Chu'Wuti
Fish Fanatic
Well, I guess we couldn't go long without *some* problem!
I noticed a small white spot on one of the pectoral fins of our male pearl gourami. Only one--but it sure looks like the start of ich to me! I can't get a photo; he won't hold still and pose! Plus, I'm worried that I could be missing seeing some white spots due to their pearl spots. EDIT: I note that they seem to be sucking air at the surface more than usual, also.
I'd appreciate a confirmation or rejection of my diagnosis, because we bought these fish and the shrimp in the tank with them on 12 June 2020, which means they've been in the tank for just over 8 weeks. We did add some new plants about a week ago, but no other fish have been added. We've also been battling cyanobacteria and have cleaned the slime off the sand and plants several times in the past few days (and both yesterday and today). So, since no new fish have been added and we have had these fish just over 8 weeks, could this be ich? Or is it more likely to be something else?
DH is going to start increasing temps tonight. Here's my plan, after watching a video on ich treatment by Prime Time Aquatics:
1. Increase temps to 84 degrees F
2. Add 1T aquarium salt/10 gallons of water (our tank is heavily planted, and we have shrimp)
3. Increase oxygenation: we just today ordered air stones and a pump to run them in hopes that increasing oxygenation would help battle the cyanobacteria (we've already stopped feeding and cut lighting down)
4. Turn lights down--already in process due to cyanobacteria
5. Decrease food--already in process due to cyanobacteria
6. Medicate with Ich-X for one week past disappearance of all white spots
7. Maintain salt and temperature levels for two weeks past disappearance of all white spots.
If you agree we likely have ich, do you have tweaks to the above treatment, or other suggestions? If you think this isn't ich, what could it be and how should we treat it?
I noticed a small white spot on one of the pectoral fins of our male pearl gourami. Only one--but it sure looks like the start of ich to me! I can't get a photo; he won't hold still and pose! Plus, I'm worried that I could be missing seeing some white spots due to their pearl spots. EDIT: I note that they seem to be sucking air at the surface more than usual, also.
I'd appreciate a confirmation or rejection of my diagnosis, because we bought these fish and the shrimp in the tank with them on 12 June 2020, which means they've been in the tank for just over 8 weeks. We did add some new plants about a week ago, but no other fish have been added. We've also been battling cyanobacteria and have cleaned the slime off the sand and plants several times in the past few days (and both yesterday and today). So, since no new fish have been added and we have had these fish just over 8 weeks, could this be ich? Or is it more likely to be something else?
DH is going to start increasing temps tonight. Here's my plan, after watching a video on ich treatment by Prime Time Aquatics:
1. Increase temps to 84 degrees F
2. Add 1T aquarium salt/10 gallons of water (our tank is heavily planted, and we have shrimp)
3. Increase oxygenation: we just today ordered air stones and a pump to run them in hopes that increasing oxygenation would help battle the cyanobacteria (we've already stopped feeding and cut lighting down)
4. Turn lights down--already in process due to cyanobacteria
5. Decrease food--already in process due to cyanobacteria
6. Medicate with Ich-X for one week past disappearance of all white spots
7. Maintain salt and temperature levels for two weeks past disappearance of all white spots.
If you agree we likely have ich, do you have tweaks to the above treatment, or other suggestions? If you think this isn't ich, what could it be and how should we treat it?
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