Is this ich or fungus?

[alddb]

Some new pics from tonight.

Add the coral beauty has no spots. We have been watching the other fish closely. The pic shows white dots but think it was the angle of camera, she has none

 

[vetteguy53081]

Its could be lympho which show nodes as it appears in new pics.
The challenge you will have in treatment is that puffers do not handle chelated, regular or ionic copper well and can actually initiate death. Also, most puffers will get hazy/cloudy eyes once they get ich. How is the puffer's appetite?
If eating, Kanaplex and Metroplex bonded to foods will be a start. Treatment is best done in Quarantine tank. In this case, I would use copper(Cupramine) but at a lower rate (1%) for 30 to 45 days. Most newly set up QT systems can have challenges with maintaining proper water quality, so you'll need to manage and monito the water at the same time.

In your picture, what you see are the feeding or trophont stage where the parasites are swimming around under the skin and gills of the fish. The parasites eat cells and fluids, damaging tissues and leaving the fish in a weakened state. Here is where you may see the white spots and other outward symptoms. Ich treatments generally do not affect the trophonts because they are protected under the skin of the fish.

A couple alternatives to copper you can use is:

Hyposalinity is one of the most popular ways to treat saltwater ich—because it doesn’t involve any tricky chemicals and because it can be monitored with the same equipment you already have — a hydrometer or refractometer.
OR
Chloroquine is a relatively newer chemical treatment for marine ich and may help with lympho. The therapeutic dose is 15 mg/L. Unlike some of the other treatments (like copper) which are unstable in saltwater, chloroquine remains active in your saltwater until you remove it with water changes or activated carbon, which makes it a unique marine ich treatment.
The downside of using chloroquine as a saltwater ich treatment is that there are no commercially available tests to help you monitor the levels of chloroquine in your saltwater. You measure once, add it to your tank and hope you got it right.

The best thing you can do right now is Assure water quality is optimum and provide healthy diet

 

[vetteguy53081]

Add the coral beauty has no spots. We have been watching the other fish closely. The pic shows white dots but think it was the angle of camera, she has none

If one has it, the cysts are present and likely on the others (at least assume they are, not that you home home to a surprise one given day) Lymphocystis is a somewhat common infectious virus hosted by freshwater and saltwater fishes which causes cells to enlarge many times their normal size.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’ve read that lympho may crop up after a stressor. He’s had a couple stressors with recently being moved to your tank and then he puffed up last night. Hang tight for an expert to review. Get high quality foods for him, that’s always a good immune booster.
I do not believe it’s ich, the spots look way too big.

Lymphocystis Infection appears on the infected fish as one or more white or beige colored pebble or wart-like nodules most commonly seen on the fins, skin, or gills, although other tissues may be affected. The Lymphocystis nodules are clustered groups of greatly enlarged, infected cells known as fibroblasts, which are part of the connective tissues in the fish. This may be what the fish is showing

 

[Sam816]

Add the coral beauty has no spots. We have been watching the other fish closely. The pic shows white dots but think it was the angle of camera, she has none

Lymphocystis Infection appears on the infected fish as one or more white or beige colored pebble or wart-like nodules most commonly seen on the fins, skin, or gills, although other tissues may be affected. The Lymphocystis nodules are clustered groups of greatly enlarged, infected cells known as fibroblasts, which are part of the connective tissues in the fish. This may be what the fish is showing

Do you think an oversize UV will help?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do you think an oversize UV will help?

On Lympho- likely not. . . Ich. yes as well as algae and bacterial issues.
I forgot to mention-
In addition to water quality, feed at least the following foods and add selcon vitamins and garlic extract on alternating days:

LRS Herbivore diet
Krill
squid
clam
silverside
Shellfish which allows it to sharpen its' teeth
scallop

What is your current:
ammonia
Nitrate
PH
Salinity
Water temp

 

[alddb]

On Lympho- likely not. . . Ich. yes as well as algae and bacterial issues.
I forgot to mention-
In addition to water quality, feed at least the following foods and add selcon vitamins and garlic extract on alternating days:

LRS Herbivore diet
Krill
squid
clam
silverside
Shellfish which allows it to sharpen its' teeth
scallop

What is your current:
ammonia
Nitrate
PH
Salinity
Water temp

We added garlic tonight. Tried silverside and he nipped it but refused to eat it. He did eat squid tonight and krill.

Tests from tonight about 7pm-
Ammonia zero
Nitrate zero
pH 8.0
Nitrite zero
Salinity 0.025
Temp at 79.

 

[vetteguy53081]

We added garlic tonight. Tried silverside and he nipped it but refused to eat it. He did eat squid tonight and krill.

Tests from tonight about 7pm-
Ammonia zero
Nitrate zero
pH 8.0
Nitrite zero
Salinity 0.025
Temp at 79.

GOOD !!!! He's eating and thats good.

You have a lot of zeros on your readings. I assume youre using API test kits ?

 

[alddb]

GOOD !!!! He's eating and thats good.

You have a lot of zeros on your readings. I assume youre using API test kits ?

Yes api tests. I know it’s not the best. Only RODI water use. I have a UV light but only use a few hours a day.
He is out now swimming like crazy eating more. He has a very healthy appetite. Wants to eat twice a day. At times eats right from us.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yes api tests. I know it’s not the best. Only RODI water use. I have a UV light but only use a few hours a day.
He is out now swimming like crazy eating more. He has a very healthy appetite. Wants to eat twice a day. At times eats right from us.

I recommend taking a water sample to an LFS that doers not test with API kits and see what readings they come up with. Its important you know the state of your water quality to clear this fish up an become reactive should the parameters be elevated

 

[alddb]

Yes api tests. I know it’s not the best. Only RODI water use. I have a UV light but only use a few hours a day.
He is out now swimming like crazy eating more. He has a very healthy appetite. Wants to eat twice a day. At times eats right from us.

What tests do you recommend? We have KH and Phosprates in Hannah. Use Red Sea for calcium and magnesium. I have no issues in buying more tests. Nearest store is about 45 min besides petco which I don’t care to go too.

 

[alddb]

I swear I will grow grey... woke up today... barely any white spots remain.

 

[Sam816]

Well congrats, it was just a stressed induced condition. Pat him, feed him his fav food n tell him he is a good boy

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Those spots seem too large to be ich. Lymphocystis doesn't develop on the body like that, and is mostly seen on the trailing edges of the fins. Looks like mucus spots to me. I discuss that a bit in this article:

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

Click on the download PDF link at the right side of the page.

Jay