Achilies Tang Diagnosis

[breezy.23]

Hey everyone, long time lurker first time poster here. I’ve had this achilies since he was microscopic, no reminisce of an orange dot so I’ve essentially had him most of his life. Going on 8+ months now.


My Achilies has had this on going issue for easily two weeks now.

Initially I thought it was burns from my torch, he chases the green chromis around it when it has poop hanging, trying to eat it. With the burns typically going away after a couple days, I noticed these haven’t. I know achilies are prone to ich so that’s where my mind turns. However, it doesn’t strike me as ich, if I can get him to lose his color, they’re more like black dots on him. In the right light they can turn a shade of white but that’s about it.

I catch him flashing every now and then but not too often. Acting perfectly fine and is a pig when it comes to eating. No cloudy eye or anything either, he is a garbage disposal when it comes to eating. Since I don’t believe it’s ich, my thought is to just let it run its course.

I’m looking for any advice, I’m able to do a QT tank if I need to with copper. The issue may be getting him out of the tank. I know they’re able to fight ich off on their own. However I’m growing to believe it’s some sort of bacterial, seeing no other fish have received the same markings in the last 2 weeks.

 

[KrisReef]

That looks like ich (mucus cones) but the pictures are difficult to see. Just because one fish is showing spots doesn't mean that there is not ich present. Your description suggests a mild infection. Some will say you need to QT now, others will say manage it.

 

[breezy.23]

That looks like ich (mucus cones) but the pictures are difficult to see. Just because one fish is showing spots doesn't mean that there is not ich present. Your description suggests a mild infection. Some will say you need to QT now, others will say manage it.

Thank you for the reply. Website butchered the quality of the pics. It’s not like ich I’ve seen before. These bumps look like they’re coming from beneath the skin rather than on the top level like ich would sit.

 

[KrisReef]

Thank you for the reply. Website butchered the quality of the pics. It’s not like ich I’ve seen before. These bumps look like they’re coming from beneath the skin rather than on the top level like ich would sit.

What I have come to understand from the folks who reply to these kinds of questions is that the stuff we can see (and call Ich) is actually the fishes immune system dealing with the injury caused by the infection of ich. It does manifest itself in various appearances upon different fishes, which I suspect is one reason why many tangs are called "Ich Magnets." Their immune response is very visible vs. many other fishes.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hey everyone, long time lurker first time poster here. I’ve had this achilies since he was microscopic, no reminisce of an orange dot so I’ve essentially had him most of his life. Going on 8+ months now.


My Achilies has had this on going issue for easily two weeks now.

Initially I thought it was burns from my torch, he chases the green chromis around it when it has poop hanging, trying to eat it. With the burns typically going away after a couple days, I noticed these haven’t. I know achilies are prone to ich so that’s where my mind turns. However, it doesn’t strike me as ich, if I can get him to lose his color, they’re more like black dots on him. In the right light they can turn a shade of white but that’s about it.

I catch him flashing every now and then but not too often. Acting perfectly fine and is a pig when it comes to eating. No cloudy eye or anything either, he is a garbage disposal when it comes to eating. Since I don’t believe it’s ich, my thought is to just let it run its course.

I’m looking for any advice, I’m able to do a QT tank if I need to with copper. The issue may be getting him out of the tank. I know they’re able to fight ich off on their own. However I’m growing to believe it’s some sort of bacterial, seeing no other fish have received the same markings in the last 2 weeks.

Can you take pictures under white lights?

At first, I thought just mucus cones from stress, but those really only show up on a fish's body, and I can see one white spot on a fin. Ich trophonts will come and go and change location day to day. I would watch for that....

Jay