Ick?

saltynovice378 · Jan 20, 2015

My tribal Blennie seemed to have developed a small white spots. Any thoughts? How to diagnose and treat?

Humblefish · Jan 20, 2015

Do the white spots appear to be on top or underneath the outer skin layer (very important)? Because from the pic, they appear to be protruding outward (which is not ich).

saltynovice378 · Jan 20, 2015

Ontop... A friend of mine said that Blenny,s don't usually get ick could be scrapes from the rock

jedimasterben · Jan 20, 2015

If a fish has gills, it can be a host to marine ich. Some fish have thicker slime coats and are said to be 'resistant' to it, but in the end, it's a parasite, not a disease or infection, and can get through and live in the gills pretty much no matter what.

From the lone picture, it could be ich, it could be sand particles stuck in its slime coat, could be a few other things. Keep an eye on it.

Humblefish · Jan 20, 2015

saltynovice378 said:
Ontop... A friend of mine said that Blenny,s don't usually get ick could be scrapes from the rock

Any fish can get ich, if not under the skin than inside their gills; but blennies do seem to be less susceptible. What you are seeing may be Lymphocystis (a harmless viral growth) or something else. Best thing you can do is keep tabs on those *exact same* white spots and see when they go away. If it's ich, they should disappear within 3-7 days (10 days max); anything that hangs around for longer than that, is probably something other than ich.

saltynovice378 · Jan 20, 2015

Okay thanks so ich can resolve itself? My water parameters have been consistent and healthy

Humblefish · Jan 20, 2015

Once ich is introduced into an aquarium, it remains present and will continue to afflict all of your fish until you go fallow (fishless) to starve it out. The recommended fallow period is 72 days, and all fish must be removed/treated in a QT.

Read this: Understanding Ich : Fish Diseases - Diagnosis & Treatment - Louisiana Reef Club

saltynovice378 · Jan 20, 2015

I do not have a quarantine tank . What an LFS take the fish in and treat it?

Reefing Madness · Jan 20, 2015

I'd leave him alone. He looks fine.

Humblefish · Jan 20, 2015

saltynovice378 said:
I do not have a quarantine tank . What an LFS take the fish in and treat it?

Highly unlikely; unless they already QT fish prior to sale. I would do as Reefing Madness suggests and just leave him alone for now. There is something going on with this fish, but IMO there's not enough info to make a proper diagnosis at this time. Waiting to see when the white spots go away is your best bet right now.