What is this? My fish has weird spots?

Question

my fish has little white specks on his body but it's not ich becuase they aren't 3-d like specks of salt. More like spots on his scales like spots on a dogs fur. I think he might also have Hole-In-Head diases because he has holes above his eyes and and following down his spine. His gills are moving fast, he has clamped fins, and he is a Parrot Cichlid. He lives with another Parrot Cichlid and 2 cleaner fish. They live in a 20 gallon tank and I'm going to get a 50 gallon for them as a Christmas gift. The other Parrot Cichlid has clamped fins also, I tried putting in fungus clear tablets because it helps them with stress and isn't that what clamped fins mean? help!!!! please!!!!!! Is it fatal?? I don't want them to die!!! :(

Answer 1

The white specks probably ARE ich. They aren't grains, like 3-d... I think the best way for you to understand what Ich is and how to treat it, is for me to explain it.
Ich has 4 life stages. First, it is free-swimming, and it needs to find a host. At this stage, you cannot see it.
Second, it finds a host and burries itself under the fish's gills and scales. You still can't see it, but the white spots you can see - the white spots are cysts, not the actual parasites, that the fish's immune system forms around the parasite in an attempt to dislodge it. This is a stressful stage, as the parasites burrows and dislodges flesh and blood, which is feeds on. Fish will feel irritation, and you can see them sometimes scratching themselves on rocks (this is called flashing).
Third, when the parasite is full, it detaches itself from the fish and attaches itself to a leaf or piece of gravel, where it becomes encapsulated by a hard membrane.
Fourth, the parasite explodes into thousands of NEW free-swimming parasites which must find hosts.
Only when the parasites are FREE-SWIMMING, BEFORE they have found a host, can they be killed.
You can purchase medication from the petstore to kill Ich. However, these can hurt your plants, your shrimp and snails, your bacterial colonies, and may well end up killing your fish.
SALT treatment is just as effective, and much safer and cheaper. Buy some AQUARIUM salt (or Kosher salt), and treat the tank at a rate of 1 tbsp per 5 gallons. Disolve the salt first in a cup of dechlorinated water. You can increase the temperature to 81-82F. At this temp, the ich lifecycle goes by in about 4-5 days. To be safe, leave the salt in the tank for 2 weeks.
Then, you can start removing the water during your weekly water changes, and eventually the salt water will be removed.

This is ich:
http://www.fishjunkies.com/images/ich1.jpg
It may also be velvet (Same treatment), which is like the fish has been powdered with gold dust.

Your fish sound very sick. Do you clean the tank? Many diseases are the direct result of poor water quality and/or poor nutrition. Parrot cichlids should be in a tank at LEAST 50 gallons, more like 75 for two, and should be fed a staple diet of cichlids pellets, with some worms, shrimp, etc, as treats.

You should be cleaning the water, 30% of it, twice per week because the tank is so small (30% once per week is sufficient in a tank that is big enough).

Fungus clean tablets will only help with fungus, which is white fuzzy stuff on your fish.

Get your bigger tank as soon as possible.
In the meantime, do a large 50% water change, treat with salt, and feed a wide variety of quality flakes, pellets, and frozen foods to boost their immune system and combat the hole in the head disease.

Get some stress-coat, which may help with stress.



Edit: DON'T take your sick fish to the petstore. It doesn't need that kind of stress.

Answer 2

Sounds like he has several things going on. I would first do a 50% water change and vacuum the gravel. Make sure to take the chlorine out of the new water. Add salt. Add stress coat. Add something better for fungus (not those tablets.....go to a petsmart or petco they can give you something that will work.) Add something for Ich and see what the pet store recommends for hole in head.

Here is where you are going wrong.... your aquarium is two over crowded and your probably not changing the water often enough.

Better yet Take the sick fish in a Tupperware container to the fish store and they can tell you exactly what he has.

