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Can bristlenoses even get chicken pox? That is exactly what it looks like and he even has them on his belly. None of the others have it, nor the gouramis in the same tank. This is one of the 6 bns I got last week. For now I have put some Melafix into the water.

That is quite weird! I doesn't really look like ick either as it is too large and yellow. Hopefully someone with much better disease skills can help you out.

How is the fishes behavior?

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Here is an unedited photo with a dwarf gourami and wafer tabs to show how small these bn's are.

I read up on white spot and apparently if each one of those spots ruptures 2000 parasites emerge to freeswim to the next fish.

I have dosed the tank with 1/2 strength Protozin as Waterlife recommends it for white spot and it won't harm the plants, the filter, or the bacterial balance of the tank. Hopefully it will help the little fella and protect his friends from contracting white spots too.

Wow, is the first time you've ever had fish get whitespot AKA ich (short for Ichthyophthirius)? Jeez, I'd almost consider that lucky. Ich is a really common disease. You'll be able to read up on it in any fish book from decades back.

It almost doesn't look like ich because of how small your bn's are, considering I normally see ich on bigger fish.

You'll have to keep treating for a while. When in the spot form, the parasite is in a protected state. In fact, it is when the parasite is freeswimming in the water column when it is unprotected and can be killed. Many aquarists actually turn up the temperature when treating ich; though this makes the ich grow faster, it also makes them leave their protected state more quickly and become free-swimming earlier, thus shortening the time you may have to treat for ich. When the spots are gone, you still want to keep treating for some time to make sure you get all the freeswimming gus.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Wow.....It looks like teenage brakeouts!

I would think it is ick, and it probably is, but it just looks so different, as the spots arent white, hence the name Whitespot....

I would say, dpending on how long ago this happened, to get the heck outta there and put him in a hospital tank, as it will spread, and quickly! Now if this has been here for more than a day, or however long it takes to burst, you could have the other icckies living in the gravel.

Good Luck!



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Don't forget to bump the temp up to about 80-82.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

No need to change the heater temp as I doubt the thermostat will even come on today.
It is 10am and the weatherman says the temperature is already 27 degrees celcius which is 80.6 farenheit.
A bristlenoses temp tolerance is 15 to 27 C or up to 80.6 farenheit. My indoor tanks are showing 80.6.

The temp thing is not a huge factor in fixing the Ich. Consistent Ich meds are the thing. I use QuIck Cure, (malachite green med)If it's Ich, you'll need to keep medicating for probably two weeks past the time you finally see those spots disappear.

There's no need to strip the entire tank down or anything. The raising of the temp just speeds up their life cycle, which is important because we can only kill em (the Ichs) with meds during one of their three life phases (i forget which one).

Good luck!

The temp thing is not a huge factor in fixing the Ich.

No it is not a huge thing it is part of the treatment. By increasing the temp it speeds up the life cycle of the Ich enabling the medications to work on the Ich as it starts to regenerate.

Just to be on the safe side I would always treat the tank for at least one month just to make sure you have got all the Ich as by then it would have gone through several life cycles.

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Keith

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Hi,
The recommended treatment for fish is the use of a
copper sulfate, with Potassium Permanganate as a second
option. Copper kills the parasite. However, the parasite
is only vulnerable when it is in the free swimming stage.
During the rest of the time it is either encysted and
laying on the substrate, or attached to the fish and
feeding from the fish. To eradicate the parasite,
you need to increase the temperature of the tank
(see instructions). This speeds up (shortens) length of
time that that the parasite will be encysted, and become
free swimming. It also shortens the time the parasite
will remain attached to the host.
By shortening the life cycle of the parasite, you have
a better chance of completely killing it off and subjecting
your fish to the element, Copper.

Normal treatments are 10-14 days with no carbon in the
filters. Carbon absorbs the copper and lessens the
effectiveness of the treatment. Most advise as much as
a 50% water change at the end of treatment and the
resumption of the use of carbon in the filters along with
a gradual reduction in the tank's temperature.

I cannot find anything on the medication you say you are
using. Everything I read says it works on nearly everything
(my words) from the treatment of Ich, to Neon Disease, to
a fungus. Each ad says to see the flyer that comes with
the medication, but I cannot find what the flyer says
anywhere. I don't think I'd use it.

Frank


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good stuff Frank, as always... but I have read where Copper is bad for fish with no scales... Is that correct?

I heard that copper is lethal to inverts and many scaleless fish especially corys! Also, copper is hard to remove from the tank, and in many cases, you cant. Thats why they have things such as Protozin or Ick away as safer, less permanent treatments. Protozin is very potent and i also heard it is very safe too! But i dont think they sell it in LFS here in the US. At least down here its not for sale!

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I personally do not like copper treatments, and am a one that likes malachite green. I have also used ich meds with formalin in them. In any case, any fish without scales is going to be affected more by anything in the water, not just copper, but also other medications; you will notice that meds such as Rid-Ich advise using half dosage with scaleless fish such as mormyrids and rays. But the fact is that chemicsls such as malachite green are carcinogenic and toxic. Formalin is used a chemical I see around the lab often; scientists use it to preserve animals!

So the toxicity of copper really is not the issue as to why not to use copper treatments. The point of these meds is to add something that will kill parasites and diseases at low dosages but not kill the fish. Personally I have experienced better results with non-copper treatments, but that's just me. Some people don't like the fact that dyes like malachite green will stain their silicon.

I have tried to look up Protozin and am finding that people are saying it doesn't list its active ingredient. Which is kind of suspicious if you ask me...

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Hi,
Before using any medication always read the box before
purchasing. Yes, copper will kill the fish and inverts.
The box gives very specific warnings about the fish that
could be harmed.

BTW, Malachite Green gets its name from the green,
coloration similar to the copper ore also
named malachite.

It is a very dangerous medication that has been found
to cause cancer in both animals and humans.
http://www.novalek.com/kordon/malachite_green/index.htm

It will stain the silicone used to hold the tank together,
permanently.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I didnt have trouble so much with the silicone staining, but I did get a few green stained gravels...

I treated with QuICK Cure.. malachite green and formalin. It worked pretty well for me...