[tmkx3]

okay I am crazy. I saw these little white spots all over one of my clown this morning at about 6:30 am ( I had my son look and he saw them too) When I got home at 9:30 am and checked the fish they were gone. Where did they go. I read some articles on ick and from what I understand the white spots should be there for a while before they fall off. My fish didn't have any spots yesterday. I watch them all very closely to make sure they are all eating and that they are acting normal. I drive my family with how much I watch my fish. My clowns like to swish the sand with their tails could've this been sand? My husband thought that was what it was but I didn't think the sand would stick to them. I guess I should watch them for a few days. I have a fire shrimp do they clean parasites?



Thanx

Tinia

[CSeaSee]

You may have been seeing ectoparasites, not ich. They can come and go pretty quickly, especially in healthy fish. Clowns usually don't get bad cases of them, unless something's really wrong. When I move my tank and stir up the bottom some of my fish get a quick infection and then are fine the next day. What I think happens is that the spores or eggs or instars or whatever the stage is, get put in the water column for a brief time. Sounds like an isolated incident to me. Can you see any in the clear part of his tail fin? That's usually the first and last place they'll be visible.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by CSeaSee

You may have been seeing ectoparasites, not ich.

Marine ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) is an ectoparasite. Any parasite on the outside of the fish is an ectoparasite. Any parasite on the inside of the fish is an endoparasite. From the Greek, endo = in, ektos = out.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by tmkx3

I saw these little white spots all over one of my clown this morning at about 6:30 am ( I had my son look and he saw them too) When I got home at 9:30 am and checked the fish they were gone.

Check again tomorrow morning.

Where did they go. I read some articles on ick and from what I understand the white spots should be there for a while before they fall off.

The theronts burrow into the skin to attach and then they remain there for a matter of days growing larger. For whatever reason, the apparent "population density" of the attached theronts varies depending on the time of day. Perhaps these, assuming they were Cryptocaryon irritans theronts, dislodged themselves before they were firmly attached???

My clowns like to swish the sand with their tails could've this been sand?

No.

I have a fire shrimp do they clean parasites?

All cleaner shrimp, including your Lysmata debelius, will eat C. irritans theronts but they cannot be relied upon to completely erradicate these parasites once an infestation gets going.

[CSeaSee]

Thanks for the correction. I should have phrased it, "you may be seeing an ectoparasite infection which is NOT ich (Cryptocaryon irritans)."

[Ninong]

Fortunately, most of the other common white ectoparasites (e.g., the various isopods) that are commonly found in reef aquaria are considerably larger than C. irritans and easily distinguished.