Ich or Flukes?

Gridlock · Aug 18, 2023

Hello all,

This fish has already passed, but I would like to know where you think I went wrong. I did not perform a fresh- water dip, as I thought the parasite was Ich, so it's too late to check for flukes. All I have to go on is this image and the info below.

Based on this image, what do you think this is?

History:
PBT pictured was in my display for 3 months (after exciting 30 day qt). Tank has been doing well before this for 15 months.

Fast forward to now. I recently purchased 2 coral frags from a small online dealer. During the coral dip many critters fell off. Afterward I foolishly added those corals to my Main Display.

4 days later this fish was infected, and 2 other fish as well (another tang, small goby). I immediately thought it was Ich. I setup 2 QT tanks and pulled all fish for immediate copper treatment.

This fish (pictured) died 4 days later in qt, rapid breathing, flared gills upon death. I was using Seachem Cupramine at .5 mg, raised over 2 day period to treat the Ich. All other fish alive (for now).

Thoughts on this disease? Did this come in on a coral? After 5 days now in QT with copper, I don't have any other fish showing signs, so I have no other fish-pics to share. Expecting 71 more days of fallow in Main Display...

Thanks, Nate

Jay Hemdal · Aug 18, 2023

Gridlock said:
Hello all,

This fish has already passed, but I would like to know where you think I went wrong. I did not perform a fresh- water dip, as I thought the parasite was Ich, so it's too late to check for flukes. All I have to go on is this image and the info below.

Based on this image, what do you think this is?

History:
PBT pictured was in my display for 3 months (after exciting 30 day qt). Tank has been doing well before this for 15 months.

Fast forward to now. I recently purchased 2 coral frags from a small online dealer. During the coral dip many critters fell off. Afterward I foolishly added those corals to my Main Display.

4 days later this fish was infected, and 2 other fish as well (another tang, small goby). I immediately thought it was Ich. I setup 2 QT tanks and pulled all fish for immediate copper treatment.

This fish (pictured) died 4 days later in qt, rapid breathing, flared gills upon death. I was using Seachem Cupramine at .5 mg, raised over 2 day period to treat the Ich. All other fish alive (for now).

Thoughts on this disease? Did this come in on a coral? After 5 days now in QT with copper, I don't have any other fish showing signs, so I have no other fish-pics to share. Expecting 71 more days of fallow in Main Display...

Thanks, Nate

It may have had multiple issues. Ich doesn’t cause rapid breathing until the fish is covered in spots and close to death.
In the picture, the number of spots are not many, the fish would have had to get much worse before it died from ich.

Velvet is the one disease that cause rapid breathing followed swiftly be death. Copper can cure it but you have to dose a bit higher and get to a full dose right away - like Cupramine at 0.60 dosed in 12 hours.

Jay