valentini puffer with small white spots

[wakeboard3584]

hello everyone! i just got a valentini puffer for my reef tank on friday. (i know the risks for inverts and corals and am not concerned) However, the day i got him home, i realized he has 3 TINY white spots on his lower fin. My strawberry basslet has been somewhat nippy toward him, so i dont know if maybe this is just some slight damage from the strawberry's nips or maybe from transport OR if he is about to spread a fish killing disease all over my tank. (Also, i know i should have a quarantine tank... but i dont have room, so i dont have one) The spots have not changed at all in 4 days, but i am scared that this may be ich. From what i remember, it seems that when i battled the disease in my old tank, i saw daily changes in number and size of spots on the fish. if it were ich, wouldnt i be seeing the progression of the disease over the past 4 days? I dont want to jump to conclusions and would like to hear other's thoughts on this. I would like to add a picture, but the spots are so tiny that they wouldnt show up on the quality picture i can get of him. Should i pull the puffer out and treat for ich, or since the spots are not changing, should i just wait and watch carefully?

 

[beth]

If you are lucky, it may just be lymphocyctis. If you are not lucky, it may be ich. Take a look at the info on lymphocyctis in the FAQ Topic, top of this forum.

 

[wakeboard3584]

ok, so i was able to get some decent pictures of it. the size and number of these white spots on his lower fin have not changed since i noticed them 4 days ago. could this be damage from being bit by my strawberry basslet? george (the strawberry) goes after his stomach whenever he does nip. the puffer learned quickly to stay out of the caves haha. anyway, let me know what you think.

 

[wakeboard3584]

i also want to include he shows no sign of irritation and eats like a cow. also, the flash really caught the dots there. they don't look as big without flash.

 

[wakeboard3584]

anyone? should the spots be getting bigger and multiplying if it is ich? its been 5 days now with no change. what else could it be?

 

[hlcroghan]

Has he been going after any of your corals???? I think you wre the one that was asking advice right? i am really interested in getting one if they are more reef safe than we thought.
As for the spots, keep a very very close eye on the them. If he gets anymore or any behavior changes or anything I would immediately qt him. You could try a freshwater dip but that will stress him out some.

 

[wakeboard3584]

thanks for the input! he hasnt gone after any of my corals yet. i dont have any sps, so i cant vouch for that. he does nip at the rocks and substrate, but i think hes eating tiny inverts. the only negative i have seen from him was attacking my smallest blue leg hermit for about 15 minutes straight... but that was more funny than negative haha and for the record, the hermit got away
i'm going to start feeding him garlic soaked food tonight to boost his immune system and just watch the spots. hes still eating very well and seems happy. keep ya posted.