So this is one of my cardinal tetras. It has a white spot on its side. And it’s not ich. It’s just one big spot and he has damaged fins. Nothing in the tank can rlly bully him. Um, I am having trouble diagnosing the fish but he has been like that for a while and it hasn’t affected any other fish.
Weird white spot on a cardinal tetra
- Thread starter Flopper
- Start date
It looks like just a damaged scale, I would just keep an eye on it at this stage.
Do you know what else should do?
I think it is localized to one or two scales and the fish looks fine so nothing at the moment
The white dot on the side of the fish looks like a missing scale.
The fish appears to have excess mucous on its head (creamy white stuff). This can be caused by poor water quality, or an external protozoan infection, or a fungal infection.
The fish also has damaged fins, which can be caused by poor water quality, bacteria, or something biting it.
This combination of issues could mean something in the tank is attacking it, or there is a water quality problem, or the fish has a weak immune system and is unwell.
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Can you post some pictures of the tank and the other fish in it?
What other fish are in the tank?
How long has the tank been set up for?
What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH & KH of the tank water?
How often and how do you clean the filter?
How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?
How long have you had the fish for?
How long has the fish had the damaged fins, white patch on head and white dot on side?
Did you add anything in the 2 weeks before this started?
The fish appears to have excess mucous on its head (creamy white stuff). This can be caused by poor water quality, or an external protozoan infection, or a fungal infection.
The fish also has damaged fins, which can be caused by poor water quality, bacteria, or something biting it.
This combination of issues could mean something in the tank is attacking it, or there is a water quality problem, or the fish has a weak immune system and is unwell.
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Can you post some pictures of the tank and the other fish in it?
What other fish are in the tank?
How long has the tank been set up for?
What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH & KH of the tank water?
How often and how do you clean the filter?
How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?
How long have you had the fish for?
How long has the fish had the damaged fins, white patch on head and white dot on side?
Did you add anything in the 2 weeks before this started?
I have black neon tetras, cherry barbs, honey gourami, neon tetras(which it schools with), kuhli loaches, guppy, and otocinclus catfish.
it’s been set up for a few months and haven’t added fish in a while.
ammonia=0 ppm
Nitrate=0 ppm
Nitrate=15-20 ppm
Ph=7.6
I am unsure on what kH is.
I clean the filter every time I clean the aquarium which is once a week(50%)And yes, I gravel vac.
I’ve had the fish a bit over a year now. It hasn’t affected any other fish around it. He is the only fish in the tank with this problem.
the fish has had ich like 4- 5 months ago, and the spot appeared after that, following along with the damaged fins and white on its head.
it’s been set up for a few months and haven’t added fish in a while.
ammonia=0 ppm
Nitrate=0 ppm
Nitrate=15-20 ppm
Ph=7.6
I am unsure on what kH is.
I clean the filter every time I clean the aquarium which is once a week(50%)And yes, I gravel vac.
I’ve had the fish a bit over a year now. It hasn’t affected any other fish around it. He is the only fish in the tank with this problem.
the fish has had ich like 4- 5 months ago, and the spot appeared after that, following along with the damaged fins and white on its head.
Attachments
KH is carbonate hardness (sometimes called alkalinity) and is not a major issue. It helps buffer the pH and stop sudden drops in pH. If you contact you water supply company by phone or website, you can normally find the GH & KH there.
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What do you feed the fish and how often do you feed them?
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You can try adding some rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt) or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.
Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.
The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria, fish, plants, shrimp or snails.
After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.
If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.
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