Please help

Zagecko · Nov 13, 2020

Just cured my fish of what seemed like brooklynella. Now my clownfish has a white spot on his fin that is ripping. My goby has had a ripped tail since I got him. The goby's tail is ripped and has white fuzzy stuff on it. I can't get a picture of the goby but I got one of the clown. Please give me a diagnosis. The spot is on the bottom fin and the second dorsal fin

j.falk · Nov 14, 2020

It could be some type of fungus (cotton fungus - white fuzzy spots) which is usually a secondary infection after being damaged. Look into API's Pimafix. It's made for treating fungal infections.

Jay Hemdal · Nov 14, 2020

External fungal infections (Saprolegnia) don’t affect marine fish, it is a FW disease only.
The pictures aren’t super clear, but the spots look to large to be ich. So, this is either just the fish’s mucus or a minor bacterial infection, both likely from a minor injury.
I would just watch things at this point, if new spots develop, or if they get larger, you’ll need to treat it with antibiotics in a treatment tank. Watch for serious symptoms: lack of feeding rapid breathing or folded fins.
Jay

Zagecko · Nov 15, 2020

Jay Hemdal said:
External fungal infections (Saprolegnia) don’t affect marine fish, it is a FW disease only.
The pictures aren’t super clear, but the spots look to large to be ich. So, this is either just the fish’s mucus or a minor bacterial infection, both likely from a minor injury.
I would just watch things at this point, if new spots develop, or if they get larger, you’ll need to treat it with antibiotics in a treatment tank. Watch for serious symptoms: lack of feeding rapid breathing or folded fins.
Jay

Thanks

j.falk · Nov 16, 2020

Jay Hemdal said:
External fungal infections (Saprolegnia) don’t affect marine fish, it is a FW disease only.
The pictures aren’t super clear, but the spots look to large to be ich. So, this is either just the fish’s mucus or a minor bacterial infection, both likely from a minor injury.
I would just watch things at this point, if new spots develop, or if they get larger, you’ll need to treat it with antibiotics in a treatment tank. Watch for serious symptoms: lack of feeding rapid breathing or folded fins.
Jay

Thank you. I was unaware of that. Good to know for future reference....although I do find it strange that Pimafix is specifically advertised as being made for both freshwater and saltwater fungal infections.

Jay Hemdal · Nov 16, 2020

Yes - many medications say they are effective against marine fungus, but that should probably be in quotes, "fungus" because people tend to misidentify many issues as "fungus". I've only had one external fungal case in a marine fish in the past 10 years, thousands of fish, so that's why I call it rare to non-existent in marine fishes.

Jay