Disease?

[Derek]

Hey Everyone
I just noticed that one of my upsidedown catfish has white spots.
Without pictures can anyone say what it is and how I should treat it?
He's about 5cms and the spots are all over him.

[azurekoi]

Uhm...White Spot...aka ich? Is it a new fish(Cos they have variable colouration and sometimes go through a phase where they have a colour pattern that resembles the symptoms of ich) - Ae the spots raised = if so,1st option(ich) - not raised? Colouration...

If its ich - theres a lot of ich meds out there - Protozin by Waterlife works realy well - also raise your temperature to 30 degrees for 4 days...

[Derek]

Hey Azurekoi
It doesn't look like they are raised, but I couldn't see properly now when I went to look, he's hiding from me.
He's not new, been in the tank for about 5 months.
I'll get some stuff for him tomorrow, thanks for the reply!

[azurekoi]

Basicly think youre o.k - they have a light,spotted phase from time to time... also linked to mood/light... Any other new fish added in last week or so? If not - HIGHLY unlikely its ich...

[Derek]

Just got home and had a look, the spots are still there and I'll monitor him. I put in two new fish on Saturday, a 30cm iridescent shark and a 30cm red tail catfish.

[azurekoi]

Hmmn - non quarentined hey? By now you should see ich on other fish as well - have a good look at your other fishes breathing...faster than normal,can be start of ich

[Reedfish]

Are the spots on the fins? And the body?
If so, it does sound like it has Ich.

Ich can break out at any time. The parasites are almost impossible to get rid of, and can lie dormant for a long time. An outbreak can often brought on by a decrease in water quality.

[Derek]

Azerukoi - I couldn't quarantine as I don't have another tank big enough, they came from someone's tank not a shop. There's still spot but not on any other fish.

Reedfish - Both fins and body. The water quality has decreased since the red tail moved in.

[Reedfish]

Azerukoi - I couldn't quarantine as I don't have another tank big enough, they came from someone's tank not a shop. There's still spot but not on any other fish.

Reedfish - Both fins and body. The water quality has decreased since the red tail moved in.

If the spots are dust like and on the body and fins, it does sound like Ich.
Most broad spectrum treatrments should treat it quite easily. Also, if you increase the temperature of the tank slowly, but a degree or two, that speeds up the parasites life cycle and speeds up the treatment time.

Re the poor water quality. Perhaps you should do more water changes (either a bigger volume or more frequent) so that you keep the Nitrates and other poisons down and therefore less of a chance of getting sick fish.