Velvet or Ich?

[Sharkbait19]

Doesn’t look like patterning - it shows up all over the fins. There really aren’t any reef safe treatments, so pulling everything is the best option if you want eradication.

 

[MnFish1]

For some reason I keep going back to brooklynella which can present oddly. What other fish are in the tank? If there are tangs/angels and they're "spotless" (pun intended) it would lend me to think it is brooklynella since it imapcts clownfish more.

As for it suddenly appearing - this can happen with various stressors (in the case of brook, velvet, and ich, and other ailments) such as power outages, poor water quality, sudden changes, sudden additions, etc. If a fish wasn't added recently, it can definitely arrive in coral/rock/some inverts.

I would suggest its confirmatory bias - i.e. clowns have brook, thus - if a clown is sick, it's brook. I'm not saying you're wrong - just a comment

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Assuming it doesn't progress rapidly, or turn out to be velvet, I have a fish trap coming Friday. Even with a trap, I'm doubting that I'll be able to catch the goby or blenny. Is it worth QTing the clowns if I can't get all of the fish out or might I be better off managing it in the DT?

If it is brooklynella, some other species may not contract it. If it is ich, there is a really good chance that it will spread to all the fish. However, you might be able to get a jump on things if you moved the clowns out and started a treatment now.
Jay

 

[Mattyreefs]

So dots haven't changed much at all since I first noticed 48+ hours ago. Behavior and appetite are still completely normal. I still see no signs at all on any other fish. Does the fact that there's almost no change at all in 2+ days change anyone's feelings on what it might be? Two things I noticed...it's almost entirely on one side and she's occasionally brushing it up against surfaces.

I'm close to having a new 20 gallon QT up and running. I have Copper Power coming tomorrow. My plan is to catch the fish and move them over to QT but I suspect it may take some time to catch some of them, particularly the goby and blenny. If I move the clowns to QT and dose copper up to 2.0-2.5 over 24 hours, would I be able to add the rest of the fish at a later time? I realize the timer will reset for QT and fallow but would it be a problem dropping the fish right into copper at 2.0?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

So dots haven't changed much at all since I first noticed 48+ hours ago. Behavior and appetite are still completely normal. I still see no signs at all on any other fish. Does the fact that there's almost no change at all in 2+ days change anyone's feelings on what it might be? Two things I noticed...it's almost entirely on one side and she's occasionally brushing it up against surfaces.

I'm close to having a new 20 gallon QT up and running. I have Copper Power coming tomorrow. My plan is to catch the fish and move them over to QT but I suspect it may take some time to catch some of them, particularly the goby and blenny. If I move the clowns to QT and dose copper up to 2.0-2.5 over 24 hours, would I be able to add the rest of the fish at a later time? I realize the timer will reset for QT and fallow but would it be a problem dropping the fish right into copper at 2.0?

Updated pictures might help. When you say there is almost no change, does that mean the same spots are in the same location, or just the relative number of spots is about the same?

Brooklynella would most likely have progressed during this time and velvet most certainly would. Ich can putter along for some time, with the fish still acting o.k. - but the spots would be changing location day to day.

The spots being mostly on one side may be a clue. Protozoan diseases most often are randomly spread, and do not favor one side over the other. Any new LPS corals in the tank that could have stung it?

Jay

 

[Mattyreefs]

Updated pictures might help. When you say there is almost no change, does that mean the same spots are in the same location, or just the relative number of spots is about the same?

Brooklynella would most likely have progressed during this time and velvet most certainly would. Ich can putter along for some time, with the fish still acting o.k. - but the spots would be changing location day to day.

The spots being mostly on one side may be a clue. Protozoan diseases most often are randomly spread, and do not favor one side over the other. Any new LPS corals in the tank that could have stung it?

Jay

I think there's definetly a few more overall but it's hard to tell if they're changing spots. I can say for sure that the general location is the same,
right side tail and hind body have the most and some on right pectoral. This fish has no interest in letting me take pictures of her right side. Here's the two best pictures I can get though I know it's hard to decipher what's on the fish Vs water. One is a good representation of the group on tail and other of body.

I added a rbta and torch about two weeks ago. Generally speaking she spends no time on that side of the tank. She does spend almost all day going in and out or laying in gsp (nights she sleeps in a leather). This isn't new, she's always laid in the gsp. Could something be irritating her in there?

 

[Mattyreefs]

Here's the best video I can get. If you look at 4-5 and 11 seconds you can see the spots on body and at 16 the tail.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Here's the best video I can get. If you look at 4-5 and 11 seconds you can see the spots on body and at 16 the tail.

That is one chunky monkey!
I still can’t rule out ich, but the fish looks good in other respects. What about preparing for the worst, but waiting a bit to see if things worsen?
Jay