This is velvet, right?

[BilboB]

If so, I'm supposed to do a freshwater dip for 3-5 minutes and then put it in a QT tank with copper and nitrofurazone, right?

 

[thejellyfishgirl]

A general rule is that if you can count the white spots, its ich. If you can't its velvet. Velvet tends to have a more powdered-sugar like appearance where ich is more like salt. ich also tends to be slightly raised (ie, looking straight down the spine of the fish you should see little white crystals protruding).

Regardless if this is ich or velvet, a QT tank with copper is the way to go. I would suggest sticking all your fish in there - even the ones who aren't showing symptoms yet.

 

[BilboB]

That's a relief - except that my display tank is already being treated with Kick-Ich due to some ich I saw on another fish a few days ago which looks fine today. I guess I need to add more.

 

[thejellyfishgirl]

I don't think there has been an effective reef-safe ich treatment discovered yet. I would strongly suggest to ditch the kick-ich and switch to a copper based treatment approach, itll save you lots of head and heartache in the long run (ask me how I know!)

That's a relief - except that my display tank is already being treated with Kick-Ich due to some ich I saw on another fish a few days ago which looks fine today. I guess I need to add more.

 

[MikeReefs]

I hope that’s not a starfish and you’re adding copper. Only real way to kill ich is by copper treatment. But it is absolutely not reef safe. And if you do use it in you main display you can never put any inverts in it again

 

[NanoSteam]

I hope that’s not a starfish and you’re adding copper

Sounds like it's Kick-ich one of the "natural" remedies but it won't do anything especially since the tang is severely overrun by it.

 

[MikeReefs]

Yea most of those reef safe treatments are bogus. Might help but will never eradicate it. Wish there was a treatment that was reef safe. It would safe millions of fish in this hobby

 

[Euphyllia97]

Throw away the kick-ich, no proof has been given that this stuff works and it might do more harm than good. For me it is quite simple. Or you treat with copper (in a QT if you have or plan to have corals/inverts and snails). Second option is to focus on good feeding and stable conditions to help the slime coat of your fish and their immunity. You can also add a UV to kill someof the free swimming parasites. You will never fully get rid of the ich this way, but you might have enough control.

Looking at the pictures, it looks like ich and possible velvet. Velvet can not be managed the way ich can. 30 days Treatment of the fish in copper is required. The infection looks quite serious, so I would skip the freshwater dip and put it in therapeutical copper levels as soon as possible. Only add copper initially and observe how the fish reacts to the treatment

 

[W31Olds]

Looks like a pretty serious case of Ich to me and needs to be treated in a separate Tank using Chelated Copper (safest) and recommend using a Hanna HR Copper Test Kit. What other fish do you have ? They will likely be showing signs also. It's too late for Management to be effective.
@Jay Hemdal
@vetteguy53081

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

If so, I'm supposed to do a freshwater dip for 3-5 minutes and then put it in a QT tank with copper and nitrofurazone, right?

This for sure isn't velvet (Amyloodinium). It is almost assuredly marine ich. I agree - you'll need to move all of the exposed fish to a treatment tank (or move all of the invertebrates out if that's easier). The best treatment is coppersafe at 2.25 ppm for 30 days for all exposed fish (ugh - I know that's a chore!). Kick-Ich is popular, not because it works, but because it is purported to be safe to use in a mixed fish and invertebrate tank....