Is this ick?

Hey everyone! We just got our first aquarium! I’ve noticed the gourami is stressed out and had these white spots. It’s ick right? If it is should I be worried about knocking out my cycle when I treat? How should I avoid an ammonia spike ?

It's not clear from the photo, but if it looks like someone has sprinkled salt over the fish, that's ich.

The best treatment is heat; all the medications are harsh on the fish. Clean the tank to remove as many stage #2 parasites as possible, then refill with water warmer than usual. Turn the heater up to get the water temperature to 86 deg F/30 deg C and leave it it that level for 2 weeks or 1 week after the last spot disappears, whichever is longer. Then turn the heater back down. When you do water changes, use warmer water to keep the temp at that level.

The white spots on the tail look like to be "inside" the fish which is weird.
His general health doesn't look too good to me.

I wasn't sure which of the white dots were on the fish and which in the water/on the glass

That fish just looks stressed to me. Have you live plants in your tank. These guys need plants just like you need a warm blanket on a cold winters night.

itiwhetu said:

That fish just looks stressed to me. Have you live plants in your tank. These guys need plants just like you need a warm blanket on a cold winters night.

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Yes I have a bunch of live plants. He has a few that he hangs out in. He’s definitely stressed. But I saw him eat yesterday so that’s a good sign. I’m keeping a super close eye on him. The first thing we did was raise the temp. But last night I told my boyfriend I didn’t think the fish were strong enough to make it through treatment. But he went ahead and added ick-x and Maracyn anyways. This morning everyone was great so I’m not mad yet lol. And if this round doesn’t work we might move onto paracleanse. I’ll keep you all updated. Thanks for all your reply’s.