One Spot Foxface with more than one spot!

[Chevy55Post]

75 Gallon Tank with 90 lbs LR 100lbs sand bed and 20 Gallon sump with Chaeto was cycled in June/July 2012. One-Spot Foxface added the end of August. Tank mates - 2 B&W Ocellaris - 2 Cleaner Shrimp - 1 Blue Spotted Watchman Goby - various snails & coral. Emerald Crab in Sump. Last addition was zoa, monti & scripps acro added on 2/26/13. Water paramaters are all good - I have done weekly 8 gallon water changes since cycle. Only problem has been low ph - around 7.8. On Saturday morning I did my weekly PWC and added 2 teaspoons of Kent Superbuffer-dKH (disolved in a glass of RO water and added to DT) to try to raise PH. I was gone all day and when I returned later that night I noticed my Foxface had about 5 spots on one side. The spots were almost stringy looking and larger (did not look like salt sprinkles). The spots on the tail are smaller like salt. Attached picture was taken about 48 hrs after discovery. LFS believes it is not ICH from pictures. I did just add a Scripps Acro last week and it is on the edge of a rock - my thought is that he got against that or ?? Looking at images on ICH - the spots on my Foxface are much larger. I am on day three of adding Maracyn Plus Antibacteria from LFS recomendation. He is acting normal and no other symptoms on any other fish. My question is from everything I can find ICH is like grains of salt. These are much bigger - like 10 grains of salt (except the ones on the tail). I am back and forth thinking it is ICH but I have seen ICH on other fish and it does not look like ICH. Any suggestions? Could it be something else? It is only on one side.
Temp 79 - PH 7.8 - CA 380 - KH 7 - Phosphate & Nitrate 0 - SG 1.024

 

[Liberty]

Your Cal, Alk, PH. Are low, have you tested magnesium. bigger WC or start dosing. Don't use buffers, they raise the ph for a sort time and your left with a high alk, IMO but your still low, it's not bad 8-10 dkh is best some go higher.
Do you feed red green and brown algae?

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Lymphocystis maybe?

 

[Chevy55Post]

Liberty:
The readings were low - I took them just prior to my last water change. That was one reason why I posted them as I was surprised they were low. Normally it holds around 420 on CA and 8 on KH. I do not test mag - I will start doing 5 day WC's and get them back in line again. I do feed both red & brown algae every two or three days (not daily). I have always struggled with lower PH readings and LFS suggested the buffer. This is the 2nd time that I have tried the buffer - I struggled with a wave of algae a couple months ago and blamed it on the buffer. Saturday was the first day I tried it again. I will take your advise and stop - Thanks!

Benamayer:
Thanks for the suggestion - I will do some research.
Appreciate your help.

 

[Liberty]

Research magnesium it has a lot to do with cal and alk. A lot of the salt mix don't have the proper amout.

 

[Chevy55Post]

Research magnesium it has a lot to do with cal and alk. A lot of the salt mix don't have the proper amout.

I will look into Magnesium. I have been using IO Reef Crystals for about 8 months and only the last couple months started getting some of the easy or beginner corals. I have been trying to go slow as there is so much to learn - this last scare with whatever it is . . . I noticed you have a Foxface - Nice tank BTW! Any suggestions on salt? Do you dose?

 

[Chevy55Post]

Lymphocystis maybe?

Thanks for the tip - I did google and it does look like Lymphocystis. It also looks like ICH if it comes in huge looking salt pellets - not small dots. I guess I am leaning to ICH because that seems to be the most common problem. I need to research both some more and time will tell. None of the other fish have any symptoms yet - I really don't want it to be ICH. I thought ICH had to be introduced by another fish - I don't think my Foxface is under stress from anything in my tank. The cleaner shrip, clowns and goby are fine (so far). My tests were low (I attributed it to the addition of the Monti, Zoa Rock and Scripps just added) but with more frequent water changes and replacing my filter socks every four days we will see if it improves. The Foxface seems to be better since I started the Maracyn Plus. I appreciate your help.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Doesn't look like ich to me fwiw...

