Ich and Raised Spots?

[James_R]

Hi everyone,

I recently got 3 Boesemani Rainbows from my LFS and put them in a 10-gallon quarantine tank with a seeded sponge filter from my display tank. I also added 3 platies to a separate quarantine tank with an internal filter and seeded media.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate 0-5/10
Temp: 84f - both tanks

• Day 1: Added fish to quarantine tanks. Both seemed healthy at first.
• Day 2: Both tanks showed signs of ich:
  • Rainbows had white spots on fins and bodies, many of them raised.
  • Platies had flat white spots on fins and bodies.
  • Treated both tanks with Ich-X (malachite green, formaldehyde, sodium chloride) and raised the temperature.
• Day 3 (Today):
  • Rainbows:
    • White spots are still present.
    • One fish has a raised white spot near the head close to the eye (2nd pic), which might be epistylis.
    • Multiple raised spots on fins and bodies that don’t look like typical ich.
    • Eating well and normal poop so far.
  • Platies:
    • Ich spots disappeared after one day of treatment.
    • One platy still has a raised fuzzy white spot on its side.
    • Appetite is low, they sometimes spit out food, and poop is inconsistent—normal, white/clear, or white mixed with black/beige. I think this could mean intestinal worms.
• Treatment Plan:

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• Ich Treatment: Continuing Ich-X in both tanks.
• Suspected Epistylis (Rainbows):
  • I already have Kanaplex (kanamycin) on hand. It’s compatible with Ich-X but not with Paracleanse. If I use Kanaplex, I’ll need to wait to treat for internal parasites until after removing Kanaplex with carbon.
  • Considering Maracyn 2 (minocycline) instead, which works with Ich-X and Paracleanse, letting me address both epistylis and parasites at the same time. I could try to get this from a local store tomorrow or Sunday.
  • I also have Maracyn (erythromycin) but don’t know if it works for epistylis—any advice?
• Temperature Adjustment: If treating for both epistylis and ich, I plan to lower the temperature back to 78°F, which is more appropriate for both treatments.
• Internal Parasites (All Fish): Planning to treat all fish with Paracleanse (metronidazole, praziquantel) later as a precaution during quarantine.
• Questions:

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• Could the raised white spots on the rainbows’ fins, bodies, and head near the eye be epistylis, ich, or something else?
• For the platy with the raised fuzzy white spot, does this sound like ich, epistylis, or fungus?
• Should I use Kanaplex (since I have it), or try to get Maracyn 2 to handle epistylis and parasites at the same time?

 

[Back in the fold]

Interesting . What I would like to know is how long does ich take to completely run its course and disappear for good ?

 

[MaloK]

Interesting . What I would like to know is how long does ich take to completely run its course and disappear for good ?

The life cycle of ich buckles up in around 7-10 days in normal condition, during the free-swimming stage of the parasite they will die within 48-96 hours without a fish to infect. The encysted stage can survive a little longer.

Trophont (2-5 days) -> Tomont (1-3 days) -> Theront (1-3 days)

Without any fish to infect in a tank, at higher temperature 3-4 days and a good cleanup is enough to eradicate an infection with great confidence. It's why it's indicated to treat fish for at least 14 days to be sure to have broken the cycle.

 

[Back in the fold]

The life cycle of ich buckles up in around 7-10 days in normal condition, during the free-swimming stage of the parasite they will die within 48-96 hours without a fish to infect. The encysted stage can survive a little longer.

Trophont (2-5 days) -> Tomont (1-3 days) -> Theront (1-3 days)

Without any fish to infect in a tank, at higher temperature 3-4 days and a good cleanup is enough to eradicate an infection with great confidence. It's why it's indicated to treat fish for at least 14 days to be sure to have broken the cycle.

Good information . Thank you .

 

[Fishfunn]

• Day 1: Added fish to quarantine tanks. Both seemed healthy at first.
• Day 2:Both tanks showed signs of ich:
  • Rainbows had white spots on fins and bodies, many of them raised.
  • Platies had flat white spots on fins and bodies.
  • Treated both tanks with Ich-X (malachite green, formaldehyde, sodium chloride) and raised the temperature.

When you added the fish to the quarantine tanks, did you not properly acclimate them to the tanks' water temperature before release? If you added them too quickly, this can explain the sudden appearance of Ich.

If there’s no improvement after 5 days, the disease was mostly likely misdiagnosed, and you are not dealing with Ich. Stop treating with Ich-X, gradually remove it using your normal water change schedule, and reevaluate the diagnosis.

I wouldn't treat with antibiotics yet since it sounds like Ich. Ich-X will do a good job on its own, plus I wouldn't want to stress the fish out by raising the temperature too high.

 

[James_R]

Thanks for your reply! I acclimated the fish properly before adding them. I floated the bags first to match the temperature, then drip acclimated them before release. Today, all the spots on the rainbows are gone. I’m shocked—it happened overnight. Not a single spot remains on their fins or bodies. The raised fuzzy spot on the platy’s side is also gone.

After my first message on Thursday, I gradually brought the temperature in both tanks down to 78°F. I also gave one more dose of Ich-X. I haven’t used any antibiotics yet since I was waiting for advice, so it’s good this cleared up on its own or with Ich-X—I’m not sure which.

I plan to give one more daily dose of Ich-X to complete a full 3-dose treatment. Should I wait a few days after the final dose to see if any spots come back, or should I start dosing Paracleanse right away to treat for internal parasites as a precaution? I’ll upload pictures soon to confirm everything looks clear.