Blue tang white spots

[pomoev]

It's his second week in QT. First week i did prazipro, then noticed this. He's active, but scratching all the time.

What is it? Looks like ich and something else.
There is a tomini tang in the same QT, and that one looks perfectly healthy.

 

[pomoev]

I started Ich-X treatment yesterday

 

[pomoev]

Different angle

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I started Ich-X treatment yesterday

I’m not a big fan of using formalin/malachite green for marine ich. I’ve never had it work very well, copper is safer and more effective.
Jay

 

[pomoev]

I’m not a big fan of using formalin/malachite green for marine ich. I’ve never had it work very well, copper is safer and more effective.
Jay

Hi Jay, thanks for looking into this issue.

Do you think it's just ich? I see some larger white areas, which look like some bacterial/fungal development. Or maybe it's just mucus around ich clusters?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Tough to say - do you see any distinct white spots on the clear portions of the fins?
With prazi already being used, I guess I’m leaning more towards protozoans like ich.
Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

Seems like this is more pronounced with tangs and surgeons and the internal bumps generally associated with copper sensitivity and is a skin reaction to copper.

 

[pomoev]

Seems like this is more pronounced with tangs and surgeons and the internal bumps generally associated with copper sensitivity and is a skin reaction to copper.

Sorry, not sure I got your point, what exactly is more pronounced?

 

[pomoev]

Tough to say - do you see any distinct white spots on the clear portions of the fins?
With prazi already being used, I guess I’m leaning more towards protozoans like ich.
Jay

I couldn't really find any white dots on the fins, but I've made a slightly better photo.

And while some spots look clearly like ich (e.g. above the eye), the middle of the body it looks more like "peeling skin" or mucus. Can that "peeling" be a reaction to copper? I know that the LFS where I bought the fish uses copper, although in the store the fish looked absolutely healthy.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sorry, not sure I got your point, what exactly is more pronounced?

Pronounced = common or typical

 

[pomoev]

Pronounced = common or typical

I was asking more about the "this" part, not about "pronounced" What exactly is common with tangs and surgeons? Ich? Or these whiteish areas during ich?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I was asking more about the "this" part, not about "pronounced" What exactly is common with tangs and surgeons? Ich? Or these whiteish areas during ich?

Mucus spots are more common on tangs during and after copper treatment. These don't look quite like that, but could be. Here is a link to an article I wrote up on that and similar issues:

Mucus - The Slime That Binds

Mucus: The Slime that Binds Jay Hemdal C. 2020 This article examines the various causes of excess mucus coatings on fish, as well as fecal mucus issues. ------------------- The mucus produced by the fish’s epidermal cells gives them their...

www.reef2reef.com

Jay

 

[pomoev]

Mucus spots are more common on tangs during and after copper treatment. These don't look quite like that, but could be. Here is a link to an article I wrote up on that and similar issues:

Mucus - The Slime That Binds

Mucus: The Slime that Binds Jay Hemdal C. 2020 This article examines the various causes of excess mucus coatings on fish, as well as fecal mucus issues. ------------------- The mucus produced by the fish’s epidermal cells gives them their...

www.reef2reef.com

Jay

Thanks for the article. I especially appreciate these pieces
"multicellular worms are often blamed for mucoid feces, but in reality, they are almost never the root cause for this"
and
"The best method to enhance gut motility in fish is to feed frozen adult brine shrimp"
as I see the opposite statements way too often in reef communities.

Interestingly, some of the myths you bust in the article (e.g. constipation treatment with peas and epsom salt) are present here: https://humble.fish/internal-issues/

 

[pomoev]

After 4 days of Ich-X treatment the fish looks way better, but I think I still see a couple of white dots. Can Ich-x actually eradicate ich in QT? OR would you recommend copper treatment in the following weeks?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for the article. I especially appreciate these pieces
"multicellular worms are often blamed for mucoid feces, but in reality, they are almost never the root cause for this"
and
"The best method to enhance gut motility in fish is to feed frozen adult brine shrimp"
as I see the opposite statements way too often in reef communities.

Interestingly, some of the myths you bust in the article (e.g. constipation treatment with peas and epsom salt) are present here: https://humble.fish/internal-issues/

Yes, I know. Humblefish has some very good information, but there are a some things he is simply incorrect about...mostly due to over-extrapolation from other sources.

Jay

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

After 4 days of Ich-X treatment the fish looks way better, but I think I still see a couple of white dots. Can Ich-x actually eradicate ich in QT? OR would you recommend copper treatment in the following weeks?

Yes, Ich-X can work, I just haven't had good success with it myself for marine ich, and I stopped using it 20 years or so ago (I made my own, it is an old recipe we called "Formalite").

Jay

 

[pomoev]

Yes, Ich-X can work, I just haven't had good success with it myself for marine ich, and I stopped using it 20 years or so ago (I made my own, it is an old recipe we called "Formalite").

Jay

Would you do copper after ich-x to be 100% sure there is no ich left in the tank?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Would you do copper after ich-x to be 100% sure there is no ich left in the tank?

I’m not sure I would. If so, I would wait 2 weeks so the fish can flush the malachite green from their tissues first.
Jay

 

[pomoev]

Tough to say - do you see any distinct white spots on the clear portions of the fins?
With prazi already being used, I guess I’m leaning more towards protozoans like ich.
Jay

I just noticed white dots on my sailfin who'd only been transferred from QT to DT a couple of weeks ago
The dots are only present on the very tip of the anal fin and a few of them on the clear part of the caudal fin. I recalled you asked about "white spots on the clear portions of the fins".

Is it a strong signal that it's ich?

 

[Memisis]

Great looking tang I hope he (they) pull through.