Trigger: White spots-- NOT ICH (in QT)

[ray j neal]

I purchased a 4" Niger Trigger last Saturday and immediately placed him into the QT. Me and my girlfriend have tried and tried to get a picture but it does not show up on the camera; I will do my best to explain.
The spots he is exhibiting are not raised off of his body as in the case with ich. They also are not perfectly round and some look similar to a line, some squiggly lines. When viewing the fish from the side they are almost undetectable. When you look down the side of the fish at an angle from the front or rear of him however they are visible. The are off-white/greyish blotches covering the side of him as well as upper and lower fin, however none on the tail fin. The fish is not breathing hard, is not flashing and otherwise appears normal. He eats like a pig. Water parameters at the moment are:
temp 78F
salinity 1.009
(put him in hypo because originally thought ich. Am maintaining it their in case he is under any type of stress).
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 10
He is in QT with a dogface puffer at the time. The dogface is healthy..just there on 'time out'.
Again, they look like blotches..not the 'grains of salt' appearence of ich. It seems to me that some of these spots are peeling..as if his skin is blistering like ours does when sun burnt.
I know a picture is worth a thousand words, but I am hoping someone can help me out here (ahem..SEP )

 

[ray j neal]

I wonder if the Trigger possibly has Brooklynella? I don't kow how common this is for Triggers though. From what I have read he would have labored breathing and loss of appetite. He has neither of these symptoms. He has been in this condition for about four days now and remains "fine".

 

[mindelina13]

My tang had something that sounds like this a few weeks ago. I decided that it was probably a fungus. So I went out and bought 3 cleaner shrimp and dosed with pimafix. Haven't had any problems since. Hope this helps.

 

[ray j neal]

Originally Posted by mindelina13
My tang had something that sounds like this a few weeks ago. I decided that it was probably a fungus. So I went out and bought 3 cleaner shrimp and dosed with pimafix. Haven't had any problems since. Hope this helps.

Thanks, however I am not looking to buy cleaner shrimp. The fish is in QT and I want to fix the problem before putting in DT.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Ray J Neal
I wonder if the Trigger possibly has Brooklynella? I don't kow how common this is for Triggers though. From what I have read he would have labored breathing and loss of appetite. He has neither of these symptoms. He has been in this condition for about four days now and remains "fine".
Triggers do not get brooklynella, that I am aware of. If it were brook he would be showing signs other than extra mucas after 4 days of it. Something is irritating his slime coat. Have you checked him over for signs of Velvet (looks lke gold dust) or other isopod parasites? Something is causing him to excrete extra mucas.

 

[ray j neal]

Originally Posted by sepulatian
Triggers do not get brooklynella, that I am aware of. If it were brook he would be showing signs other than extra mucas after 4 days of it. Something is irritating his slime coat. Have you checked him over for signs of Velvet (looks lke gold dust) or other isopod parasites? Something is causing him to excrete extra mucas.
I do not see any gold specks (im color blind

) ! No, honestly though my girlfriend and I can't find any with the magnifying glass. The skin peeling (slime coat) can't be seen viewed directly from his side. You must look at him from an angle. I do not know what to look for at this point..and I want to treat him. I am leaving the tank in hypo for three weeks anyways. Anything I can check for besides the diseases in Beth's FAQ?

 

[sepulatian]

Ray, it is extremely hard to diagnose without a pic. Being that you cannot get one we are just guessing at what he may or may not have. If the "peeling" is not visible from the side then what you are seeing is just extra mucas comming off. If it was brook there would be things hanging off of your fish. He could have built up a thicker slime coat when he was moved from the LFS to your qt, from the stress of the move, and is now letting it go. I would not treat him with anything just yet.