white spots came back. PBT is not flashing and is eating well. Please help ID and need treatment. Thanks.

 

[HotRocks]

It does appear to be ich to me. All fish in the tank will need moved to a QT treat with copper. DT will need to be fallow for 76 days.

 

[Dan I]

Sure looks like ich. She probably already had ich in her tank before you handed it to her.

 

[HotRocks]

When freshwater dip was performed were any little sesame seed like things noticed falling off the fish? It is possible flukes if diminishing after a dip. Probably ich though as Acanthurus tangs are very ich prone.

 

[Tanggy]

She said when they did the fresh water dip, the did not see anything come off.

 

[Tanggy]

Thanks. I'll like her know

 

[Xclusive Reef]

feed well and dip food in garlic and selcon.

 

[HB AL]

If you don't want to quarantine and treat the fish and let the tank go fishless for the "magical" 76 days, what I would do is feed the fish as much as they will eat, a couple times a day, and if they continue eating they will fight it off naturally, and the affected fish will be clear of the ich. Adding a uv sterilizer will also give them a better shot of fighting it off. I've been doing it that way for a very long time and have rarely lost a fish to ich. Whatever approach you take needs to start quickly before it gets to the point the fish stops eating.

 

[Tanggy]

They are adding selcon to the fish food and it's been eating well. I don't think they will go the quarantine route.

 

[HB AL]

Tell them to feed them as much as the fish will eat, stuff em up, if the fish are survivors things will end well.

 

[Xclusive Reef]

If you don't want to quarantine and treat the fish and let the tank go fishless for the "magical" 76 days, what I would do is feed the fish as much as they will eat, a couple times a day, and if they continue eating they will fight it off naturally, and the affected fish will be clear of the ich. Adding a uv sterilizer will also give them a better shot of fighting it off. I've been doing it that way for a very long time and have rarely lost a fish to ich. Whatever approach you take needs to start quickly before it gets to the point the fish stops eating.

I agree with everything but the UV. UV will not kill ich... you need to be running UV for a while not now when you have ich.

 

[Xclusive Reef]

Another way to fight ich is the tank 2 tank method... I have never used it but there is a thread on it that will go into details. BUT I have spoken to other reefers that have done it and had success with it. Basically every 3 days you transfer fish from one tank to the other.. its like doing a 100% water change every 3 days...If you ask the " Advanced" reefers, they will tell you to feed with garlic and selcon and hope the fish fights it off.

 

[HB AL]

I agree with everything but the UV. UV will not kill ich... you need to be running UV for a while not now when you have ich.

I run one 24/7, if they are not then now would be a good time to start, it cant hurt.

 

[Tanggy]

I forgot to mentioned the white spots been there for about 1 month now. I thought once the ich attaches to the fish, white spots would appear and disappear after 3-7 days. Also, the white spots never moved or spreads to other areas...

 

[HB AL]

Thats kinda an important fact, not ich then if they have been in the same spot for a month.

 

[Big G]

I forgot to mentioned the white spots been there for about 1 month now. I thought once the ich attaches to the fish, white spots would appear and disappear after 3-7 days. Also, the white spots never moved or spreads to other areas...

Probably Lymphocystis if the spots are not changing. Here's Humblefish's treatment for the condition.
Lymphocystis:

Symptoms - Lymphocystis appears as a white or beige colored cauliflower-like growth that usually starts on the fins and spines and sometimes spreads to the body. Initially it may be small (looks like ich), and then grows in size (which is how you know it’s not ich). Lympho is a virus that many fish carry for life. Fortunately, it is rarely fatal or even harmful to the fish, and symptoms will come and go.

Treatment options - No known cure or treatment exists. However, feeding vitamin-enriched foods and maintaining pristine water conditions may expedite the “going away” process.

More detailed info: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa181

For pictures that may help, here's the link:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lymphocystis.257461/#post-3043397