White spot alarm!

[Vlowman]

Hello again,

Apologies for my frequent posts - there just always seems to be something!

So, I've just seen a white spot that has appeared on one of my platies' tails. It's a bit odd as you literally cannot see it when he is somewhat shaded, but as soon as the tank lights catch him - boom, there it is. I'm hoping someone will reassure me that this is not an illness but some sort of curious property of his body. But either way, it'd be good to know (and know what to do if there is an illness here). It doesn't really seem 'fuzzy' like I might expect a bacterial growth, nor is it like 'a grain of salt' attached to him - it seems to be within the tail somehow. It wasn't there yesterday.

Images of the now-you-see-it-now-you-don't spot here:

Many thanks

 

[Slaphppy7]

Just an anomaly on the surface of the tail, from what I see...if the fish is acting fine and eating well, I wouldn't fret over it.

What other fish are in the tank? Is there any sharp-edged deco in the tank?

 

[Avel1896]

Hey there
As said, maybe an anomaly. Or an ectoparasite. You need to monitor it.

 

[Vlowman]

Thanks. LFS man thought parasite too and I'm treating for that in a quarantine tank. Annoyingly I was quarantining some new moss on coconut features and didn't realise I was effectively pouring copper on them. Not going to be able to use them in the main tank now because of the shrimp. So annoying.

 

[Avel1896]

You could use water conditionner like Seachem "prime", or Tetra that neutralize chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metals.

 

[FishHobby99]

Could it possibly be a harmless discoloration that’s been there all along & you’re noticing it more in different lighting? I say so because the same once happened to me. I hit the panic button for nothing.

 

[Avel1896]

Also possibly. More clearer pics would be helpFUL

 

[FishHobby99]

Hello again,

Apologies for my frequent posts - there just always seems to be something!

So, I've just seen a white spot that has appeared on one of my platies' tails. It's a bit odd as you literally cannot see it when he is somewhat shaded, but as soon as the tank lights catch him - boom, there it is. I'm hoping someone will reassure me that this is not an illness but some sort of curious property of his body. But either way, it'd be good to know (and know what to do if there is an illness here). It doesn't really seem 'fuzzy' like I might expect a bacterial growth, nor is it like 'a grain of salt' attached to him - it seems to be within the tail somehow. It wasn't there yesterday.

Images of the now-you-see-it-now-you-don't spot here:

View attachment 149317

View attachment 149316

View attachment 149315

Many thanks

no need to ever apologize for frequent posts. I am new and am learning from posts like yours

 

[Colin_T]

It is not a parasite like white spot.

It looks like a small wound that is covered in excess mucous and or fungus.

The pectoral (side) fin looks clamped too.

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WHAT TO DO NOW?
Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge. This removes the biofilm on the glass and the biofilm will contain lots of harmful bacteria, fungus, protozoans and various other microscopic life forms.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate. The water changes and gravel cleaning will reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and provide a cleaner environment for the fish to recover in.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use them. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn. Cleaning the filter means less gunk and cleaner water with fewer pathogens.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration when using salt or medications because they reduce the dissolved oxygen in the water.

Add some salt, (see directions below).

If there's no improvement after a few days of salt, post more pictures.

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SALT
You can add 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.