What is this big what spot?

[Joey P]

I noticed a few days ago that my red tailed shark had a white spot on it's tail. I'm not sure if it's bigger now, but it's certainly more visible. For some reason, it's hard to see at certain angles (kind of the way a fish changes colors at certain angles), so it was easier to take a video and upload it to youtube. That and I don't know if it's like this for everyone else, but my tiger barbs are quite the little attention whores and kept jumping in front of the camera, so this was easier.

 

[jlk]

Hi! How do your parameters look? Water change schedule? Do you have a qt tank? He is pretty fast and its a bit difficult to see exactly what is going on but there is definitely a large white area. Does the tail look tattered/degrading or ripped in this area? Is the area fuzzy or stringy? Any other areas on him that have similar white appearance (face, head, fins, etc)?

 

[Joey P]

I haven't tested the parameters in a while, but they've always been fine. I do a weekly water change. 25% every Saturday. Fins are in good shape, everything else looks fine. The spot is weird. It shows up on one side, but it's harder to see on the other side and it's more visible at some angles that at others. It's almost like it's under the scales.

If it wasn't for that one white spot everything else would be fine. Also, I did have a case of Ich in the tank that I finished treating a few weeks ago. The shark had quite a bit. Could that be a secondary infection?

 

[Joey P]

The spot seems to have gotten worse this morning, I tried to take some better pictures of it.

Again though, everything else seems fine. He/she's swimming around, happy as can be, the tail isn't ragged or ripped. It just has this big white spot on it.

 

[Joey P]

So, I got home from work yesterday and found the shark floating, on it's head, up near the top of the tank in the back corner near the heater. For the past few days he's been hiding behind the filter. I assumed he was dead and I figured the current pushed him back there. When I went to go move him out of the corner so I could scoop him out, he kept swimming back and into the same position. I caught a glimpse of his tail. It's pretty much all white now and there may be a small white spot and the base of one of his other fins, but it's hard to tell. This morning he was slightly more active, but still stayed behind some decorations.

I was thinking about adding some snails to the tank tonight. I know they say the shark might eat them, but I figure if he leaves them alone, great, if the eats them, that's fine and if he dies, I'll have some snails.

Could this have anything to do with the Ich that I cleared up a while ago?

Also, I feed all kinds of food to my fish, but I don't think I've ever (maybe once) seen the shark partake in feeding. All he does is spend his time 'cleaning' the decorations and rocks (and not doing a very good job at). Between that and the way he was hanging out upside down yesterday, it's possible he thinks he's a pleco. Anyways, I was starting to wonder if he's just not eating and that's causing the problem. That was another reason that I was thinking about getting some snails. Thought maybe he might eat them and get some nutrients.

 

[jlk]

The ich parasite does cause injury to the slime coat and can allow infection to set in. If you can qt him, I would suggest treating him with a decent antibiotic combined with a low dose of salt.

 

[Joey P]

No, I really don't have any good way to QT it right now. I have an extra tank, but it's filthy* and I don't have a heater or filter for it.

*Filthy as in it's been sitting in my garage collecting dust, bird and opossum crap for the last few years. Before that it was a cricket tank.
It needs a good scrubbing with vinegar or ammonia before I'd put anything living in it. I was hoping to wait until summer so I could do that outside. Then set it up as a qt tank.

 

[Joey P]

Something I was just thinking about...do I need to qt snails or can I just just toss them in? I've read everything from just tossing them in to giving them a 6 week qt to just rinsing them off in tank water. Some people say they can't carry anything a fish can get sick from, some people say they can cary Ich cysts.

Like I said earlier, I was planning to run and get some after work today, but maybe I'll hold off.

 

[Mitchafishaboo]

The spot seems to have gotten worse this morning, I tried to take some better pictures of it.

Again though, everything else seems fine. He/she's swimming around, happy as can be, the tail isn't ragged or ripped. It just has this big white spot on it.

get some anti white spot by interpet. It saved most of my sisters platy's and does the same job for red tailed sharks. It is quite cheap and you can get it from local pet stores, if you dont get it then it could be fish lice. check for these things on your fish;
missing eyes, bulging belly or eyes or both, cloudy eyes, ulceration, scales falling off, velvety patches on scales, gas bubbles under scales, frayed fins, prominent tears displayed on fins, fins having evident reddish bases, lost appetite, fin rays exposed, darkening in colour, loss of activity, blood visible (signs of internal haemorrhaging) duller than usual, often tiny goldspots, swelling of the belly, relatively large flattened objects evident on the flanks of the fish, fish changes looks and has an abnormally curved spine, one individual is persecuted by one or more other fish, fish displays abnormal swimming pattern, gasping at the surface/attempting to jump out of the tank. check for all of these and if there are none then your fish just has pigmentation loss.

 

[Joey P]

get some anti white spot by interpet. It saved most of my sisters platy's and does the same job for red tailed sharks. It is quite cheap and you can get it from local pet stores, if you dont get it then it could be fish lice. check for these things on your fish;
missing eyes, bulging belly or eyes or both, cloudy eyes, ulceration, scales falling off, velvety patches on scales, gas bubbles under scales, frayed fins, prominent tears displayed on fins, fins having evident reddish bases, lost appetite, fin rays exposed, darkening in colour, loss of activity, blood visible (signs of internal haemorrhaging) duller than usual, often tiny goldspots, swelling of the belly, relatively large flattened objects evident on the flanks of the fish, fish changes looks and has an abnormally curved spine, one individual is persecuted by one or more other fish, fish displays abnormal swimming pattern, gasping at the surface/attempting to jump out of the tank. check for all of these and if there are none then your fish just has pigmentation loss.

I'm going to guess you're in the UK because every link I find for that product is a UK based website. It appears to be a product for curing Ich/Ick. I don't believe this to be Ich. It's not little white dots. It's one giant white spot on one fish (that had ich about a month ago).

 

[Joey P]

Well, the shark was dead this morning and I now have a guppie with fin rot. It looks to be just about dead too, it's just sitting there in a fake plant and moving a little every few seconds, but it's fins are pretty tattered.


I haven't been paying that much attention to it, but I don't think it looked like that in the last day or so.

I just tested the water and everything came back at zero and I do do 25% water change once a week. All the other fish look and act perfectly healthy. Actually, I take that back, I have one glofish that hides out in the corner and doesn't eat much (or at all). But nothing else looks sick.