Help: Pea Puffer, Ich?

[Kimber]

Hi everyone! I need help identifying what's going on with my little guy(?)

All my fish have lived together for well over a month, except some new ember tetra, which I've had for 3 weeks. They have all been together in this new tank for 2 weeks now. And today I see these white bumps on my dwarf pea puffer. My first thought is ich, but I've only encountered it once about 8 yrs ago, and only saw it after the fish had died (it was on a shy sucker's belly). I've never seen ich look like bumps, only spots, I thought it was sand they're so big. And this puffer is the only one who has it. 

Does this seem like a case of ich, or something else?

Edited February 24, 2023 by Kimber

[TheSwissAquarist]

That’s definitely Ich.

@Colu

[Colu]

Possible epistylis doesn't look like ich ich usually has flat spots he's how you tell the difference between ich and epistylis if it's epistylis you want to treat with maracyn2 in food feeding a small amount twice a day for 7 days you can add it to repashy or frozen blood worms and aquarium salt 1 table spoon 5 gallons I wouldn't got above that level of salt as you have live plants  epistylis feeds off of gram negative bacterial on the slime coat of your fish and causes secondary infection that what usually kills your fish @Kimber

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by Colu

[Chris]

Agreed - looks much more like epistylis than ich, IMO. I had a group of guppies have the same issue a while back.

Is the puffer eating? It could just be the picture, but he looks very skinny, almost emaciated in some pics. I know these fish are all new - were they QT'd? Treated for internal parasites? What are you trying to feed the puffer, and are you sure his (very fast) tankmates aren't stealing his food?

My one experience with epistylis was handled by adding aquarium salt (not really an option in a planted tank like yours), getting water parameters in line, and feeding a good diet. My guppies also came down with epistylis about a week or two into their tank - from @Colu's advice and my own research I found that epistylis is a very opportunistic infection. It's usually not an issue unless the fish are already weakened by stress, another illness, or possibly a dietary issue.

[Kimber]

On 2/24/2023 at 7:23 AM, Chris said:

Agreed - looks much more like epistylis than ich, IMO. I had a group of guppies have the same issue a while back.

Is the puffer eating? It could just be the picture, but he looks very skinny, almost emaciated in some pics. I know these fish are all new - were they QT'd? Treated for internal parasites? What are you trying to feed the puffer, and are you sure his (very fast) tankmates aren't stealing his food?

My one experience with epistylis was handled by adding aquarium salt (not really an option in a planted tank like yours), getting water parameters in line, and feeding a good diet. My guppies also came down with epistylis about a week or two into their tank - from @Colu's advice and my own research I found that epistylis is a very opportunistic infection. It's usually not an issue unless the fish are already weakened by stress, another illness, or possibly a dietary issue.

Ive been working more on target feeding for all of my fish, but I do always try to make sure he specifically eats as I noticed he is so small. I say He because I thought maybe thats why it look so small in comparison to the second puffer-thinking its a she, and that's the reason for the fuller body. I feed them frozen foods-brine + mysis shrimp and blood worms (favorite) that ive been cutting smaller as they always scare me theyll choke! Is that silly? Ive had the puffers since October, the only new things ive added were the embers and some plants/hardscape when I upgraded the tank. Everyone else seems to be thriving.

Is it safe/recommended to dose the whole 55 tank?

Thank you SO MUCH for your help everyone, Ive never had anything like this before.

@ColuWould you recommend feeding and dosing the whole tank, or just the puffer?

 

[Colu]

Adding maracyn2 to food is very effective at treating epistylis theirs no need to dose the tank as well if he won't except the medicated food then I would dose the tank and use the aquarium salt as well @Kimber

[Kimber]

Im going to get it now! Thank you @Colu@Chris it means a lot 🙂

[Kimber]

Im going to get it now! Thank you @Colu@Chris it means a lot 🙂