Raised white spots, what are they?

My fish had this bump on her tail, you could it see it from both sides. Now she has a big white bump on her side, it looks raised. Any idea what this is? I believe she is pregnant as well.

 

Can't tell, something fungal is what it most looks like to me.

 

Can't tell, something fungal is what it most looks like to me.

Any idea how to treat/could it be contagious? I only have metronidazole, MB and salt. I added rooibos tea into the tank and it looks as though the top scale has started healing but still a white patch on the lower (i think she lost two scales originally and it got infected).

 

Not really sure. I know Ich-X claims to treat some fungal stuff. Other meds will as well, just not real familiar with them.

 

My fish had this bump on her tail, you could it see it from both sides. Now she has a big white bump on her side, it looks raised. Any idea what this is? I believe she is pregnant as well.

It is kind of hard to see with the photo quality, but it might be scar tissue from torn scales? Then again, I don’t think you would realize that kind of wound after it was healed… have you tried to isolate her(?) to a small holding area to investigate further?

 

It is kind of hard to see with the photo quality, but it might be scar tissue from torn scales? Then again, I don’t think you would realize that kind of wound after it was healed… have you tried to isolate her(?) to a small holding area to investigate further?

No but i think the other guy was right. It looks like some sort of infection. looks like she lost two scales and that the infected part actually shrunk down as the top scale looks to have healed but there has been no improvement since and maybe a little worse than yesterday. If theres no improvement tomorrow id like to give her a bath of some sort.

 

If theres no improvement tomorrow id like to give her a bath of some sort.

But for what? Don't start any treatments without a clear diagnosis.

Please fill out the emergency template and take some clearer pictures.

It's not going to kill the fish to wait and investigate for a few more days. A wrong treatment might do that within minutes, though.

 

But for what? Don't start any treatments without a clear diagnosis.

Please fill out the emergency template and take some clearer pictures.

It's not going to kill the fish to wait and investigate for a few more days. A wrong treatment might do that within minutes, though.

I was thinking a MB bath for fungal/bacterial infection. Seems like a pretty safe treatment. I can’t get a clearer pic without removing her from the tank which i dont like to do unless necessary.

Tank
What is the water volume of the tank? 40 gallon b
How long has the tank been running? 1.5 years
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? No
What is the water temperature? room temp
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) 5 adult swords and 10+ juveniles, 3+ shrimp and snails

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? Maybe once a month, did one a few days ago and added rooibos tea
How much of the water do you change? 4 gallons
What do you use to treat your water? N/a
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? Just water

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? Yes
What do you use to test the water? api test kit
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10-20
pH: 8+

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? 2x daily
How much do you feed your fish? eyeball/walstad style
What brand of food do you feed your fish? Tetramin flakes, hikari bloodworms, had been giving live daphnia all summer, ramshorns snails
Do you feed frozen? Occasionally
Do you feed freeze-dried foods? Occasionally

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? Since birth/maybe 8-16 months
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? 5 days ago
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? Missing scales with white growth, possibly fuzzy. Unrelated white bump on tail fin
Have you started any treatment for the illness? water change and rooibos (2 bags)
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? N/a
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? N/a

 

I was thinking a MB bath for fungal/bacterial infection.

MB? Methylene blue? Too much to just do this on a whim in my experience. Maybe back in the 80s but nowerdays you have better options. Especially in this case: The fish is a livebearer. That means hardwater. So try a few spoons of salt if you want do do something. Dissolve it in a liter of water, in the tank. Salt is the equivalent of humic substances (e.g. alder cones, IALs or rooibos) for hardwater fish.

I can’t get a clearer pic without removing her from the tank which i dont like to do unless necessary.

Just be patient for the perfect shot.

How often do you change the water? Maybe once a month, did one a few days ago and added rooibos tea
How much of the water do you change? 4 gallons
What do you use to treat your water? N/a
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? Just water

The waterchange frequency and volume is the only clearly problematic thing I see. And that can cause tons of different problems...

Can you describe the social factors? Is the fish high ranking? Low ranking? Any aggression? Because it looks a bit like bite marks and the places are also typical for many species as attack points.

 

MB? Methylene blue? Too much to just do this on a whim in my experience. Maybe back in the 80s but nowerdays you have better options. Especially in this case: The fish is a livebearer. That means hardwater. So try a few spoons of salt if you want do do something. Dissolve it in a liter of water, in the tank. Salt is the equivalent of humic substances (e.g. alder cones, IALs or rooibos) for hardwater fish.

