Ick... We’ve Got Ich (and a Wrasse)

[Brit’s Fish]

So I have been battling Ich and trying to go the “management” route while I get my QT ready to go... had been trying to get all the supplies. My Coral Beauty passed last night as I’m sure I waited too long to get the QT going. He’s likely the one who brought the Ich into the tank, but I really liked him and heartbroken that I lost him.
Now I have a Pixy Hawk, Midas Blenny and a Carpenter’s Flasher Wrasse to get out of the DT and into the QT. This alone is going to be a fun adventure... ugh.

My question about QTing these fish though relates to the wrasse. I know they’re pretty sensitive, so I’m wondering what extra steps I need to take during this process. This little guy is a champ and I really don’t want to lose him.
I’m setting up a 20g high basic Aqueon tank with a HOB filter, a sponge filter for extra aeration & a heater. Not planning to add a light, unless you all think it’s necessary.
I am planning to use Cupramine to treat them & I have Seachem MultiTest Copper test strips on hand. I also have poly filters for once I need them.
Also, can I use 10 gallons from the DT and 10 gallons of fresh saltwater, along with some bottle bacteria to make sure there’s no crazy cycle happening in the QT? I have an ammonia badge and Red Sea test kits to keep an eye out for any spikes, but I’m hoping to avoid that extra stress.
This is my first time QTing... won’t be my last as I have a 90g build that I plan to start sometime soon & I'm not going through this again! any help or words of encouragement are welcome! ;Shy

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Ah, forgot one thing... the MB has been staying near the top all morning and literally swimming with his head out of the water. Is this just because his gills are irritated from the Ich? he also keeps biting his own tail.
Should I do a FW dip on these guys while they’re on their way into the QT system? I feel so bad for them!!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Some behaviors suggest velvet or crypto.
Can you post a couple of pics under white light for assessment purposes?

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Some behaviors suggest velvet or crypto.
Can you post a couple of pics under white light for assessment purposes?

Absolutely... I am trying to get decent pics now. There are no really visible spots on any of them but they are flashing on the rocks and sand. I don’t think it’s velvet because this has been pretty gradual... like a couple weeks. I’m stupid for not having done something sooner but since I only saw spots and that behavior in the CBA at first, I was silly enough to think that I was some lucky person who only had one fish with Ich. I’m a dope.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Some behaviors suggest velvet or crypto.
Can you post a couple of pics under white light for assessment purposes?

Worst pictures of the Blenny because he doesn’t sit still, but I hope this helps. There is redness in his gills as well as the redness you see in the pics down his “midline”.
You really can’t see anything on the other fish. The wrasse doesn’t seem to be bothered at all but the Pixy Hawk is definitely flashing occasionally.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Here are the other two fish if it helps. Note that the wrasse has a scar and a tiny bit of gill damage that is healing due to fighting with the Hawk fish. Ugh

 

[vetteguy53081]

Appears to be lymphocystis frothed size and appearance of nodes which this is viral
It can or may become bacterial. Although there is no formal treatment, formalin which is formaldehyde based may help (general cure) in the form of a bath.
Let’s look at water quality- what is your:
Ammonia
Nitrate
Ph
Tank temperature
Salinity reading

What Test kits are you using?
Age of tank?
How did you introduce the fish?

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Appears to be lymphocystis frothed size and appearance of nodes which this is viral
It can or may become bacterial. Although there is no formal treatment, formalin which is formaldehyde based may help (general cure) in the form of a bath.
Let’s look at water quality- what is your:
Ammonia
Nitrate
Ph
Tank temperature
Salinity reading

What Test kits are you using?
Age of tank?
How did you introduce the fish?

Ammonia 0
Nitrate 1 - just did a water change but I have a lot of corals, so this is lower than I’d like it
Ph 8.2
Phosphate 0
Temp 76
Salinity 1.025

I’m using Red Sea test kits but I also just took a sample to my LFS who uses Hanna checkers and Salifert tests. I wanted them to confirm since I’m not too confident in my testing abilities.
I floated these fish to temp acclimate them and then drip acclimated them. The MB & Pixy were the first fish in & the wrasse was a week or two later. The tank is only about two months old & I added fish after a two week cycle. Live sand, Caribsea LifeRock and some actual live rock, Fritz Zyme 9 & fresh salt water.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ammonia 0
Nitrate 1 - just did a water change but I have a lot of corals, so this is lower than I’d like it
Ph 8.2
Phosphate 0
Temp 76
Salinity 1.025

I’m using Red Sea test kits but I also just took a sample to my LFS who uses Hanna checkers and Salifert tests. I wanted them to confirm since I’m not too confident in my testing abilities.
I floated these fish to temp acclimate them and then drip acclimated them. The MB & Pixy were the first fish in & the wrasse was a week or two later. The tank is only about two months old & I added fish after a two week cycle. Live sand, Caribsea LifeRock and some actual live rock, Fritz Zyme 9 & fresh salt water.

Take temp to 78
Keep an eye on the nodes for no change or less. Increase obviously no good. No change can develop to other symptoms such as bacteria.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I'm sorry but I do not see any Lymphocystis on those fish. I also don't see any ich. The Midas blenny seems to have something along its back, but not sure what that is.

Are you positive about the ich diagnosis? Have you seen any rapid breathing in the fish?

Jay

 

[Brit’s Fish]

I'm sorry but I do not see any Lymphocystis on those fish. I also don't see any ich. The Midas blenny seems to have something along its back, but not sure what that is.

Are you positive about the ich diagnosis? Have you seen any rapid breathing in the fish?

