Is this Ich ? picture

[Esquire]

6 juveniles in this tank and I see this 1 spot on a fish & this area on the tail of another.
I do notice the occasional fish trying to rub something.
Nothing obsessive by any means.

55 gal
86 degrees
35% WC every other day
PH 7.2
Prime in RO & Tap mix.

If so how would you treat it?

Malachite Green or Formalin in this tank?

[MostlyDiscus]

Not ich from what I can see. Ich would be more visable on the body as well. I think that is fairly common though and may be some sort of external pathogen. Dont stress it. Ed

[Esquire]

Thanks and I was stressing it.

I think watching a beautiful tank adds length to your life, but taking care of it can shorten your life......

[kenhappen2u]

i wouldnt rule out ich just yet .... if he is rubbing/ darting against things thats a pretty good sign that something is bothering him , ich is not always visible till the later stages . i would keep a close eye on him for a couple of days . what you dont want to happen is it spred through out the whole tank and infect all your fish .

[MostlyDiscus]

Ya ok maybe if its one of those newer ich strains that can handle the higher temps... Lets see the picture of the whole fish and maybe we can nail it down... ED

[kenhappen2u]

also How long have you had the temp at 86deg? and are you sure its 86 and not like 85 , this may sound funny but a degree or two can make a big difference when treating ich and its life span .

Ken

edit ,if your not sure what to treat with , i have had good luck with aquarium Salt and water temp at least 86 deg and continue for at least 3 days after white spots have cleared, keep up the salt level & replace salt taken out by water changes .

[1Chuck9669]

I've never had a problem with Ich when I started keeping and breeding Angelfish. I learned that in water over 80 degrees the Ich "eggs" harden too much and cannot hatch, thus preventing an outbreak.

IME with the water in Pueblo, Colorado.

May Our Threads Cross Again...

[Graham]

Chuck I'm not sure where you heard that the ''eggs harden'', that's a new one to me. The orginial idea was that the parasite simple could live at the higher temps.

Well at this point in time there are strains of Ick out there that live quite comfortably at higher temps, so high heat can't be relied on to clear them.

As to the one ''dot'' on one fish I would not be dumping any chems in there for that

[Esquire]

Well I just checked all fish under a magnifying glass and none of the other fish show any spots or cotton patches on their tails or bodies.

The spot on the fishes tail looks the same as yesterday, maybe slightly bigger. I can't really tell.
I do notice another area on this same fish on his Left Pectorals leading edge very close to the body.
I can't get it to show in a photo, but this could also be an injury from speeding.

I do see fish scrapping there faces on hard objects at times
Not a lot.

2 thermometers in tank, one is 86 and the other read 86.5
Water change water is at the same temp.
Ph 7.0-7.2
AMM 0

All fish are eating well 5 feedings a day and the fish with the spot is the most aggressive eater of the bunch.

[1Chuck9669]

Chuck I'm not sure where you heard that the ''eggs harden'', that's a new one to me. The orginial idea was that the parasite simple could live at the higher temps.

Well at this point in time there are strains of Ick out there that live quite comfortably at higher temps, so high heat can't be relied on to clear them.

As to the one ''dot'' on one fish I would not be dumping any chems in there for that

Good Morning Grahm,
The term “eggs harden” came from a clerk many years ago at a LFS. I believe what he was referring to was the cyst stage of Ich. He explained that the shell of the cyst became hardened in the higher temps, and was never allowed to reach the free swimming stage. I can only suppose the clerk used the term “eggs” for cysts. Hearing that Ich can survive in higher temps is unnerving. Maybe I have just been fortunate over the years, or have trusted too much in what the clerk told me. I should really look into a microscope, and compare any findings with the pictures that have been posted here on Simply.
Thanks for the info!

[Don Trinko]

I have had 1 or 2 white spots on discus occasionaly. It always goes away by itself in a few days. In several cases it was a dirt particle that was stired up when I cleaned the tank. Several times I have reached in and brushed it off the discus by hand. ( my discus know were the food comes from!)
Bottom line ; keep an eye on it. Don T.

[markstr]

Same scenerio as Don here. I posted this same thing a while back..
I've had no problems with mine and this just seems to be in a few particular areas on the finage.. Nothing to stress about..