Is my tank getting ich

[Stefan3289]

Hello all,

I just was starting my weekly water change on my 75 South American cichlid tank and I noticed one of my rainbow fish has a white bump on her side. My severum has had a white bump on his fin for a few weeks but he is fine I am not sure what that is as he shows no other symptoms. I have treated ich a few years ago when I first was starting my tank up and treated it successfully with medication but I do not want to use that again if not needed. The rainbow fish doesn’t show any other symptoms like being lethargic, not eating, frantic movement, or shinning on the decoration she seemed perfectly fine otherwise. I will do a 60% water change and syphon the gravel very well, but should I try the heat and salt method or should I wait it out to see if more spots show up on other fish?

 

[Byron]

A photo (as clear as possible) will help. But a spot that remains in the same place for weks is certainly not ich. It may be nothing or something, let's hope the photo will help someone identify it.

Never use any medication/treatment unless you have a fair degree of certainty as to the problem and then only if the medication/treatment is the safest and most effective for the specific problem. We must always remember that any mdication added to the tank is going to get inside all the fish and cause stress, and if it is not effective for whatever this will only make things worse.

 

[Stefan3289]

A photo (as clear as possible) will help. But a spot that remains in the same place for weks is certainly not ich. It may be nothing or something, let's hope the photo will help someone identify it.

Never use any medication/treatment unless you have a fair degree of certainty as to the problem and then only if the medication/treatment is the safest and most effective for the specific problem. We must always remember that any mdication added to the tank is going to get inside all the fish and cause stress, and if it is not effective for whatever this will only make things worse.

Last time I treated a few years ago there were many spots on all the fish I tried to do the salt and heat but it was not working so I resorted to the medication which worked. This time the rainbow fish has a new spot just one the severum has had it for a while which I don’t think is ich but I am not sure what it is I will get a picture of both of them and post it in a little bit.

 

[GaryE]

A white lump that stays where it is and doesn't spread is usually a cyst. Ich develops very quickly, and doesn't take its time spreading. It breeds fast and moves.

 

[Stefan3289]

Update on this situation in case anyone else is going through the same thing. I didn’t start a heat and salt treatment as recommended and the spot on the rainbow fish went away with no new spots. My severum still has some white patch/bump that has been on his fin for months almost like a birth mark but he does not seem bothered by it and it is not growing or worsening.