what is this?

[Eddie]

DISEASE QUESTIONNAIRE


Problem

1. Please explain the problems with your fish/when and how they started

I'm not sure what these spots are but somebody might. It's not ick from what I can tell. I've had fish with ick in the past and this seems to centralized around the tail fins. There was only one fish that had it from the first day but it seems that another fish is starting to get it too. The fish have been in the tank only a week.




2. Symptoms (i.e. turning dark, excess slime, not eating, clamped fins, flashing, darting, clamped gills, white/yellow/green poop, hiding, headstanding or tailstanding, white on tips of fins, rotting or fungus, blisters/ white zits on fish, bloated, cloudy eyes, wounds)

Just the spots on the tail fins but one fish that doesn't have spots started to become picky and only eat frozen blood worms. I've seen this picky eater using only one gill on occasion





3. What medications/ treatments that you have already tried and results. Include dosages and duration of treatment.

I read about gill flukes and skin flukes and it seemed like they might have come down with gill flukes. I started dosing Praziquantel powder form at 75mg per 10 gallons. This was started yesterday





Tank/Water

4. Tank size and age, number and size of fish

55 gallon brand new, 4 red turqs about 3in


5. Water change regime/ how long has tank been running/ bare bottom or gravel/ do you age your water?

30% daily, 6 weeks, bare bottom, filled straight from tap. I use a water conditioner and set the temp prior to filling.




6 Parameters and water source;

- temp 86

- ph 7.4

- ammonia reading 0

- nitrite reading 0

- nitrate reading 0

- well water NO

- municipal water YES

7. Any new fish/plants added recently

Don't scream and yell at me but I picked the discus up at a LFS where I had also bought 4 corys, 2 little blue rams, 4 cardinal tetras about 2 weeks prior. All these fish are in the same tank. Please don't stab me with the YOU SHOULD HAVE QTd them. The Discus had the spots from the first day so they did not pick the spots up from the other fish. Although they could have picked something else up from them. I am aware of that.

[ShinShin]

These spots are relatively common. Without digging out a fish disease book I can't tell you for certain what it is. I believe they are a protozoan and a malachite green/formalin ought to clear it up. Sometimes they disappear on their own. I think that it might be caused by stress.

Mat

[Eddie]

Thanks Mat,

The fish are eating like champs. The one fish that had been picky and at times only using one gill is using both gills and eating everything. I'll give them time and lots of good clean water. Hopefully these spots will go away on their own. I hate using meds and in the past when worst came to worse, heavy water changes seemed to bring my fish back to normal. It's still just week 2 so I am content my guys are eating 3-4 times a day!

[singhamanb]

I have had spots like this before on the fins only of healthy discus. I wouldnt worry if they dont spread to the body.

[Eddie]

So far nothing on the body but it is just mind boggling since the fish are doing awesome, eating EVERYTHING but these little spots that look like ich but not spreading. The fish aren't scratching or doing anything erratic, it's strange. I have kept discus several times and never had this come up. I feel like pulling the fish out and wiping these spots off! GRRRRR:mad: