Once again...Im overly concerned I think

[jdeb101]

So my lemonpeal angelfish has been acting a little different the past few days. He used to swim all around the tank picking at the rocks, but now hes been just kinda staying in one spot for a bit, swimming a little, staying in a spot for a bit....Hes also been loving my cleaner shrimp that attaches to him and eating god knows what off him (hopefully nothing bad!). Hes been eating during feeding time and all params are in check.

 

[this is me]

Have you checked it's body for Ick. There's a reason why the cleaner shrimp is attached to the fish. It has what cleaner shrimps like, parasites...

 

[jdeb101]

Actually the other day when I was looking at him very closely it did seem he had a few white patches, but I just thought it was slight discolorations on him. Ill have to keep an eye on him I suppose. The spots were only visible when he was positioned under the light a certain way. Will white spots become more apparent if it is ick and getting worse? Ive never dealt with ick so I just want to be prepared if this is the case.

 

[TomD]

Actually the other day when I was looking at him very closely it did seem he had a few white patches, but I just thought it was slight discolorations on him. Ill have to keep an eye on him I suppose. The spots were only visible when he was positioned under the light a certain way. Will white spots become more apparent if it is ick and getting worse? Ive never dealt with ick so I just want to be prepared if this is the case.

Most likely not if they have been on him. They will actually appear to go away but they have just fallen off and will reproduce.

The ich debate could go on for life. I got ich when I upgraded my tank. I took 2 fish from the owner and the next day a lot of my fish had ich. Ich spots will be small like sprinkles of white dots.

I ran a uv for 3 weeks, got 2 cleaner shrimp, and started feeding garlic every few days, and changed a good amount that of water that month. I have since stopped the garlic and the uv and it has never come back, nor have I lost a fish. I am not saying this is the way to go because it is probably not the best option but it worked for me.

 

[jdeb101]

Well the white spots that I saw, if it was actually spots that I saw, where more like a few patches. Not sprinkled looking like you said. I really dont think they looked like ich, but when I saw him going to the cleaner shrimp often and not swimming as much I started getting concerned. However this morning he seems to be back to his normal self. So maybe he was just being lazy? Not sure...Also none of my other fish have white spots on them.

So I think before I take any action Ill just wait it out and see what happens. Do you guys think thatd be ok, or should I take some other action? Maybe some sort of prevention jic?

 

[NateHanson]

Actually the other day when I was looking at him very closely it did seem he had a few white patches, but I just thought it was slight discolorations on him. Ill have to keep an eye on him I suppose. The spots were only visible when he was positioned under the light a certain way.

This sounds like a description of Brooklynella to me. I hope not, but it's exactly how my bannerfish looked a day or two before they died from brook.

It looks like a hazy patch that's only slightly lighter in color than the rest of the fish, and you can only see it at certain angles.
It's easier to see on black parts of the body.

I don't think there's a lot you can do for Brook, but since you're seeing the early stages of it, you might try a dip. I forget what the appropriate medicine is. Maybe Formalin? You can search for Brooklynella treatments.

Unfortunately, Brooklynella is very fast-moving and kills very quickly. In my experience (4 fish on 2 different occasions) fish were dead within 1-2 days of showing any discoloration.

When I got it, only the pair of new bannerfish were affected. None of the existing fish in my tank got it, or showed any adverse symptoms at all. I think others however have had their tanks wiped out by brook, so you might want to keep a very close eye on your other fish at this time.

 

[NateHanson]

One more thought I had. Sometimes fish look like they have whitish discolored patches when they first wake up in the morning. This discoloration is normal, and goes away within a few minutes of lights-on.

Is it possible that you were seeing that?

I'm glad your fish is looking better today. Maybe it's nothing.

When's the last time any of your fish were added to the tank?

 

[jdeb101]

Ya, Im just not sure Nate. Im leaning more towards it was just me seeing things. Last fish I added was the angel and that was about..maybe 3 weeks ago? Hes still swimming all around again today looking fine.

 

[mloebl]

I've got a bright yellow foxface, and from time to time he'll bump into something or scrap against something and show a mysterious blotch on his side that goes away after a day or so. Same kind of thing as I can't really see it unless I look just right, etc. I don't seem to ever notice the other fish doing that, so not sure if his color makes it more visible, size/shape of scales or his size.

-Mike

 

[jdeb101]

Its been a while since I posted in this thread because I assumed it was just nothing. However I have added a neon goby and bicolor blenny since and just now noticed what I think is ick on the goby nad maybe also on the blenny. There a few definite visible white specs on the goby. What could I do to get rid of it? It may be possible for me to set up a hospital tank if necessary but I would like to avoid it if theres a way to cure it in the display. Maybe go TomD's route?

 

[TomD]

Maybe go TomD's route?

If it is possible for you to setup a hospital tank it would probably be a better idea. There is info in the useful threads on different ways to treat the ich.

The easier method did work for me and I have added new fish that have been healthy as well. However, that does not mean that it is gone. Six months from now a fish could get stressed and get it again if it is not completely erradictaed.

 

[abwalker]

Are the white patches still there? I think the thing we need to know is the nature of the patch.... i.e., Brooklynella looks like a white or slimy patch attached to the fish on top of its scales. A "scrape" will look more like the scales missing, and ich is a well defined sugar-sized speck. Ich doesn't accumulate in patches, while you will often find it on the pectoral or other fins first, I would not use the word "patch" to describe it.

IME, neon gobies are notoriously ich-prone, and the presence on this fish just after adding it to a new tank may have nothing to do with what you saw previously on the angel.

Tom is right, a QT is the best way to deal with ich. Moreover, a QT is the best way to avoid ich.
That said, the cleaner shrimp. UV, and garlic approach he describes is quite effective in treating (more so preventing) ich in a very well established, otherwise very healthy system. If your fish are primarily new additions, this might not describe your system.

Hope that helps,

Abby