What is this?

[i cant think]

Okay, so my blenny had a white patch appear a week ago, I thought it was just where he scraped himself on a rock (He likes hiding between two rocks and poking his head out)
I then got a closer look, the white dots on his eye seem to be part of his pattern - The same spots are on his other side in the same area. The white splotches on his gill aren’t normal though.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Scrapes from the rock perhaps?

 

[i cant think]

Scrapes from the rock perhaps?

It’s strange because they’re not like chunks of flesh back been torn

 

[Sharkbait19]

Any new additions to the tank?
@Jay Hemdal
Is that patch on his side normal too?

 

[i cant think]

Any new additions to the tank?
@Jay Hemdal
Is that patch on his side normal too?

The large patch just after his pectoral fin isn’t normal and was what I thought was a scratch on the rock.
As for new additions, a couple months ago was a nice healthy Koumansetta hectori. As for coral, a few weeks ago (I think this was last month) I added a Rhodactis mushroom and a Hammer after dipping them for 10 minutes in iodine & Ti Tree Oil.

Here’s the crevice he hides in, Just above the rhodactis mushroom.

 

[i cant think]

I’ll watch how it gets and if it gets worse then I’ll put the blenny in the sump of my 4’ tank. It’s water level isn’t right up in the top and is a few inches off of the top so it’s not an issue. It’s also dark down there and I need a new ATO (Power surge killed it) so I’ll be looking in there every so often. I assume he’ll get food from the over flow and scraps the big guys leave.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I’ll watch how it gets and if it gets worse then I’ll put the blenny in the sump of my 4’ tank. It’s water level isn’t right up in the top and is a few inches off of the top so it’s not an issue. It’s also dark down there and I need a new ATO (Power surge killed it) so I’ll be looking in there every so often. I assume he’ll get food from the over flow and scraps the big guys leave.

Yes - the dots around its face are part of its lateral line system and are normal. The lesion on its cheek and down its side are not though.

I always caution folks - when you have a fish and you think it scraped itself on a rock or something - remember that the normal habitat of these fish are sharp coral reefs, so they are well adapted to NOT getting scraped up. It is typically better to look elsewhere for a cause. Now, what that could be, I can't really say. Often, it is aggression from another fish, but blennies are pretty good at avoiding getting attacked.

If you had a smaller tank to move it to, and if the lesions get worse (they may not) you could consider an antibiotic treatment.

Jay

 

[i cant think]

Yes - the dots around its face are part of its lateral line system and are normal. The lesion on its cheek and down its side are not though.

I always caution folks - when you have a fish and you think it scraped itself on a rock or something - remember that the normal habitat of these fish are sharp coral reefs, so they are well adapted to NOT getting scraped up. It is typically better to look elsewhere for a cause. Now, what that could be, I can't really say. Often, it is aggression from another fish, but blennies are pretty good at avoiding getting attacked.

If you had a smaller tank to move it to, and if the lesions get worse (they may not) you could consider an antibiotic treatment.

Jay

I doubt it is aggression - Everything in the tank is peaceful except the shrimp. In the tank there is:
- Koumansetta hectori
- Stonogobiops yasha
- Gobiodon acicularis
- Pseudocheilinops ataenia
- Cirrhilabrus naokoae
- Macropharyngodon bipartitus

as for inverts:
- Stenopus cyanoscelis
- Conomurex luhuanus
- 2x Nassarius spp
- 3-2x Trochus spp
- Mexican Turbo

I can’t think of any of them doing this to a blenny, the Shrimp tears fins but has never gone for the scales/flesh.