Need Help!!!

[saltysyd]

I have a pakistan butterfly that I purchased last friday and i noticed about 2 or 3 days ago that it now has white flecks on all his fins?? Is this ick? they look like sugar granules. There is none on his body or gills anywhere and he is eating, acting and swimming fine. He is not scratching against anything and none of my other fish have this. Any suggestions???

 

[beth]

Yes, it definately sounds like ich. What type of tank do you have? Do you have a hospital tank?

 

[saltysyd]

55 gallon w/2 percs, 1 choc chip starfish and 2 turbo snails, not a reef and no LR, and unfortunately no i don't have a hospital tank. Can i hypo the display, i know it might kill the star but it's better than my whole tank being infected???

 

[saltysyd]

:rolleyes my tank has been cycled and up and running for about 4 months. I test my water 2x per week and it has always been perfect ever since the tank finished cycling. As of last nite the water parameters were: ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrate 0, temp 82, ph 8.0, salt 1.020. Also I have been feeding the butterfly various foods which include: marine flakes, dried seaweed on a lettuce clip, spirulina flakes, bloodworms, and brine. Is this appropriate??

 

[beth]

How is the "alleged" ich now? Still just a few specs, or has it spread?
You can easily do hypo in your existing tank. Perhaps the LFS could hold your inverts for a month or so, or you could just sell it back to them if they won't "hold".

 

[saltysyd]

Well I put my tank into hypo thurs. The salinty is at 1.09 Unfortunately, when I got home from work friday evening my heater had stopped working during the day, the water was down to an icey 72 and my starfish, snails and butterfly were dead!! The ick had been starting to spread on the butterfly also. My 2 perc clowns are still alive, kicking and showing no signs of ick. How long should I keep them in hypo??