Ick?

Question
QUESTION: Hi.  I have one Silver Dollar fish (maybe 4" long and 2" tall) and one minnow (1") in my 10 gal aquarium.  6 to 8 weeks ago I noticed a little bit of white streaking along his back fin. Since this it has gotten progressively worse and has also moved to his top fin and along his gills.  it is just a little bit here and there and has spread very slowly.  I am wondering if he has ick?  He eats normally and swims normally.  The water temperature fluctuates between 75 and 78 degrees.  If this is ick, can I take care of it by cleaning his tank thoroughly and more regularly or do I need to treat him?  Also, if the recommendation is to remove both and treat, do I need just keep them in a clean tank - no rocks?  Can I just put them in a temp tank, clean everything in the 10 gal tank and then put them back into the 10 gal tank with fresh water w or w/o (??) rocks?  Thank you!

ANSWER: Rebecca,

Ich normally looks like a fish rolled around in a pile of salt. Is there a chance that you can upload a picture of the fish in question. I am having problems trying to figure out what the white streaks are. It would be easier for me if I could see what we are talking about. I will wait to hear back from you.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


SIlver Dollar Fish   QUESTION: Thank you for your response.  I have attached a photo that shows the white streaks.  He would not sit still and everytime i had the camera to the tank he would swim off.  Sorry for the fuzzy-ness. The streaks are bout mid-fin and go about a third of teh way to the top.  It is definitly not salt like.  More just a coloration.

Answer
Rebecca,

Thank you for the photo. If the fish is acting fine otherwise, there really isn't anything to do. It might just be the fish changing color. It can also be the beginning of fin rot but I am not sure about that one. Just keep an eye on him and if other symptoms appear let me know.