"Ich" that only appears at night?

[DragonStone]

I have a royal gramma that has had what look like "ich" spots for several weeks. I see them only at night. They are easier to see under the "blue" darker lights, but even if I switch to these in the daytime he is usually fully clean. By evening/night he is covered in white again.

I have been using a ich attack bottle recommended here because it's coral/invert safe and I wanted to treat everyone in the tank, but it has not disappeared. My next plan is to capture him and do copper in QT tank to just him, but I want to make sure it sounds like ich? Small, fine sand-like white dots on body and fins that are there in the evening but are gone in the daytime?

 

[Jekyl]

Can you please include white light pics and a video? YouTube versions work best

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a royal gramma that has had what look like "ich" spots for several weeks. I see them only at night. They are easier to see under the "blue" darker lights, but even if I switch to these in the daytime he is usually fully clean. By evening/night he is covered in white again.

I have been using a ich attack bottle recommended here because it's coral/invert safe and I wanted to treat everyone in the tank, but it has not disappeared. My next plan is to capture him and do copper in QT tank to just him, but I want to make sure it sounds like ich? Small, fine sand-like white dots on body and fins that are there in the evening but are gone in the daytime?

Ich attack rarely works and you may be seeing cryptocaryon which appears and disappears but always present. Pics using bright white lighting, no blue will confirm what it may be. Treatment with these spots often is coppersafe or copper power at 2.25ppm which is a safe form of copper to be used in a separate tank for a full 30 days monitored with a Hanna Brand copper test kit. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.
The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off and with occupants exposed, they too should go into quarantine
A quarantine tank can be as simple as a tank from a second hand store or a starter kit from Walmart which most of the needed essentials.

 

[DragonStone]

Ich attack rarely works and you may be seeing cryptocaryon which appears and disappears but always present. Pics using bright white lighting, no blue will confirm what it may be. Treatment with these spots often is coppersafe or copper power at 2.25ppm which is a safe form of copper to be used in a separate tank for a full 30 days monitored with a Hanna Brand copper test kit. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.
The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off and with occupants exposed, they too should go into quarantine
A quarantine tank can be as simple as a tank from a second hand store or a starter kit from Walmart which most of the needed essentials.

So one question about this - if all the fish from a larger 60 gallon are put into a small QT tank, what keeps them from fighting, etc?

 

[vetteguy53081]

So one question about this - if all the fish from a larger 60 gallon are put into a small QT tank, what keeps them from fighting, etc?

Add large pvc tubes for hiding but if you have a quantity of fish, place them in a 40 breeder minimum or rubbermaid style tub

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I have a royal gramma that has had what look like "ich" spots for several weeks. I see them only at night. They are easier to see under the "blue" darker lights, but even if I switch to these in the daytime he is usually fully clean. By evening/night he is covered in white again.

I have been using a ich attack bottle recommended here because it's coral/invert safe and I wanted to treat everyone in the tank, but it has not disappeared. My next plan is to capture him and do copper in QT tank to just him, but I want to make sure it sounds like ich? Small, fine sand-like white dots on body and fins that are there in the evening but are gone in the daytime?

Ich spots do tend to come and go, especially at first, that's how the life cycle works, Eventually, the parasite start to get on different schedules and you'll see spots all the time.

That said, you might be seeing sand stuck in the fish's mucus or something.....
If it IS ich, you'll need to treat all of the fish in the tank, not just the gramma.

 

[winxp_man]

So one question about this - if all the fish from a larger 60 gallon are put into a small QT tank, what keeps them from fighting, etc?

Have 8 fish in a 60 gal QT with pvc. Fish are not that small either decent sized fish. But pvc is the trick as stated above!