Fiji foxface with white fuzz on dorsal fin... Please help.

[ffacollins]

I have a fowlr tank, with a Fiji foxface that has a white fuzzy looking spot on his dorsal fin that has slowly gotten bigger and bigger. He still eats and acts fine, but it's spreading to other sections of his fins, so I'm getting worried. None of my other fish have gotten it, and everyone else is doing just fine. My lfs told me to use melafix, but that hasn't helped at all, and I have already done the full 7 day treatment and water change. If you have any clue what it could be please let me know!! I have been digging through forums and my guess is lymphocytis, but it's spreading and doesn't quite look like any other pictures I've seen.

 

[btldreef]

Can you post a picture?
How long have you owned this fish?
What other inhabitants are with it?
What are your tank parameters?

 

[saxman]

If it's Lymphocystis, nothing will help...it's a virus. IME, with Lympho, it usually just goes away, altho once I started running that tank at SG 1.020 max I never saw it after that.
If it's fungus, it will need treatment such as API's Fungus Cure or something similar.
Don't use Melafix...it's pretty much snake oil IMHO/IME.

 

[btldreef]

Only thing I've found Melafix to be useful for is dipping SPS corals

 

[ffacollins]

I have owned the fish for approximately 8 weeks. I just checked all my tank parameters and I'm sitting at 0 ppm for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates. and 8.0 ph with a specific gravity of 1.022. He's in there with a Ocellaris Clown, a Firefish Goby, 2 blue/green Chromis, a Sand Sifting Star, a Horseshoe Crab, and Astrea snails.
I did not quarantine the fish which I hope I don't regret... I will from now on for sure. I actually recently acquired a tank for that use. I had cycled the tank for approximately 2 months, and then added the Chromis, a week later I added the Firefish and Snails. After a few weeks I added the Horseshoe Crab and Star, and then about 6 weeks after that I added the Foxface and Clown. I only have live rock in there with a live sand and crushed coral substrate. I added an album to my profile, but here are a couple of pictures, sorry that they are sideways, but you can get the idea. When I went to take the pictures today it seems like the original spot has decreased in size overnight, but the others are getting larger. Thank you so much for the speedy reply, I really wasn't expecting that!!
I tried the Melafix based on my LFS's advice, but as you both said, that didn't help. I actually posted to the forum after I asked again and they told me it was probably anchor worms... I really don't think that's what it is.

 

[ffacollins]

I've kept freshwater tanks for years, but this is my first experience with saltwater, so I'm always open to suggestions! I've learned a lot so far, but every time I start looking I always learn something new. Should I lower my salinity a bit? I would like to start adding some coral since my live rock is doing so well, covered in Coralline algae. I started adding Instant Ocean Reef Accelerator to try to get a head start again on the advice of my LFS. I can wait on the reef though if you believe that a lower salinity would help the foxface heal up better, although I would like to eventually be able to add some coral.

 

[saxman]

What are the little white lines on the fish's body in the last photo? I can't tell if yose little lines are on the fish or are artifacts in the photo. The fins don't look like worms to me, but anchor worms do typically attack a fish's body (they do look like worms tho...get a mag. glass and take a peek at them as well as the growths on the fins.
However, from what I can see, it's likely not a fungal infestation.

 

[ffacollins]

The little white lines are just from the picture... I hadn't noticed that until you said that, so I kinda freaked out for a minute, but it's just an artifact. Sorry about the picture quality. I will get a magnifying glass to look more closely. Do you have any suggestions if I don't see worms? Should I just continue to let it run its course and hope that it's lympho? Should I do my water changes more often then bi-weekly while the growths are still present? I've been monitoring my water quality at least every other day or so and have been trying to make sure I give them a good diet. I just recently started adding Zoe to their food, so hopefully that will help.

 

[saxman]

From what I can see then, I'd say its Lympho. IME with foxfaces, they get the odd spot every now and then, but that's usually all it amounts to. Were the fish's fins damaged in that area, possibly from a net or going in and out of the rockwork?