Help Single White Spot On My Synadontis

[ghostshrimp101]

hello
i have a 50 gal tank with 6 lemon tetras, 6 black skirts, 1 paradise blue gourami, 2 white tip blue sharks, 3 lace synadontis, one small black ghost knife and 6 ghost shrimp. i do my water changes one a week, everyone is healthy except i my largest synadontis has a white spot on its side that is 2-3 cm, this fish is not showing any signs of distress no rubbing, swimming normal, no pinched fins, as with the rest of my fish in the tank. could this be a parasite or just a possible wound. i bought a general cure anti-parasitic medication by API, is it safe to use? i don't have a quarantine tank i just don't have room for one.
and if advise you have is greatly appreciated
i attached a photo it is really blurry but its the best i could do with my camera

 

[TheRedDiscus]

You should know that kife fish doesn't really like smaller fish and that I think your synadontis's problem is either a large fungal infection (less likely), or a infection that has caused cell death in that area (more likely). However these two could be all wrong.

 

[OpalineAqua]

You should know that kife fish doesn't really like smaller fish and that I think your synadontis's problem is either a large fungal infection (less likely), or a infection that has caused cell death in that area (more likely). However these two could be all wrong.

It could be fungal. Is it fuzzy looking? Does it hang off the fish or is it just the fish's colour?

 

[WILDER]

Does the patch look like bleaching beneath the skin.
Any redness to the patch.
Does the patch look fluffy in appearance.

 

[eggy]

I had the same thing with my goldfish and it just disapaered in a week, no treatment what so ever.

 

[ghostshrimp101]

well so far i haven't had any problems with the gkf its quite timmid. as for the synadontis their is no fuzziness to it i does look like a patch but its only white no red. its not raised from the skin and it is the only spot on him its right in the middle but closer to the bottom of his belly. i haven't seen any other patches on any of my other fish they seem to be healthy. i did start treating them with the API general cure, but i halved the dose nothing seemed to change though

 

[WILDER]

Sounds more bacterial to me if the fish isn't flicking and rubbing.
White patches can be columnaris which is bacterial.

 

[ghostshrimp101]

i was thinking it was parasitic. or maybe its nothing. i don't think that its columnaris, their is only one spot on it and none of the other symptoms. the spot has not grown and it showed up over night. my water is good the fish weren't stressed. thank you for all you help though i would like to figure this out.

 

[WILDER]

Its not whitespot as the spots to big, if whitespot left untreated the spots can join up.
Are any of the fish flicking and rubbing.

 

[ghostshrimp101]

wilder none of my fish are flicking rubbing their is no sick behavior that is why i am so baffled. i check my fish daily i look them all over i watch them eat so i can have a good look at them. if their was any white spots or anything unordinary i would have noticed. i am paranoid about that stuff, one its a big tank and i don't want to have to treat it two i have the BGK and i don't want it to get sick because it would be hard to treat it. the white spot is one solid spot, i have talked to everyone that i know in the pet stores, i have looked at every book i can get my hands on i have searched the internet i've been talking on 2 forums and i can't seem to have a solution or even a explanation to what it is or if it is fatal or if it is contagious. i thank everyone who has been helping i just don;t know what else to do.

 

[ghostshrimp101]

okay so after i wrote my last reply i went and looked at my fish (which i should have done so before) and all three synanontis have the large spots, one has one on its fin and the other on its body. they gave no indications that they were sick. so i set up a hospital tank, ive raised the temp to 80 and put 2 tbs of salt. i thought i would try this before putting any meds in there. so now that i have some leeway any suggestions on how to treat?

 

[WILDER]

Do the spots resemble a cluster of eggs or a cauliflower as spots on fins can be lymthocystis.

Lymphocystis



Symptoms:

Fish infected with Lymphocystis will present with clusters of whitish, berry-like growths on the skin and fins. These "clusters" may resemble small clutches of eggs or cauliflower (hence, it is sometimes called Cauliflower Disease). They will be clearly visible and may even become extremely large. This disease often affects the fins first.



Cause:

Viral infection. The virus will eventually kill the fish if it is unable to mount a strong enough immune response as the virus rampages through the fish’s tissues, destroying its cells.



Treatment:

As with all viral infections, there is no suitable cure or efficacious treatment; however Quick Cure claims to be helpful. I have also heard of people who trim the fish's fins, followed by several baths in Malachite Green. Fortunately, this disease is uncommon and in some cases, infected fish are able to recover quickly without treatment.

Lymphocystis is highly infectious. When infected cells from the fish’s skin or fins burst the virus is spread throughout the aquarium and can remain contagious for periods of up to two months. Fish not showing symptoms should be removed from the aquarium and placed in quarantine, away from other fish, for at least 60 days. Note, remove uninfected fish, not the other way around because the aquarium has become contaminated. The infected aquarium should be emptied and thoroughly disinfected before returning any fish to it. Do not use soap to clean the aquarium.

 

[ghostshrimp101]

its not lymphocystis, its like their skin changed color in those spots, and their is one on each fish. they are not getting bigger or smaller and the fish seem healthy, no erratic swimming, no scrapping, no pinched fins nothing. i have searched the internet and read every book i can find, and nothing i am at a loss.
i think i'm at the point where maybe i should just start medicating and hope something works. the salt doesnt seem to be working, but it has only been 2 -3 days. i'll give it a couple of more days if nothing then i will do a h20 change and then i will try something else any suggestions.

could it be specific to that type of fish?

 

[WILDER]

I would take the bacterial route then.
Good Luck.

 

[ghostshrimp101]

well i thought i would up date if anyone was interested. i decided that i was going to take the fish with me to my local petsmart, amazingly enough their was someone their quite knowledgeable we went your way wilder, so i treated them this afternoon and it looks like the spots are getting smaller i will see by morning if they are gone, and if they are i will finish the treatment, i don't want it to come back and be twice as strong. thank you again for all your advice.