Harlequin rasboras white dots all over

Two of my 6 harlequin rasboras got white spots all over them- it almost looks like white grains of sand or tiny lice!

It just appeared on them during the last 12 hours.

Any ideas?

 

White dots all over, that look like grains of salt, is a sure sign of ich. Don't be worried, it's pretty easy to treat. Here is a thread describing how to treat it naturally, without medication: https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/curing-ich-naturally.105665/

 

I will start increasing the temp, but will have to continue in the morning.

 

Gradual is best, anyway.

 

So now I'm concerned about my fish in such a high temperature!

The max for the swordtails is 84 degrees F, and it appears the platys and rasboras can only tolerate up to 81 F.

Won't 86 degrees for 14 days stress them out more?

 

Nope, don't worry about it. Their "suggested temperature" is merely what temperature water they live in in the wild. It's likely your fish were farmed anyway, and not caught in their natural habitat, so they've likely been exposed to a wider variety of temperatures than wild platies, rasboras, and swords would.

I've treated my platies for ich with 86ish degree water (plus or minus a few degrees) and they're all still doing just fine. As long as you don't have any temperate species, like goldfish or weather loaches, they'll be fine for two weeks.

 

Okay, temperature is at 86 degrees. Changed water once. Will again today (3 days later). White spots disappearing from rasboras. Hoping that the vacuuming and heat prevent them from coming back.

 

You are doing it the right way. I have had 100% success in treating ich with heat. I usually take my tank to 88 F just to make sure and I have done it with many different types of fish with no ill effects.

 

Another Ich treatment I used was the Tetra Brand Ich Fizzing Tablets and it got the ich off both of my cichlids within a week! Works like magic!

 

Well, the ich is disappearing, but is it really gone?

My heater has dropped the heat back to 82 degrees. Was keeping top propped open to give fish more chances at oxygen. Closed again this morning.

 

You have to do gravel vacuumings to make sure it's out of your tank. The heat speeds up their life cycle, so they quickly fall off your fish, but if you don't remove them, they'll pop and the spores will make their way back to your fish.

 

You want to keep the heat raised for at least a week after all visible ich is gone. I do two weeks.
Don't worry too much about the temp. I kept goldfish at 88 for a month to treat ich, with no ill effects.