PBT white spots but strange

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hello everyone. I haven’t started treating yet. But I found my moorish idol on the sand bed today. I thought he is dead but he woke up when I tried to take him out of the tank. However he turned very dark and now I really don’t know what to do
That’s how he looked in the morning

Now

Was the idol laying on its side? How is it looking now? Is it breathing fast? Can you post a video?

Jay

 

[Timurrrr]

Was the idol laying on its side? How is it looking now? Is it breathing fast? Can you post a video?

Jay

Hi. Thank you for your attention. He was laying on the side without any move when I found him. Almost completely grey.
When he showed signs of life I started making him swim, then left him for an hour to make sure he is not dead.
Then I took him out and dipped in rodi water for 5 minites. Put in quarantine tank with copper but eventually decided it will be too much for him so I put him back in dt. Don’t know what to do. But I thought that 10g quarantine tank is not good for him in such condition anyway.
Today he looks as nothing happened. Swam to me when I started feeding.
That’s how he looks now

No rapid breathing, good appetite. Those several white spots that were visible on him are gone as well.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi. Thank you for your attention. He was laying on the side without any move when I found him. Almost completely grey.
When he showed signs of life I started making him swim, then left him for an hour to make sure he is not dead.
Then I took him out and dipped in rodi water for 5 minites. Put in quarantine tank with copper but eventually decided it will be too much for him so I put him back in dt. Don’t know what to do. But I thought that 10g quarantine tank is not good for him in such condition anyway.
Today he looks as nothing happened. Swam to me when I started feeding.
That’s how he looks now

No rapid breathing, good appetite. Those several white spots that were visible on him are gone as well.

Very strange, I can’t explain how the fish would go from laying on its side to up and swimming around and eating normally. Was there any chance that you turned the lights on suddenly or something and caused it to temporarily go into shock?

Jay

 

[Timurrrr]

Very strange, I can’t explain how the fish would go from laying on its side to up and swimming around and eating normally. Was there any chance that you turned the lights on suddenly or something and caused it to temporarily go into shock?

Jay

I do my best to provide them with the most comfortable environment. from my point of view of course. that fish causes me going into shock so far. I did 25% water change the day before, checked all parameters, they were fine. kept observing during the day. I have two x15th which I run at ab+ in acclimating mode from20% of max. but last two days I played a bit with bright white to get good pics of my tang and that's it. He does not have any white spots. seems annoyed when the lights are on. scratches against the overflow box only when under illumination. I watch his behavior at night through ir camera and he acts normal. just goes crazy during the day. I will keep watching without making any steps. it seems to be the best way to handle this situation.bought a ton of different meds but I don't know. no obvious signs of ice or any other disease. fw dip of idol did not show anything as well

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I do my best to provide them with the most comfortable environment. from my point of view of course. that fish causes me going into shock so far. I did 25% water change the day before, checked all parameters, they were fine. kept observing during the day. I have two x15th which I run at ab+ in acclimating mode from20% of max. but last two days I played a bit with bright white to get good pics of my tang and that's it. He does not have any white spots. seems annoyed when the lights are on. scratches against the overflow box only when under illumination. I watch his behavior at night through ir camera and he acts normal. just goes crazy during the day. I will keep watching without making any steps. it seems to be the best way to handle this situation.bought a ton of different meds but I don't know. no obvious signs of ice or any other disease. fw dip of idol did not show anything as well

I do think you should consider hyposalinity in this case.

Jay

 

[Timurrrr]

I do think you should consider hyposalinity in this case.

Jay

Thank you. I was collecting rodi water and now have enough to decrease salinity and make water change in case something goes wrong.
Just wanted to ask for the last opinion as they developed new signs of disease

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thank you. I was collecting rodi water and now have enough to decrease salinity and make water change in case something goes wrong.
Just wanted to ask for the last opinion as they developed new signs of disease

The mandarin looks like it could be sand grains, but the moorish idol has marine ich. Here is my post on hyposalinity:

Hyposalinity

Hyposalinity Jay Hemdal 2024 This term refers to a long-term bath treatment for marine fishes in which the salt content of the water is lowered and held below the point that certain parasites can survive. The salt level reached, and the time of the treatment are the two variables...

www.reef2reef.com

Jay

 

[Timurrrr]

Thank you so much for your help.
I am at between 1.010 and 1.009 (hopefully) according to my refractometer from amazon which I am calibrating using fritz 35ppm solution. Waiting for my swing arm hydrometer and calibration solution for apex probe. Took 2 days and a lot of water to get to 1.010.
My idol is much worse. Valentini puffer has cloudy eyes and powder blue has no signs and behaves like nothing happened.
Hope they will make it.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thank you so much for your help.
I am at between 1.010 and 1.009 (hopefully) according to my refractometer from amazon which I am calibrating using fritz 35ppm solution. Waiting for my swing arm hydrometer and calibration solution for apex probe. Took 2 days and a lot of water to get to 1.010.
My idol is much worse. Valentini puffer has cloudy eyes and powder blue has no signs and behaves like nothing happened.
Hope they will make it.

Yes - hyposalinity works, but you need to be at 1.009 exactly, and it does take a few days to clear the spots. In some cases, the fish just don't have a few days though. I think in this case you caught it in time.

Jay

 

[Timurrrr]

I am maintaining 1.009 sg. Ph is 7.9 everything seems fine but my PBT is lying on a side. Can hypo cause this? Is moved him to a bucket with airstome and start to increase salinity. Now it’s 1.012. I just thought he does not handle hypo well.
Did not show any signs of disease. He was very active and tried to kill his reflection in a mirror all day yesterday.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I am maintaining 1.009 sg. Ph is 7.9 everything seems fine but my PBT is lying on a side. Can hypo cause this? Is moved him to a bucket with airstome and start to increase salinity. Now it’s 1.012. I just thought he does not handle hypo well.
Did not show any signs of disease. He was very active and tried to kill his reflection in a mirror all day yesterday.

That species can handle hyposalinity quite well. Lying on its side is a really serious symptom though. I'm not sure that putting the fish in a bucket is the best course of action, that is not a stable environment, so once your raise the salinity, what will you do with the fish?

Is your water testing out o.k.?

Can you get us a current video of the moorish idol or other fish so we can judge their respiration rate? In the previous video, I did not see rapid breathing, so I ruled out velvet. Hypo does NOT work for velvet, so if the fish are breathing fast now, that would change the diagnosis.

Otherwise, all I can conclude is that the fish have a pretty severe case of ich and hypo will work for that, but if not caught in time, no treatment will work....

Jay

 

[Timurrrr]

That species can handle hyposalinity quite well. Lying on its side is a really serious symptom though. I'm not sure that putting the fish in a bucket is the best course of action, that is not a stable environment, so once your raise the salinity, what will you do with the fish?

Is your water testing out o.k.?

Can you get us a current video of the moorish idol or other fish so we can judge their respiration rate? In the previous

video, I did not see rapid breathing, so I ruled out velvet. Hypo does NOT work for velvet, so if the fish are breathing fast now, that would change the diagnosis.

Otherwise, all I can conclude is that the fish have a pretty severe case of ich and hypo will work for that, but if not caught in time, no treatment will work....
Jay

Idol looks much better now. Started to eat and his breathing is much slower than before. However I think it’s still pretty fast

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[Timurrrr]

He’s barely alive.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

The moorish does look better, but it is still breathing too fast. The puffer looks pretty good.

I don't have any suggestions in terms of changing the course of the current treatment.

Jay