Ich?

[CozyCurrentAquarium]

Does this look like ich? I’m new to the hobby and didn’t quarantine, I know I know I will be in the future, this is the only livestock in the aquarium so I’m not too worried about infection, the white dots have mostly gone away, so I’m wondering if it’s the substrate.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Does this look like ich? I’m new to the hobby and didn’t quarantine, I know I know I will be in the future, this is the only livestock in the aquarium so I’m not too worried about infection, the white dots have mostly gone away, so I’m wondering if it’s the substrate.

These appear to be grains of sand in lieu of ich and should fall off eventually as this fish has a higher mucus protective coating

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Does this look like ich? I’m new to the hobby and didn’t quarantine, I know I know I will be in the future, this is the only livestock in the aquarium so I’m not too worried about infection, the white dots have mostly gone away, so I’m wondering if it’s the substrate.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I agree, all of those spots are sand/substrate sticking to the fish, with the exception of the spot above its eye. That *could* be ich, no way to tell for sure.

I would say that adding a mandarin as the first fish in a tank is usually not a good idea. Do you know, was it a Biota tank raised mandarin? if so, you might be able to get it to eat enough. If it was a wild caught mandarin, the tank won't have enough microfauna for it to graze on and you'll need to supplement with live pods.

 

[W31Olds]

Your main issue is you need to provide food for your Mandarin. The Tank looks way to new for this species. If a Biota Mandarin, you may have luck with Pellets. If a WC Fish, try Target feeding Mysis or Brine Shrimp. The good thing is she is hunting so interested in food, but these fish can go downhill fast so getting them eating is the main concern.

 

[EnterName]

Does this look like ich? I’m new to the hobby and didn’t quarantine, I know I know I will be in the future, this is the only livestock in the aquarium so I’m not too worried about infection, the white dots have mostly gone away, so I’m wondering if it’s the substrate.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I agree, all of those spots are sand/substrate sticking to the fish, with the exception of the spot above its eye. That *could* be ich, no way to tell for sure.

I would say that adding a mandarin as the first fish in a tank is usually not a good idea. Do you know, was it a Biota tank raised mandarin? if so, you might be able to get it to eat enough. If it was a wild caught mandarin, the tank won't have enough microfauna for it to graze on and you'll need to supplement with live pods.

I know many people report "success" with feeding their mandarins frozen food, but do you know if their digestive systems are even built to handle larger chunks properly and does it have any health implications?

I was always kind of worried about this when my Mandarin snatched some mysis chunks instead of picking at the thousands of pods my tank provided.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I know many people report "success" with feeding their mandarins frozen food, but do you know if their digestive systems are even built to handle larger chunks properly and does it have any health implications?

I was always kind of worried about this when my Mandarin snatched some mysis chunks instead of picking at the thousands of pods my tank provided.

IMO - if the mandarin will swallow any meaty seafood item, it will work. Just watch for it spitting the food back out (meaning its too large, the wrong taste or texture).

Seahorses are known to have shortened digestive tracks, but not mandarins.

 

[CozyCurrentAquarium]

Does this look like ich? I’m new to the hobby and didn’t quarantine, I know I know I will be in the future, this is the only livestock in the aquarium so I’m not too worried about infection, the white dots have mostly gone away, so I’m wondering if it’s the substrate.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I agree, all of those spots are sand/substrate sticking to the fish, with the exception of the spot above its eye. That *could* be ich, no way to tell for sure.

I would say that adding a mandarin as the first fish in a tank is usually not a good idea. Do you know, was it a Biota tank raised mandarin? if so, you might be able to get it to eat enough. If it was a wild caught mandarin, the tank won't have enough microfauna for it to graze on and you'll need to supplement with live pods.

She’s captive bread and has been eating frozen, OK I also got a good strain of copepods going in the tank before I added her. I’m realizing I might need to get a system growing for copepods though she’s about to eat everything!