Jay

I don’t see any really unusual behavior other than the Blenny flashing on the sand. He stays near the top of the water and swims around with his head almost totally out of the water & he keeps biting his tail. He dives down at the sand a few times in a row and then goes back to swimming at the top. Today is the first day I noticed anything on the Blenny at all. I hadn’t seen any spots on him or anything else until today when I noticed whatever is on his sides. The more I look at him... It’s almost like a shed or something?
I am definitely not sure about the Ich diagnosis... in fact, I’m less sure now than ever. All I can say is that the Coral Beauty that I had did have white spots all over him, including on his eyes. He never got cloudy eyes and was still eating up until I found him dead this morning.
my other two fish have no signs of anything, so maybe it’s just stress??
Edit: no rapid breathing in any of the fish either.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Now that I’m back home and watching him, I don’t even see the filmy stuff on him anymore. Could this all just be weird Blenny behavior??

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Have you thought that it could be flukes? Have you ever given a fish a freshwater dip?
Jay

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Have you thought that it could be flukes? Have you ever given a fish a freshwater dip?
Jay

That’s good thought! I have not given them a freshwater dip yet. Would you recommend trying it just to see?
I have a small bottle of PraziPro if I need it too.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Have you thought that it could be flukes? Have you ever given a fish a freshwater dip?
Jay

Take temp to 78
Keep an eye on the nodes for no change or less. Increase obviously no good. No change can develop to other symptoms such as bacteria.

@Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081
The Midas Blenny is definitely looking like he’s going to pass today. He didn’t come out for food and he’s breathing very hard & staying at the bottom. His stress colors are certainly out and his fins are looking like they’ve been picked at. He is covered in something today... again, no idea what it is. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[vetteguy53081]

@Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081
The Midas Blenny is definitely looking like he’s going to pass today. He didn’t come out for food and he’s breathing very hard & staying at the bottom. His stress colors are certainly out and his fins are looking like they’ve been picked at. He is covered in something today... again, no idea what it is. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

With the fish being weak/subdued, it’s likely getting picked at hence the fins
Sorry to hear status

 

[Brit’s Fish]

With the fish being weak/subdued, it’s likely getting picked at hence the fins
Sorry to hear status

Do you think there’s anything I can do for him? I can put him in an acclimation box to keep him from getting picked at. Would it be worth trying a FW dip? I don’t want to stress him more. I should have done it yesterday but didn’t because he seemed better and I didn’t see anything on him anymore. *facepalm*
I feel like the worst fish mom... this whole situation could have been avoided if I QTed everyone in the beginning & everything I’m doing since then is just a little too little, too late.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do you think there’s anything I can do for him? I can put him in an acclimation box to keep him from getting picked at. Would it be worth trying a FW dip? I don’t want to stress him more. I should have done it yesterday but didn’t because he seemed better and I didn’t see anything on him anymore. *facepalm*
I feel like the worst fish mom... this whole situation could have been avoided if I QTed everyone in the beginning & everything I’m doing since then is just a little too little, too late.

FW dip will further stress it out
Acclimation box is good especially if it does lose the battle, easy to retrieve

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Do you think there’s anything I can do for him? I can put him in an acclimation box to keep him from getting picked at. Would it be worth trying a FW dip? I don’t want to stress him more. I should have done it yesterday but didn’t because he seemed better and I didn’t see anything on him anymore. *facepalm*
I feel like the worst fish mom... this whole situation could have been avoided if I QTed everyone in the beginning & everything I’m doing since then is just a little too little, too late.

It may not survive FW dip, but you could do that and look for flukes, to help diagnose the issue for you remaining fish. Visually, I see possible flukes OR late stage protozoan infection. What we do here is take a skin scrape and look at it under a microscope - tells us right away what we are dealing with...I understand most folks don’t have a scope though,
Jay

 

[Tamberav]

So I have been battling Ich and trying to go the “management” route while I get my QT ready to go... had been trying to get all the supplies. My Coral Beauty passed last night as I’m sure I waited too long to get the QT going. He’s likely the one who brought the Ich into the tank, but I really liked him and heartbroken that I lost him.
Now I have a Pixy Hawk, Midas Blenny and a Carpenter’s Flasher Wrasse to get out of the DT and into the QT. This alone is going to be a fun adventure... ugh.

My question about QTing these fish though relates to the wrasse. I know they’re pretty sensitive, so I’m wondering what extra steps I need to take during this process. This little guy is a champ and I really don’t want to lose him.
I’m setting up a 20g high basic Aqueon tank with a HOB filter, a sponge filter for extra aeration & a heater. Not planning to add a light, unless you all think it’s necessary.
I am planning to use Cupramine to treat them & I have Seachem MultiTest Copper test strips on hand. I also have poly filters for once I need them.
Also, can I use 10 gallons from the DT and 10 gallons of fresh saltwater, along with some bottle bacteria to make sure there’s no crazy cycle happening in the QT? I have an ammonia badge and Red Sea test kits to keep an eye out for any spikes, but I’m hoping to avoid that extra stress.
This is my first time QTing... won’t be my last as I have a 90g build that I plan to start sometime soon & I'm not going through this again! any help or words of encouragement are welcome! ;Shy

I would never use copper again without a hannah high range copper kit. Anything else is less accurate and you are dealing with a toxic chemical. Too little and the parasite seems gone but will come back when they get out of copper... too much and dead fish (dead wrasse).

That blenny looks like it has velvet or brook to me, I am leaning towards brook. Copper is for velvet, Metroplex is for brook. He looks too far gone to save.

Dipping your remaining fish in peroxide (NOT PURE PEROXIDE, I believe it is 1.25ml per cup of salr water) for 30 min will help knock off velvet and brook before they go into QT and give them much relief.