Just be patient for the perfect shot.

The waterchange frequency and volume is the only clearly problematic thing I see. And that can cause tons of different problems...

Can you describe the social factors? Is the fish high ranking? Low ranking? Any aggression? Because it looks a bit like bite marks and the places are also typical for many species as attack points.

I was considering salt as well. She’s either 3 or 4 on the totem pole. I know for sure there are two elder females ahead of her. I never see any aggression in terms of attacks or biting, just an occasional chasing over territory by 1 or 2 however usually all four of the females are hanging out together. I recently removed all 6 males from this tank to stop the constant breeding so if anything there should be less stress.

also water changes aren’t necessary if the nitrates are in check. Walstad even suggests that nitrates in excess of 100 ppm are not problematic, though im not sure if this sentiment has changed or not. Regardless I change the water once in while to mitigate.

 

Are you running a walstad tank ?

There’s many reasons for water changes other than removing nitrates. Mineral content is one factor , but in a high pH tank , which the live bearers prefer you run the risk of your tank slowly becoming acidic. I don’t know your testing schedule , but you can’t test for everything. Water changes give you that safety net. Upping the regualarity of your wc’s will always help.

A no/ low wc change tank is a finely balanced thing, usually very heavily planted and under stocked.

Salt is great for that species. But if you aren’t Water changing the salt won’t remove itself , be careful . It will add up over time

 

I was considering salt as well. She’s either 3 or 4 on the totem pole. I know for sure there are two elder females ahead of her. I never see any aggression in terms of attacks or biting, just an occasional chasing over territory by 1 or 2 however usually all four of the females are hanging out together. I recently removed all 6 males from this tank to stop the constant breeding so if anything there should be less stress.

Allright, sounds good so far. How recently did you remove the males?

also water changes aren’t necessary if the nitrates are in check. Walstad even suggests that nitrates in excess of 100 ppm are not problematic, though im not sure if this sentiment has changed or not. Regardless I change the water once in while to mitigate.

As I recognize that there is more to water quality than nitrates I'm very much in favor of regular bigger waterchanges. Even in low stocking densities. I account for DOC (carbon based waste products), hormones and other things that tend to accumulate even in densely planted tanks.

100mg/l of Nitrate is the level at which it becomes acutely problematic, at between 40-50 longterm problems occur.

Anyhow... I see several possibilities, by far not all treatable and generally I would try salt first, and observe until something happens.

It boils down to:
- bacterial infection
- viral infection
- auto-immune problems
- genetic reasons
- metabolic reasons
Most show under environmental and social stress, so unless that is absolutely ruled out as a factor it's something hardly treatable.

 

Allright, sounds good so far. How recently did you remove the males?


As I recognize that there is more to water quality than nitrates I'm very much in favor of regular bigger waterchanges. Even in low stocking densities. I account for DOC (carbon based waste products), hormones and other things that tend to accumulate even in densely planted tanks.

100mg/l of Nitrate is the level at which it becomes acutely problematic, at between 40-50 longterm problems occur.

Anyhow... I see several possibilities, by far not all treatable and generally I would try salt first, and observe until something happens.

It boils down to:
- bacterial infection
- viral infection
- auto-immune problems
- genetic reasons
- metabolic reasons
Most show under environmental and social stress, so unless that is absolutely ruled out as a factor it's something hardly treatable.

Well these three are all pregnant. Im planning to rehome the juvies when i get a chance to lower the stocking level. I always felt kind of bad for fish that have to live in a tank. Some fish dont seem to mind but since I took out the males these three just kind of chill in the corner where the flow is lowest. I feel like even this 40b is kind of small for swordtails but it’s best i can do. The alpha is coming on three years old and she was one of my first fish. She’s been through more than a few mistakes of mine and also a few tanks. I felt bad she was constantly being chased by males and felt it was time for her to get some rest as she is getting on in years. Hopefully she’s done bearing soon, lol.

 

The thing on the caudal screams Lymphocystis, which is a viral infection with no known treatment. It can be dormant for months, then show up and be gone quickly again. You will want to separate the fish. The cysts and tumors caused by it grow a while and then fall off, taking healthy tissue with them (which can be fatal depending on the location on the fish) and it transmits through these things falling off, releasing the virus into the water.

So, separation in a hospital tank is best, make that tank as comfortable for the fish as possible, good food, good water and wait for the disease to pass. It can take a few months. Not always it will go away completely, but if the fish survives it tends to take 2-4 months.