Wierd?

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

Zippeay

New Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2006
Messages
32
Reaction score
0
Ok I have a 35 gallon tank with 2 clowns a flame angel, 2 pajama cardinals and some sort of butterfly fish but I'm not exactly sure what kind it is. I bought it to take care of a bristleworm problem and he's mostly white with yellow fins and a small stripe right behind his head "If that helps at all". Anyway last night I noticed the butterfly fish was covered in white spots "So I freaked out and thought it was ICH but it was 12am so there wasn't a whole lot I could do right then". The white spots were still there when I left this morning but when I went home at lunch they were completely gone???? The white spots looked almost like little tiny small bubbles, was that ICH? Should I treat for it? Anyone have any suggestions about what it might have been? Thanks -Zipp
 
Were the spots table salt grain size, or larger?

Ich is a strange parasite, especially in the marine world. Some fish can tolerate low levels of infection and never become symptomatic despite the fact that the parasite is still in the tank. Occasionally, stress brings symptoms out, but the removal of whatever was stressing out the butterfly might have made its symptoms go away. Also, sometimes saltwater fish change color patterns to blend in with environmental conditions. Not sure if buttefly fish can do this, but its something to consider.

Since he's no longer symptomatic, I wouldnt do anything. Just keep the fish well fed and un-stressed
 
Well.... ummm the spots are back again??? I don't know if my cleaner shrimp just keeps cleaning him off and then the come back or what? I think I'm going to treat for ICH just in case, but it's late now so I have to wait till tomorrow :crazy: . I hope he'll be ok till I can get to the LFS tomorrow :-( .
 
Be careful what you treat with Zip, copper based meds will kill corals if you have them.
 
If it was me, I wouldn't use any type of chemical medicine in a tank with invertebrates.

What you could try is a UV sterilizer - it will have the same effect as a chemical treatment, but does not harm anything which does not enter it's chamber.

I've also heard of people using freshwater baths with a high rate of success. The method is to use a fresh batch of RO water, and simply drop the fish in and let him swim around for at least a minute. In combonation with a UV sterilizer, this is supposed to be the most effective treatment known, as the freshwater bath even kills parasites embedded in the skin, while the ultraviolet sterilizer kills the free swimming larvae.

I've tried it twice before, but the fish were both too far-gone to survive.

-Lynden
 
Please tell me that is a typo in your first post and that you meant 55, not 35...

Otherwise you are a bit crowded and this may be causing some stress.
Many species of the butterly are quite timid.

GL
 
Agreed, 35 gallons is far too small for the fish listed and is almost certainnly a factor in the stress levels.

Treating ich.. make sure you use a reef safe medication or your cleaer shrimp is not going to live long. UV and Ozone sterilisers are by far the best way to treat a reef system but in their abense i certainly wouldnt avoid using a chemical medication. I have seen too many systems get wiped out due to reluctant hobbiests treating with adequate medication.

As for the butterfly dealing with bristoeworms... I dont know of any butterfly that willl eat bristleworms. You need wrasses for this and unless you have a dwarf wrasse then your system is again sadly too small.
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Members online

Back
Top