Any ideas what this is?

Gweeds1980 · Oct 20, 2017

Evening... helping out someone, so this isn't my fish... I'll try to put as much info as possible here.

This is the info given thus far:
I posted last night about a foxface with tiny brown spots in my fowlr. I did a freshwater dip last night but there were no white spots at the time. He's still eating very well and active but this morning he woke up with more pinhole looking brown spots and white spots in the center of the brown ones. Since it's a fowlr I figure I could just treat the whole tank at once with hyposalinity rather than catch and QT since now everyone has been exposed. But I've never done hyposalinity before. Do I drop the salinity all at once or over the course of several days? It's at 1.021. Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate <5, pH 8.2, and 79F. I don't have a test for phosphate. Also there's no coral or other inverts but I do have a couple hermit crabs so idk if I can do hyposalinity with them in there. Sorry I'm still new so I appreciate everyone's help.

So far the fish has been through FW dip which has had no effect... so not flukes I don't think.

My thought was either black ich or some sort of bacterial infection.

Fish is still eating well and swimming normally.

So far I've suggested a dip in SW with h2o2, in case of bacterial infection and just to see if it has any impact... that and omega 3 soaked nori.

Anyone seen this before?

jsker · Oct 20, 2017

#reefsquad

Brew12 · Oct 20, 2017

It looks like it could be black ich. The spots almost look too big to be it though but the fish may just be very small.

tupes · Oct 20, 2017

@Humblefish

Humblefish · Oct 20, 2017

Due to their incredibly thick mucous coat, I would expect evidence of ectoparasites to manifest differently on a rabbitfish. See below:

Additionally, the serum of the rabbitfish presented a strong killing effect to C. irritans in vitro. Light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy confirmed that rabbitfish serum could induce the theront cilia fall off, rupture of the cell membrane because of the swell and rupture of the macronucleus. Rabbitfish serum could also induce the rupture of the trophont membrane and content efflux.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20117218

If it can do that to ich, it stands to reason that it might also have a negative impact on turbellarians.

extendedmango · Oct 21, 2017

I had a magnificent foxface die to this same thing. They start out acting normal with spots then slowly begin to stop eating. Then there was a day or two where it looked better then it died the next day. My guess it is caused by stress (this was back when I was just starting and thought it would fit in a reefer 250). I wish whoever who owns this fish luck. Please share what works.