Fox face unknown disease

claytonh1995 · Nov 2, 2022

Relatively new to the hobby. I have had my fox face for a few weeks. I don’t have a QT tank as I am less than a year into this tank. That being said, I only freshwater dipped him before placing him into my tank. He has now starting developing these spots. I thought flukes and treated with another fresh water dip followed by a prazipro treatment to the whole display. Does anyone have any clue what this is. It is gradually getting worse and I’m worried it’s beyond help. I couldn’t figure how to attach images so I added Link to a photo. https://pin.it/1KenC3k

vetteguy53081 · Nov 2, 2022

claytonh1995 said:
Relatively new to the hobby. I have had my fox face for a few weeks. I don’t have a QT tank as I am less than a year into this tank. That being said, I only freshwater dipped him before placing him into my tank. He has now starting developing these spots. I thought flukes and treated with another fresh water dip followed by a prazipro treatment to the whole display. Does anyone have any clue what this is. It is gradually getting worse and I’m worried it’s beyond help. I couldn’t figure how to attach images so I added Link to a photo. https://pin.it/1KenC3k

Was hoping to expand picture. It appears to be be mucus spores associated with cryptocaryon which is Marine ich and fish will need to be quarantined. This is a tricky one to treat But treatable.
Best treatment would be coppersafe or general cure with coppersafe my choice at therapuetic level 2.25-2.5 monitored with a reliable copper test kit such as Hanna brand, not Api
Also monitor ammonia level with a reliable test kit during treatment and would not be a bad idea to add an air stone for added oxygen during treatment
You will also need to leave display tank FishLess (Fallow) for at least 6-8 weeks to assure the cysts and trophants have completed their life cycle without a host and have died off

claytonh1995 · Nov 3, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
Was hoping to expand picture. It appears to be be mucus spores associated with cryptocaryon which is Marine ich and fish will need to be quarantined. This is a tricky one to treat But treatable.
Best treatment would be coppersafe or general cure with coppersafe my choice at therapuetic level 2.25-2.5 monitored with a reliable copper test kit such as Hanna brand, not Api
Also monitor ammonia level with a reliable test kit during treatment and would not be a bad idea to add an air stone for added oxygen during treatment
You will also need to leave display tank FishLess (Fallow) for at least 6-8 weeks to assure the cysts and trophants have completed their life cycle without a host and have died off

Thank you. If I remove all fish from DT and wait 6-8 weeks. Do I have to remove anemones, inverts and coral as well?

Jay Hemdal · Nov 3, 2022

claytonh1995 said:
Relatively new to the hobby. I have had my fox face for a few weeks. I don’t have a QT tank as I am less than a year into this tank. That being said, I only freshwater dipped him before placing him into my tank. He has now starting developing these spots. I thought flukes and treated with another fresh water dip followed by a prazipro treatment to the whole display. Does anyone have any clue what this is. It is gradually getting worse and I’m worried it’s beyond help. I couldn’t figure how to attach images so I added Link to a photo. https://pin.it/1KenC3k

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Can you post some additional photos and also a short video? I want to get a better look. At first I thought ich, but then, the spots look a bit large and there seem to be areas of granulation around each bump. Also you noted they are "gradually getting worse" - can you clarify - are the number of spots increasing, or are they changing in number and location, but generally increasing or are they growing larger?
Is the fish eating well and not breathing fast?

Jay

vetteguy53081 · Nov 3, 2022

claytonh1995 said:
Thank you. If I remove all fish from DT and wait 6-8 weeks. Do I have to remove anemones, inverts and coral as well?

Fish only but as we address this, please resond to jays' questions below to confirm were going in the right direction.

claytonh1995 · Nov 3, 2022

This what I have. The spots appear in the morning and mostly disappear by the time lights go out. The process repeats each day typically worse.

claytonh1995 · Nov 3, 2022

claytonh1995 said:
This what I have. The spots appear in the morning and mostly disappear by the time lights go out. The process repeats each day typically worse.

The spots increase each day never really get larger.

Jay Hemdal · Nov 3, 2022

claytonh1995 said:
The spots increase each day never really get larger.

Based on this info, I'd say this is marine ich.

Jay

vaguelyreeflike · Nov 4, 2022

I would try a freshwater dip for atleast 4-5mins if the fish can handle it, in a dark container (preferably black) and see if/what dislodges. This might make it easier to identify, and provide the fish temporary relief. However FW dips are stressful and can kill fish if they are too weak. If you dip, monitor breathing and ensure its heavy but even, its normal for them to play dead, curl slightly or have momentary freak outs in a dip, but if they begin to gasp unevenly or start 'stretching' their gills, I would cut it short.

Adding a pH buffer to the dip first to match your tanks pH can help immensely with stress during it.

claytonh1995 · Nov 10, 2022

I watched BRSTV YouTube video about management of ich. I installed a UV sterilizer and it almost removed all signs of ich on all of the fish. Since there is still some sign on the fish I decided to remove them and QT in a new Rubbermaid trash can with copper. I’m going to leave the DT empty for 76 days. Hopefully kill anything harmful inside. It’s hospital/QT tanks for every new fish from now on. Thank you to everyone who responded.

Jay Hemdal · Nov 10, 2022

claytonh1995 said:
I watched BRSTV YouTube video about management of ich. I installed a UV sterilizer and it almost removed all signs of ich on all of the fish. Since there is still some sign on the fish I decided to remove them and QT in a new Rubbermaid trash can with copper. I’m going to leave the DT empty for 76 days. Hopefully kill anything harmful inside. It’s hospital/QT tanks for every new fish from now on. Thank you to everyone who responded.

Holding the fish for 75 days in a trash can is going to be challenging. The lack of lateral viewing means you will have difficulty seeing the fish clearly. You also may have issues managing the ammonia levels.

Jay