Sick Fish; please help

[luvmytang2]

:help:
My butterfly fish looked like it may have ICH. I want to mention that last night he had no signs and was eating and swimming just fine.
I did a freshwater dip this morning for approx 3-4 min and then placed him in my QT tank. After the dip he was shedding something from his entire body....fins, eyes, mouth. The white spots were still there. He is still alive but is in extreme stress.
What do you think this is? How do I need to proceed?
Parameters below...
salinity 1.024
PH 8.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate trace (lowest detectable)
I only have two other fish and they appear fine. Thanks in advance for any help you can give

 

[luvmytang2]

Additional tank info....
Tank age: 3 months
Butterfly fish diet: Brine shrimp
Temp 78
tank size 75 gallons
Whatever this fish has came one quickly and without warning.

 

[nicetry]

Are you sure it was ich? How long have you had the butterfly? What species of bf is it?
Don't do any more dips on this fish. It will do more harm than good. You say the fish is in the Q tank; are the water parameters given those of the Q tank or the display?
A lot of things are worthy of consideration here; Post more info about your entire set-up.

 

[luvmytang2]

The butterfly is Lemon Butterfly. I have had the fish for about a month now. I assumed it was ich because of the white spots, however, since they did not come off with a freshwater dip....I guess I am wrong. The whitespots were only on his tail and fins. I was not planning on any more dips.
The parameters are of the main display tank. I checked the QT tank and the only tests which come out different the Nitrates and PH...I get zero for Nitrates and 8.3 for PH. This is not too far from the display tank.
My display tank is 75 gallons with 400 watts of lighting (half actinic/half compact flor). I have protein skimmer (Prizm) and canister filter (Rena 1000) large enough for a 100 gallon tank. I also have two powerheads for current. I do water changes every 10 days about 15%.

 

[nicetry]

What did the spots look like? Ich will resemble salt sprinkles on the fish but will also appear on the body and not just the fins. Were the spots small like that or larger and more clumpy?
Were either of the other two fish added recently, and do you quarantine your fish before placing them in the display?
Not saying it isn't ich, but you need to be sure of what you're treating. At this point with the bf in quarantine, you could begin hyposalinity treatment.

 

[luvmytang2]

The spots were more like very small white splotches. I researched the internet a long time this morning and the closest match was Ich. I feel I was wrong now.
The other two fish were the first added after my cycle was complete. I would say they have been in there a little over 2 months. They are one Damsel and one Clarki Clown. I didn't QT the Butterfly as I know now I should have. If he was sick when I purchased him, wouldn't he have shown symptoms prior to a month later. I had been watching the fish at my LFS for about two months prior to purchasing him
What possible illnesses could attack a fish in such a rapid manner? Should I start the hyposalinity now?
Thanks for the great information. I really appreciate it.

 

[luvmytang2]

I lost my Damsel this morning. He had no syptoms like the Butterfly. I just found him floating. He ate well last night and appeared fine.
I checked all of my parameters again this morning. Nothing has changed.
Any ideas from anyone? What is killing my fish?

 

[toughguy80]

I'd start hypo, sounds like ich. A freshwater dip will not get rid of ich, at most it'll only releive the fish for a very short period of time. I had a damsel die once for no reason, the next day my coral beuaty was covered in ich. I think sometimes it just doesn't show, or show well enough for us to see. I'd add the other fish you have and put the 2 through hypo together.

 

[toughguy80]

Also, look at the diseased fish thread above. Take a look at ich and tell us if thats what it looks like.

 

[luvmytang2]

It looks a little like Ich, however, these white spots look thicker....more like cotton.
Why would the skin start to peel off the fish after a freshwater dip?

 

[nicetry]

My sense is that the dip did more harm than good. If the pH and temp of the dip water was not identical to that of the main tank, you may have severely stressed the fish. How long did you dip the fish for. At any rate, don't perform more dips.
Not convinced you're dealing with ****** (ich). Possibly lymphocystis which presents as a clumpy white growth. It would start as a small patch and then grow, however usually you won't see it in fish that are in good conditions. The diet of brine shrimp is not adequate for thise fish. BF's need a good variety of meaty foods. I feed mine mysis, blood worms, chopped mussel, clam, scallop, plankton, greens etc.
Beginning hyposalinty would help reduce the stress and allow the fish to conserve energy. While it won't necessarily cure the illness, it will aid in healing. Not sure why the damsel died, so I'm thinking something is going on in your display. Any chance some contaminant got in the tank?
Also, is there live rock in the tank? In the big scheme of things, butterflies do much better in tanks with a good deal of LR. I'm also thinking the tank is too young for such a sensitive fish. BF's are not good beginner fish and really do best in well established tanks. Just a couple observations.