Can't get rid of ich!

claw_atticas

I bought the fish in my profile (Other than the pinfish) on July 30, and the next day my Butterflyfish came down with a case of ich, though none of the other fish have any troubles with it. I've been treating him and the rest of the tank since last Friday (The 1st of August) with Kordon Ich Attack, and gave the Butterflyfish a freshwater dip on the 2nd.
I decided to wait a day for him to recover, and gave him a 9min hyposalinity dip today (The 4th). After returning him to the tank, I took pictures of the ich, where he has one spot on his left pectoral fin, a spot on his dorsal fin, a buildup on his pelvic fin, and spots along his beak, gills, and left side. I'm also not sure if the spots on his beak and near his gills are buildups of ich, or bumps under the scales (Best seen in the last 2 pics)

Pasfur

I'm not sure you actually have Cryptocarion, or marine ich. If so, it is highly probable that you would have seen the infection on other fish, and would have seen it begin to cover the body of the fish as well. There are dozens of other possibilities.

I know it can be painstakingly difficult, but can you post some clearer pictures?

claw_atticas

Here's a picture from the 1st of August, when I saw whatever this is around the gills.



And here's some more pictures I took just now, showing the bumps along his beak and near his gills


In the last picture, you can also see the white spots/bumps along his lower side and his pelvic fin

Pasfur

The larger spots are not ich, they are most likely a viral infection. You could have ich on the body with lympnocystis setting in as a secondary infection. I just can't tell from these pictures.

I am going to see if SKAustin can help on this one. If not, i'll find some contacts offline to take a look.

SKAustin

From the photos, I would have to guess that your fish did suffer from Ich. It also looks like it picked up some form of secondary infection, likely as result of a compromised resistances due to the Ich infection. It is still hard to tell in the photos for a positive ID, but from the indications, I would tend to agree with Pasfur in that it may be lymphocystis. Lymphocystis is identified as a white, wart like growth that occurs nearly always on the edges of the mouth and/or fins. Lymphocystis is not usually a life threatening condition, though it may reduce the fishes immunity to other ailments. Feed foods with garlic additives, or soaked in a garlic suppliment to boost the fishes immune system, and pay close attention to aquarium husbandry. Test your water and do any necessary water changes to keep your levels in check. If you dont see improvement in the fish's condition, you may well have another bacterial or fungal infection. you may need to seek a broad spectrum antibiotic coupled with a hyposalinity quarantine. Keep us posted on the progression and provide additional photos if you can get any of a high quality, up close.

Can you see any adverse behavioral changes in the fish as of yet?


Generally, Ich is ever present in the aquarium, and healthy fish are often unaffected by it's presence. When stressors are added, like poor water quality, new fish, new environment, or excess human hands in the water, the fish may become more susceptible to these parasites. Different fish are more susceptible to the ich parasite than others. Frequent water changes over the next few weeks will help reduce the parasites presence in the tank.