# White spots on fish.



## Questor (May 1, 2005)

Any ideas what this is guys? Started about 3 weeks ago...with just a greyish patch - thought he'd scratched himself on a rock. Over Christmas it became apparent it was a problem. Developed into white spots....some look like pustules of varying sizes. They appear to break and leave a little crater. It does not look like ich to me. Treated (per recommendation from big box fish store guy) with coppersafe, anti-parasitic food and Melafix. I was out of country for last week and had someone come in to continue with the food and Melafix. But he's gotten worse...now appears to have more of the spots/pustules and a covering of what looks like white dust. Now I see the odd wee patch on one or two other fish, though they are not displaying these "pustule" like things. 
My water parameters are all good. Last fish introduced to tank was in October. Size of tank is 125 gallon so I'm not looking forward to cost of medication! [/img]










Another pic - a little blurry...sorry...









Any help greatley appreciated!


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## mlancaster (Jul 24, 2009)

I am not an expert, but my fish have had ich before and see it at the chain petstores, and that looks like ich to me. Based on my experince not all fish will show the signs but they may have it.

Maybe some one can help you with the best treatment, I used a medication specifically for ich, just forget which one.

Thanks,
Matt


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## spraycaint123 (Dec 14, 2009)

Looks like the ick/ich to me. Iff left untreated the fish is a goner, it can clog there gills, and do lots of other horrible things. I use a brand called QuICK Cure, thankfully I haven't had to use it for a long long time now. I almost guarantee your LFS will have it or something similar. You usually need to take your carbon filter out and add about a drop per gallon for like two days then do like a 50 swap. 
Also it may help to know that its caused from stress, and as you may know stress is caused from about a million different things. Mostly sudden changes in the water will do it, like if you change the water and the temp. of the new water is too low or too high.


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## ~2isted~ (Jan 15, 2007)

Looks like ick. I just went through this whole thing and unfortunately, I lost about 3 quarters of my fish in the process. The remainder I treated with Ick-Ease :http://www.magfloat.net/telas/pop_products.php?idp=21.

This worked very well on the remaining fish. I recommend it!


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## Questor (May 1, 2005)

Clearly this is NOT ich! In addition to the treatments mentioned in my first post...I tried treating him with ich remedies and increasing his water temperature. He only got worse. I've now got him into a hospital (still scared my other fish will get this though!) - I've increased the salt content in his water and now he's on Maracyn and MaracynII. Today will be day 4 of the medication - but so far I don't see any change. He hasn't eaten in a couple of weeks.

I really need some serious help with this you guys!!!


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Suggest reading the articles on ich for one thing. The first picture looks like a fish with two problems. The small white bubbles on fins look like ich from here. The problem being ich can lead quickly to all sorts of other problems. Once you read some of the info on ich this may make more sense. The ich can come into your system many ways from new fish or plants. New decor from other tanks may carry it also. There is debate about how long ich can mange to live without fish present. After it reaches the part of it's life cycle where it is a parasite on the fish it lives on the flesh. Some more easily attacked than others. That's where the stress seems to come into play. Once it opens a wound on the fish other disease can follow quite easy. Afraid at this point your fish is in serious trouble and you may have to decide if fighting for his life is worth it. Definitely keep him and all equipment seperated from the rest of your fish and watch them for signs of ich. It can come and go quite quickly even from morning to night. While the bubble on fins, etc. may seem to go away, it is quite possible for that to be caused by the parasite maturing to drop off and multiply to come back tomorrow ten times as numerous.


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## Questor (May 1, 2005)

Thanks PfunMo...I have in fact read many articles on ich...and have experience with it as well (I lost my entire first tank to ich within 24 hours when I was 12...um...44 years ago..., so ich and I are old friends - :lol: ).

I agree with you that he looks like a fish with two problems. The initial onset of this did not look anything like ich that I'd ever seen. But he may have developed ich (or other protazoan) secondarily...the tiny spots on his fins...due to the stress of the 1st illness? I know this is the reverse of what you're saying....but I'm going on what I saw symptomatically. The tiny specks - the stuff that looked ich-like - have now resolved, hopefully from the Coppersafe he's been getting and is continuing to get. But these larger "flakes" are the thing I can't seem to figure out. I can't find any images that look like it, or description that matches it. I should point out too that I never saw him flashing or rubbing.

He's not ready for euthanasia yet. Though he's not eating, he's still chubby and though he's quiet, he does not yet look like he's anywhere near dying (strong guy!). I'm not ready to give up on him just yet.

So....he's in a hospital tank, with an aquaclear filter (I'll add an airstone today). I'm doing 50% water changes daily, before adding his meds: Coppersafe, Maracyn and Maracyn II. I'm adding salt at a rate of 1TBSP/5 gallons. Yesterday I also gave him a salt bath...1/2 hour in a bucket with 2TBSP salt to 3 gallons of water...which he tolerated very well.

If anyone can think of what else to do for him......


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

When I think of the diseases that I have learned to just tolerate due to a lack of a correct expert diagnosis, I am not at all shocked to find how little we know about fish diseases. Just posted a blurb about a new study on ich that made interesting reading. Not much to help but interesting. :? 
I'm finding a good deal of what My ich is doing is contrary to what I'm reading should happen. Wish we knew more. I spent considerable time and effort as well as money to get the new fish that brought me ich. I have a feeling they may be a lost cause but, like you. I'm not there yet. The stinking cheap tetra that got left in an African tank by himself when I moved the other dithers to this new tank is doing better than the rest. I was finally able to catch him when he lost almost all his tail and fins. Got so he could not swim and looked half dead. Tetras are suposed to be sensitive to malachite green but he has grown the tail back shows no signs of ich. He surely was the most stressed fish in the tank. So much for the stress theory on this occasion. Good luck. Wish we knew more.


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## Questor (May 1, 2005)

Not surprisingly, he didn't make it.  I tried a concentrated rid-ich dip...kill or cure treatment...on someone's advice, which unfortunately took the kill route. He went into serious decline within a few hours and I ended it for the poor fellow when it was apparent he was beyond hope.

Sure wish I knew for sure what I'd been trying to deal with. I've noticed one other fish in my main tank with a slight pale patch and a small spot (not as small as an ich spot) on his tail. So I'm going to do a 50% water change todoay, then dose the tank with rid-ich for the next week or so. I'll have to go easy, since I've got some very nice plecos is there. Fingers crossed.

PfunMo: I'd be interest in that blurb you posted on the ich. Where can I find it?


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## Questor (May 1, 2005)

PfunMo...never mind! I see your blurb!


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