# white spot on face hap sp.44 what is this



## Ant-man (Jul 23, 2010)

My tank is a 55 mixed hap/peacock tank. Slightly overstocked but I do water changes regularly. I don't know my water peramiters currently but last water change was 50% 4 days ago. Never had a problem before. Like many of us I stair at my tank aimlessly for a good bit of time nightly. Today suddenly my fish has this thing on his face looks like a head of a zit or something. Hoping it wasn't hole in the head or something. He is acting normal and eating normal. Poop os normal. I feed them hikira cichlid gold pellets and wardley advanced perfect protien flakes for tropical fish. I have 2 hob filter for 60 gallon tanks, don't know the brand. Moving all of my fish in a couple months to my 120 gallon tank after I'm done with thhe 3d backround for it and finish moving into my new place. His top fin is a little torn I think from moving a fish out of the tank 2 days ago, all my fishh bunched in the corner so I think that's where that came from. No agression otherwise out of the ordinary. Not twards him in the least. But this spot...Any ideas? First time trying to post a pic so hopefully this works....pic from phone :? 







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## Ant-man (Jul 23, 2010)

Ok so I just got back from my Lfs, had to check perameters to see if I needed. To do a w/c or anything. My tes is as follows: ph 8.0, ammonia .25ppm, nitrite .25ppm, nitrate 8.0 ppm. Seems good IMO.any ideas from anyone yet. I would appreciate any insite.


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## jchild40 (Mar 20, 2010)

I've seen one or two other posts with similar issue, I think there was one where Kmuda provided some guidance. May want to search recent posts.

You should have concerns about ammonia showing up on your tests. You should show 0. Could be a number of different things, like being overstocked without enough filter media to house sufficient bacteria. Other causes for ammonia could be mini-cycles or it's in your tap water. You'll want to investigate, could be limiting your fish's immune system.


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## Ant-man (Jul 23, 2010)

Do you think adding a amonia/ carbon filter would help. The tank has beeen set up for over 7 months


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## jchild40 (Mar 20, 2010)

I'm not familiar with an ammonia filter, but my experience tells me that it's most likely just a gimmick. A carbon filter helps pulls other things out of the water, usually you would use that to help keep odors down (which are minimal anyways with regular water changes).

There are so many things that could be wrong right now. It could be your test giving you incorrect results. I would do a large water change (70% or more) just to be safe. This would also be good for your sick fish.

Typically a 7 month old tank should be cycled, but if something occured recently like an additition of fish or maybe if you performed a water change without conditioner you could have killed off some of your bacteria.

I think it's best if you gave your stock list and the brand of the two HOB's. Other forum members maybe able to determine if you don't have enough media to house bacteria. Also let us know what kind of water you have (city or well) and what you use to treat the water during water changes. Finally provide the brand and type of tests that you use (give results of straight tap water as well).

Hopefully others smarter than I can begin to help you trouble shoot.


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

What filtration is on the tank?


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Hi

Your parameter should be: 
Ammonia, 0
Nitrite, 0
Nitrate, less than 20ppm

Any amount of ammonia or nitrite is going to effect your fish. 

If your tank is overstocked then it's especially important for you to be doing weekly water changes of 30-40% with a good quality dechlorinator. (Not sure what you meant by regular water changes)

What your seeing on this one fish could be from any number of things but more than likely it's related to poor water conditions so you should start with an improvement there. What kind of dechlorinator are you using? You really need to be using a good one, one that removes ammonia and detoxifies nitrite and if your water has chloramines added to it then you need one that properly deals with chloramines. Not all of them do. Check out the dechlorinator article linked below for more infor. 
To get the parameters where they should be: for the next week or so do daily or every other day partial water changes of 30% and feed fish sparingly. Adding aquarium salt, (sodium chloride) at the rate of 1-2 teaspoons per ten gallons will help detoxify nitrite.

If the white spot does not improve with the increased water changes over the next few days, or if it suddenly starts to spread then you may need to treat with an antibiotic. So keep watching the fish closely.

Robin


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## Ant-man (Jul 23, 2010)

Thanks for the responses and concern. First off the spot is getting smaller following te advice I believe from kmuda on anothet post for upping salt. I did that yesterday morning and the spot seems to have gotten a liittle smaller as of today. Otherwise I can't see under my filters unless I take them off but they say regent on the front panel with 2XL cartidge filters in each. I have two. They were supposed to be for 40-60 gallon filters each. My house is on well water wich reads perfect 0 ammonia, 0 nitrate ,0 nitrite, and 8.0ph. But I don't know the name brand of the test kit used, I didn't think to check when I was at my LFS yesterday. I need to buy my own but money has been tight this month unfortunately. My stock list takes forever for me to list on the phone so I can give you the other post its on, http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=216248 . Its under tanks and setups with a post 120gallon stocking? They are still all juvies, some displaying a little color, all male according to the breeder I go to. He vented them for me. They vary anywhere from inch and a half to 4 1/2 anches and my green terror is the only one pushing 6 inches. In. A couple of months they are all being transplanted into my new\used 120 gal I bought. Oh and by regular water changes I mean 25-50% weekly. Thanks again. I am going to try to do some water changes for the next week with keeping the salt high to see if that will help speed up the proccess :thumb:


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

The problem with those "cartridge filters" is that when you replace a cartridge, you throw away the beneficial bacteria that protects your fish and the amount of bacteria the filter will hold is very limited. I would highly recommend upgrading filtration either to a canister, to run in conjunction with your existing HOBs (or at least one of them) or (if you don't want to go the canister route) move to either to either a Penguin 350 (if cost is a factor), Emperor 400 , or Aquaclear 110. These filters provide a substantial upgrade in biofiltration capability over what you currently own.

The fact you are showing both ammonia and nitrite is a symptom of a problem with filtration. Either your existing filtration is insufficient or you have replaced a cartridge (or two). Regardless, it is a signal that something needs to be done differently. My opinion is that what should be "done differently" is an upgrade in filtration.


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## Ant-man (Jul 23, 2010)

Thanks for the info, I have an extra 40- 60 g filtet I'm going to add on for now. It has the amonia/carbon insert for the "chemical filtration" a foam for the mecchanical, and another one that looks like bio balls that still get replaced but you do each one seperately to keep more benificial bacteria in the water, but yes I recently changed out all the filter media.bso I guess I learned I need to be changing thembin a rotation from now on.

Fish is looking much better now thanks for all the advice.


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## moises12 (Aug 2, 2010)

Mancha Blanca ichthyophtririus or sometimes known as I speak. This is a protozoan that frozen under the skin of fish. These encysted gives the disease its name, and they look like small heads of white pine.


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