 

[Liberty]

I will look into Magnesium. I have been using IO Reef Crystals for about 8 months and only the last couple months started getting some of the easy or beginner corals. I have been trying to go slow as there is so much to learn - this last scare with whatever it is . . . I noticed you have a Foxface - Nice tank BTW! Any suggestions on salt? Do you dose?

I use the same salt lol, but at 1.024 it's only 1200 if the tanks already low not going to do much. You could get away with only add some mag to the WC to get it to 1350.
Yes I dose, reef keeper controller does it all light timer moon lights cycle, temp controller ATO And a Multi timer for the dosing Alk at 73 mil daily cal 78 mil. all SPS trying
Btw if the 75 is your first tank nice job I like it
This is my third tank and the last.
I did the same but only 5gal a week lol and ro from the LFS. Took a water sample and was sold buffer and cal riser. My tank turned very cloudy. So 4 yrs latter I got a big tank the fish are getting huge foxy 7in. Oh and they like there algae sheets, even the formula 2 pellets with garlic. Keep him fat a happy till he gets over it. He the first fish I got, I had algae
Glad to help

 

[TheTodd]

It does not look at all like Ich. Seems much too large. I'm leaning towards Lympho.

 

[Chevy55Post]

It does not look at all like Ich. Seems much too large. I'm leaning towards Lympho.

I hope that is what it is - I will let you know for sure in a couple weeks. I have read many of your posts and links to ICH, so when I noticed your reply to this thread - I figured you were going to tell me it was ICH. Thanks for your opinion. This is the first I have heard of Lymphocystis - from what I have read I think I will take it over ICH!

 

[Chevy55Post]

I use the same salt lol, but at 1.024 it's only 1200 if the tanks already low not going to do much. You could get away with only add some mag to the WC to get it to 1350.
Yes I dose, reef keeper controller does it all light timer moon lights cycle, temp controller ATO And a Multi timer for the dosing Alk at 73 mil daily cal 78 mil. all SPS trying
Btw if the 75 is your first tank nice job I like it
This is my third tank and the last.
I did the same but only 5gal a week lol and ro from the LFS. Took a water sample and was sold buffer and cal riser. My tank turned very cloudy. So 4 yrs latter I got a big tank the fish are getting huge foxy 7in. Oh and they like there algae sheets, even the formula 2 pellets with garlic. Keep him fat a happy till he gets over it. He the first fish I got, I had algae
Glad to help

Off topic but how do you like your reef keeper? Looking into this for my next purchase. Last month I got a Tunze Osmolator and wish I would have go it from the start. Now looking at the Elite Plus or the Apex but just started looking into the different units. Any suggestions?
You should charge admission and post more pics of your tank -That is one awesome tank!

 

[TheTodd]

I hope that is what it is - I will let you know for sure in a couple weeks. I have read many of your posts and links to ICH, so when I noticed your reply to this thread - I figured you were going to tell me it was ICH. Thanks for your opinion. This is the first I have heard of Lymphocystis - from what I have read I think I will take it over ICH!

I have never dealt with Lympho, but this sort of thing is interesting to me, so I do a lot of reading. I respond to a lot of Ich threads, but this just looks way too big to be that. At least this is mot a "I have a Hippo Tang in a 55g tank" scenario.

Keep us updated and good luck!

 

[Liberty]

Off topic but how do you like your reef keeper? Looking into this for my next purchase. Last month I got a Tunze Osmolator and wish I would have go it from the start. Now looking at the Elite Plus or the Apex but just started looking into the different units. Any suggestions?
You should charge admission and post more pics of your tank -That is one awesome tank!

Thanks for liking my tank, I saved 2 long years. It's be up for 7 month. I'm going slow. Almost got the lights paid off
Reekkeeper I never really compared it with any other controller. I got the first one about 5 years ago the small one, then they came out with the others. I herd on all the blogs don't go cheap you'll regret. So
I got the elite without the net for christmas. I said please please. LOL I've added float switch for the ATO, moon light, it follows the cycle of the moon. Another pug. And then I I got the net, I don't use the net at all right now. Who needs an email at work that something wrong. I like can just get up and go.
Next group buy I'm getting the double float to replace the one in my sump, In case one sticks. And use the one in the skimmer, it bubbled over the other day.