Treating....<ick?> or <???>

[jassz]

Thanks for all the suggestions. In the end, I did... nothing. I am quite baffled, as sometime it seems he has small white dots, and sometimes not. I don't know if it's the lighting, or if it's 'dust' that just settles there and leaves or what. But, as I lost most of the emerald green algae when I treated with the ick medicine, I'm reluctant to expose the rocks to anything else, even moving. Esp if I'm not sure it's necessary. There are no white dots on Bambi, but his scales do look roughed up from the bashing against the rocks (but whose to say that's caused by ick?).

Now, however, Fabio (the lionfish) has cloudy eyes. Both eyes. I researched this a bit, and it seems recommended treatment varies from antibiotics to epsom salts to melafix, and the causes seem just as varied. Since it seemed the least harmful to the rocks, I started a course of Melafix yesterday. It might help Bambi too. It says I'm supposed to treat for 7 days, and leave the protein skimmer off while I'm treating, which seems like a long time to be without the protein skimmer. I do have a Fluval filter running as well. Yesterday, before treating the tank and turning off the skimmer, the pH was 7.8, SG= 1.023 and ammonia, nitrate and nitrite all negative. Since I can't turn the protein skimmer on, what do I do if anything does come up positive? Water changes?

Oh, and the other thing that happened 2 days ago is that Olivander, the Valentini puffer, puffed himself for no apparent reason. I have never seen him puff, the prev owners said they had never seen him puff. It didn't appear that anyone else in the tank was paying any attention to him whatsoever. I just mention it because I have no idea if it is in any way related. Sign of stress? Appetites seem good for everyone, though Fabio didn't eat yesterday. Not that unusual though, as he often skips a day and then is ravenous the next day.