# silver dollar with white spots



## NPMIKOLE

so i bought 3 silver dollar fish from a lfs and when i got home i noticed that the medium size one had a messed up eye. but everything else looked ok until a couple days ago, he started getting like a white fuzz almost is what it looked like on the side with the bad eye, then it went away like a day later and yesterday i noticed it came back alittle more than before and a little on the other side of his body. and today it looks about the same but there are a couple little white circles on him.  what should i do? its already been past the 14 day return policy. but i dont want him to get any of my other fish sick. any help or advice on what it is or what i should do? thanks


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## jrman83

Separate from the other fish. If you can't do that, euthanize. Don't risk it spreading to your other fish. Nobody on here can even come close to telling you what your fish could possibly have without you posting a clear pic of the fish.


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## BBradbury

Hello NP...

If you've had the fish together for a couple of weeks all are likely infected. I'm a firm believer in the use of small amounts of aquarium salt as a "cure all" for fish diseases.

This is just my opinion. I've used small amounts of salt off and on in my tanks for several years and have never had a problem with diseases. I would do a 25 percent water change and add one teaspoon of standard aquarium salt to every five gallons of your water change water.

This will accomplish a couple of things: If your fish are sick and one apparently is, they are or will be stressed. The salt has a calming affect. The salt will also kill any disease causing bacteria in the water.

I would wait a week and if you don't see improvement, I would add a little more salt to the next water change, one and a half teaspoons and follow this routine for a month, adding a little more salt to the water change water.

Be carefull when you measure the salt and when you approach one tablespoon, don't add any more. Too much salt can damage any aquatic plants you have.

At the end of the month, you can return to your normal water change schedule. Whatever disease your fish has should be gone in a month.

Again, this is just my opinion. The decision is yours. Keep me posted if you like.

B


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## NPMIKOLE

thanks for the advice! i do add salt to my tank during water changes because of my goby being a brackish fish but i did add a little salt the other day because my buddy said it was a good thing for them if they are sick. he also gave me some ick cure that is blue but i havn used it yet. just a little unsure about puttin chemicals in my tank. but i think im going to put the sick fish in a 10 gallon hospital tank and add salt as suggested and hopefully he will get better. i will post updates thanks again everyone


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## holly12

Here's a good site for identifying and treating fish illnesses: Tropical Fish Disease Identification with pictures and cures. 

Just surf around the page (types of illnesses - bacteria, fungal, parasite - are at the top and you click the links. It will take you to the different diseases.)

Hope your fish gets better.


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## BBradbury

NPMIKOLE said:


> thanks for the advice! i do add salt to my tank during water changes because of my goby being a brackish fish but i did add a little salt the other day because my buddy said it was a good thing for them if they are sick. he also gave me some ick cure that is blue but i havn used it yet. just a little unsure about puttin chemicals in my tank. but i think im going to put the sick fish in a 10 gallon hospital tank and add salt as suggested and hopefully he will get better. i will post updates thanks again everyone


Good morning NP...

I've never had to treat "Ich" or any other fish disease, but chemicals are powerful stuff and I don't think anyone knows for sure how they will affect certain fish. Anyway, I've heard, just heared the blue "Ich" meds can stain the tank seams blue and probably others things in your tank too.

I think you're wise to use the natural means of dealing with a desease and exhaust all those first.

B


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## NPMIKOLE

so today i got started and getting ready to put the one silver dollar in a hospital tank, and i was inspecting all my other fish and my dragon goby has the white spots also!  after looking around on the internet about it im sure it is ich. so i did a 50 percent water change and added salt. the stuff my friend gave me is quick cure fast relief for ick and protozoan parasites. after i did my water change i noticed alot of little whit stringy things which im assuming are the parasites. what should i do? should i wait and do another water change in a couple days or should i add the ich medicine? also i will be leaving on june 15 to go on vacation and my buddy will be feeding my fish and watching them for me. and he is experienced and has had fish tanks for about 6 years now so i trust him but i just dont know what i should do as far as treatment/ but i am positive that it is ich. thanks again for any feedback


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## BBradbury

NPMIKOLE said:


> so today i got started and getting ready to put the one silver dollar in a hospital tank, and i was inspecting all my other fish and my dragon goby has the white spots also!  after looking around on the internet about it im sure it is ich. so i did a 50 percent water change and added salt. the stuff my friend gave me is quick cure fast relief for ick and protozoan parasites. after i did my water change i noticed alot of little whit stringy things which im assuming are the parasites. what should i do? should i wait and do another water change in a couple days or should i add the ich medicine? also i will be leaving on june 15 to go on vacation and my buddy will be feeding my fish and watching them for me. and he is experienced and has had fish tanks for about 6 years now so i trust him but i just dont know what i should do as far as treatment/ but i am positive that it is ich. thanks again for any feedback


Good morning NP...

If you've caught the "Ich" virus early enough, the combination of salt and slowly raising the temperature in your tank to 86 degrees over the next 48 hours will be enough to kill the parasite. Put an extra airstone in the tank and attach it to an air pump to get more water movement and oxygen into the tank. Warm water doesn't carry as much oxygen as cooler water.

I've never treated "Ich", but I have researched it in the past and read that keeping the tank lights off and the room as dark as possible is helpful.

One other thing, is important. If your fish have "Ich" they'll generally stop eating because of stress. So, you'll want to stop feeding them for a couple of days. You don't want uneaten food causing ammonia problems. This is one of the ways "Ich" can start in the first place.

Please keep me posted if you like.

B


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## NPMIKOLE

thanks for the advice, is 86 gonna be to warm for any of my fish? and also another question, my buddy not the one i mentioned before, but a different buddy brought me a home ozone generator. what is the deal with that? i looked it up and from what i read they are mostly used in marine aquariums. but he said that i could run it for like 10 to 15 minutes at a time. but from what i read it helps break extra stuff down. any thoughts?


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## BBradbury

NPMIKOLE said:


> thanks for the advice, is 86 gonna be to warm for any of my fish? and also another question, my buddy not the one i mentioned before, but a different buddy brought me a home ozone generator. what is the deal with that? i looked it up and from what i read they are mostly used in marine aquariums. but he said that i could run it for like 10 to 15 minutes at a time. but from what i read it helps break extra stuff down. any thoughts?


Hello again NP...

86 degrees is the optimum working temperature. Fish are tropical and can handle the higher temp for several days. Higher temps then this can damage your plants, so maintain the 86 degrees for at least 48 hours and then check on your fish. The higher temp will speed up the life cycle of the "Ich" parasite and the added salt is toxic to it. The salt works to stimulate the fish to produce a thicker "slime coat", their version of an immune/healing system.

I have no clue about the ozone generator. It may be something like an ultraviolet sterilizer that's used to treat the "Ich" virus. It's a type of light that apparently replaces the standard lighting on your tank and will kill the parasites as they swim under it. Way too much brain damage for me, I'd go with the heat and salt combo and keep the lights out in the tank and in the room if possible!

Hope I answered your questions, if not please let me know.

B


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## NPMIKOLE

just an up date every thing has been ok i treated my tank and then went on vacation my buddy did continue treatment for me while i was away. came home and all is good


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