Skin lesion on Purple Dottyback

kjkaminski · Mar 15, 2021

I noticed this lesion on the side of my purple dottyback today. Fish is swimming/behaving normally and eating well. All other fish are healthy. Tank parameters all within normal range. He is very protective of his corner of the world but is not overly aggressive to tankmates otherwise. Any idea what caused this lesion? Treatment?

vetteguy53081 · Mar 15, 2021

Looks like scarring from injury or possibly fighting with a tank mate. Saltwater fish have the ability to heal on their own and quickly
You could assist by adding Melafix. Tomorrow, it should be looking better, not worse. If not, consider treating with maracyn 2 or ruby rally pro

kjkaminski · Mar 16, 2021

vetteguy53081 said:
Looks like scarring from injury or possibly fighting with a tank mate. Saltwater fish have the ability to heal on their own and quickly
You could assist by adding Melafix. Tomorrow, it should be looking better, not worse. If not, consider treating with maracyn 2 or ruby rally pro

He is one of the more aggressive members of the tank. A yellow tang, wrasse, and pygmy angel all keep him in check so maybe they had a little skirmish and he scraped himself on the rocks. Will keep an eye on it to see if it improves. Getting him out of tank to treat will be a challenge!