- Joined
- Apr 9, 2020
- Messages
- 31
- Reaction score
- 16
I recently noticed little white spots on my four red spot glass cardinals (Apogon parvulus). I treated for internal parasites (more on that later) and when that didn’t work I assumed it might be ich and moved all of my fish (the 4 cardinals, a Helfrich’s firefish, and a pink streaked wrasse) to my quarantine system. I brought the copper level up to 2.5ppm over the course of a few days using Copper Power Parasite Treatment. I checked the level every day with my Hanna copper checker and made sure it never dropped below 2.5ppm. It’s been two weeks since reaching a concentration of 2.5ppm copper and I see no difference in the white spots. At this point I doubt it’s ich. The only fish affected are the cardinals. There are no spots whatsoever on the firefish or wrasse.
Before I moved my fish to my quarantine tank I did notice that one of my cardinals stopped eating. He didn’t eat for several days and I was sure he would die, but the copper seems to have helped. A few days after transferring him to the quarantine system he started eating again. I didn’t change the food I was feeding; the only difference was the copper. The other thing that makes me question whether I’m dealing with ich is the fact that the spots seem to be INSIDE the fish. I can see them inside because of the fish’s clear bodies. I’ve read that ich burrows into the skin to feed, but from pictures I’ve seen online, fish affected by ich are covered in spots on the outside. My fish don’t really have exterior spots, the majority seem to be inside. Before transferring the fish to quarantine I did try feeding them with food soaked in Seachem metroplex and focus to treat for internal parasites but it had no effect. I’m at a loss as to what this could be. I don’t want to keep my fish in copper for any longer than I need to, but at the same time I’m afraid to take them out when they’re still sick. I’ll try to post some pictures tomorrow but they probably won’t help much. It’s very difficult to get the camera to focus on the spots on such a small, clear fish.
Before I moved my fish to my quarantine tank I did notice that one of my cardinals stopped eating. He didn’t eat for several days and I was sure he would die, but the copper seems to have helped. A few days after transferring him to the quarantine system he started eating again. I didn’t change the food I was feeding; the only difference was the copper. The other thing that makes me question whether I’m dealing with ich is the fact that the spots seem to be INSIDE the fish. I can see them inside because of the fish’s clear bodies. I’ve read that ich burrows into the skin to feed, but from pictures I’ve seen online, fish affected by ich are covered in spots on the outside. My fish don’t really have exterior spots, the majority seem to be inside. Before transferring the fish to quarantine I did try feeding them with food soaked in Seachem metroplex and focus to treat for internal parasites but it had no effect. I’m at a loss as to what this could be. I don’t want to keep my fish in copper for any longer than I need to, but at the same time I’m afraid to take them out when they’re still sick. I’ll try to post some pictures tomorrow but they probably won’t help much. It’s very difficult to get the camera to focus on the spots on such a small, clear fish.