Please confirm this is black ich

[WhiteRaven]

I have been treating with copper in QT since Dec 7. Before I pull the copper with WC & carbon and switch to prazi, I'd like a second opinion that this is black ich. Thanks.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

I have seen pics but never personally experienced black ich. I see where it resembles it, let's get some eyes on it. #reefsquad

 

[4FordFamily]

Looks more like an infection to me. Has this happened gradually or over the course of 48 or so hours?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Not 100% sure.

 

[4FordFamily]

@HotRocks @Humblefish

 

[HotRocks]

That is a bacterial infection. Do you have any Kanaplex or Furan-2 on hand?

 

[Humblefish]

Looks more like an infection, although hard to be sure from the photo. If it’s black ich, it will look like below:

 

[WhiteRaven]

It developed over 48 hrs. It happened fast. He was looking great before. Fat, eating like a pig, and energetic. Still eating but clearly sick in behavior as more lethargic and flashing.

I have metro but no binding agent. I can stop at LFS tomorrow for antibiotic you mentioned. I'll have to take a little time to pull the copper anyway.

I'd have expected if it was worms (black ich) that the black spots patterns would be more erratic. These are all clustered in patches like a coloration pattern.

The black spots are raised like little skin tags or ticks.

 

[rkpetersen]

Really sounds and looks like a bacterial infection, although I suppose it could be some rare parasite. 14 days into a copper qt, this is when the weakened immune system rears its ugly head and odd secondary infections appear.

I'd remove the copper with a couple of quick succession moderate size water changes and maybe also use something like polyfilter. Carbon doesn't remove copper much at all, but can be used to remove built up organics while the others remove copper. Then I'd dose the antibiotic trifecta into the water (metroplex, kanaplex, furan2), increase water aeration, and feed medicated food as well.

 

[WhiteRaven]

I picked up the meds. I did a fresh water dip to see if anything came off. If so, the plan was to treat as black ich. If not, then treat as bacterial. Water temp and pH matched. I did a five min dip with timer set
Nothing came off. I lightly rubbed the area and the black mostly disappeared. I think it might have been scales pineconing. Anyway, I agree that it was bacterial.

I moved the Tang back to the saltwater bucket for observation. Air stone bubbling. He slowly died over the next half hour while I was doing water change on the QT.

I suck at this. I'm beginning to feel that my QT is more like the hunger games with only the strongest surviving rather than a hospital to heal.

 

[rkpetersen]

I'm sorry your tang died. Treating disease can be hard, I've had fish die immediately after a freshwater dip too.

 

[Grass Snake]

sorry for your loss