Cyst On Cardinal Tetra...?

Hello all,

One of my cardinals has a moderately sized white cyst on his/her back; however, I am not entirely sure it's ich.

The reason I'm not totally sure it's ich is for a few reasons:

1) The fish in question isn't flashing or rubbing against anything.
2) No other fish have any white spots and no other fish are flashing or rubbing against anything.
3) I've seen ich in fish before and this doesn't immediately make me think of prior infections.

Initially I thought it might have just been a small grain or sand that had stuck to the fish somehow. It doesn't look fluffy or like a fungus... just like a whitehead on a human being.

Does anyone have any theories on what this might be? Is there some kind of general purpose tonic I could add to the water to try and get rid of whatever it is?

I'm kind of stumped on this one.

 

Can you post a few pictures of it, from all angles?

 

Can you post a few pictures of it, from all angles?

Oh lord... I can try. I think I'm going to treat for white spot just in case... but I'm pretty sure it's not. I'll see if I can grab a picture.

 

Oh lord... I can try. I think I'm going to treat for white spot just in case... but I'm pretty sure it's not. I'll see if I can grab a picture.

Don't treat if you're sure it isn't.
Try to place some pics.

 

Don't treat if you're sure it isn't.
Try to place some pics.

Getting pictures is not going to be possible. I'll admit it does look very much like a white spot... but through lack of any other symptoms / infected fish - and only a single spot, I'm a bit stumped...

 

I'd wait and keep treatment on hand.

 

I'd wait and keep treatment on hand.

I always buy some ich treatment any time I get new fish. Sadly it seems an inevitability in this hobby that you end up with ich somehow. I've put some almond leaves in their filter today, so maybe that will work its magic.