Lateral line disease or ich?

[maya]

I have a powder blue tang and it has developed white spots along the top ridge of one side of its body (pretty much follows the curved shape of its body). I know generally if it is white salt like grains it is considered ich, but could it be lateral line disease? I remember reading something on this topic a long time ago, but haven't been able to find anything recently. The fish is active, always hungry and seems healthy except for these white spots. Any ideas/treatment recommendations?

 

[beth]

HLLE, unfortunately, seems to be more of a problem with captive tangs. The problem is associated with a variety of things including not meeting the fish’s particular dietary [vegetarian] needs to stray voltage in the aquaria.
To distinguish HLLE from a parasite, HLLE will be an erosion of the fish’s surface tissue, as opposed to a parasite that will be attached to the fish. If you can tell by looking at the fish which it is, then use a magnifying glass to see if you can examine the area.
Water quality is a significant factor with HLLE. Tank conditions, including nitrates and phosphates, should be very low, if not zero. Additionally, the grazing vegetarian requirements of tangs must be met for this fish to remain healthy.
If you decide the problem is HLLE, try to address the most obvious problems if you find a problem:
Water Quality [nitrates/phosphates]
Nutrition [sea vegetation, carrots, peas, broccoli]
Use Zoe or ZoeCon to soak food
Grounding Probe for stray voltage
Work on these issues to see if the problem can be resolved.