If you take the other fish out its only going to stress them and cause more trouble....just treat the whole tank. The 50% water change and gravel vacuum is going to help you most first cause it will slow things down a bit! You also need to check the waters perimeter's! The Fish store will do this for free.

But yes these things can cause your fish to die and since they all live in a tank together its likely they all have beginning stages of the diseases.

Answer 3

Have you changed the water lately? There may be a contaminant in the water that is affecting your fish. I would take a sample to your local pet store and get them to run all tests on it to make sure it is suitable for your fish.

Also, this may sound obvious, but make sure that you do NOT ever touch the fish. What you are describing is what I have seen when people have touched fish. Once, I had a fish that jumped from the tank, and a friend picked it up and put in back in before I could stop her. The fish's scales turned white and eventually started to slough off as the salts in the person's skin had removed the protective slime coating on the fish.

Good luck with your fish!

Answer 4

This sounds like ich, but you should view a picture to make sure.
Clamped fins and rapid breathing are both symptoms of ich, but also of velvet and ammonia or nitrite poisoning.

Check your water parameters:
*Ammonia should be 0
*Nitrites should be 0
*kH should be at least 80

Treatment for velvet is similar to ich, but this is more stubborn, generally formalin or copper is needed here.
Velvet tends to infect the gills more than ich.

This said, after checking your water parameters and looking up a picture of ich, this seems to be the most likely disease.
Ich is more prevalent in lower kH so make sure you have proper calcium levels (also magnesium), new research has shown this.

Here is more about ich:
Ich is most often introduced into the aquarium or pond by adding new fishes or aquatic plants. Tomites which have only recently attached themselves to the host will not be readily visible. It is good aquarium and pond keeping practice to isolate any new fishes for at least four days under close observation. For tropical fishes, maintain a temperature of around 75° F (24° C). Check carefully for the presence of any tell-tale white spots appearing on the skin of the fishes and treat them accordingly. If no white spots are observed on tropical fishes within four days at this temperature, they can be moved from isolation. Remember, fishes maintained at cooler water temperatures (such as pond fishes) will require longer isolation times.
The visible stages of Ich are carried out within the host fishes' skin. The first stages are called trophozoites and are highly resistant to drug therapy. Trophozoites mature into trophonts and leave the host, falling to the bottom of the aquarium or pond. These mature trophonts release from 200 to 1,000 tomtits. These tomites move about looking for a host, which they must find within 2 to 3 days at 75° F (24° C) or they will die. Cooler temperatures will lengthen this time. IT IS THIS FREE SWIMMING STAGE that is most vulnerable to treatment. It is important to note that these intermediate stages may also attach themselves to plants and be accidentally introduced into an aquarium or pond along with the new plants. Once the tomite attaches to the host, it matures and the cycle begins anew. The parasite forms a nodule under the skin or gill epithelium of the fish host. It constantly turns and moves under the skin, feeding on destroyed cells and body fluids. It continues to feed on the cells until it matures, causing damage to the skin tissue. This leads to osmotic stress, resulting in secondary bacterial or fungal infections.

As to your current treatment, you are not likely to be successful with fungus clear.
Quick cure is the most effective treatment, especially with a clean tank with proper calcium levels. Another even safer but not as strong a treatment is "Medicated Wonder Shells", these products add needed electrolytes and calcium, buffer the medications and treat ich, velvet and true fungus.
If your ammonia or nitrites are high, I would recommend a product called Prime which de-toxifies ammonia and nitrites (not removes nitrite or ammonia).
Water changes of 20% between treatments will make your treatments more effective and safer.


For more current information about ich including a picture, please see this article:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Ich.html

For more information about Parrot Cichlids and their requirements:
http://aquarium-answers.blogspot.com/

Answer 5

Those r the syptoms of ick. clamped fins, white spots, etc. whatever it is, its most likely a parsite like ick and velvet.they might have the fatal dysentrea or desease. no, i did not say diarea.

Answer 6

its called ick! And is very contagious. There is medicine for it make sure you take the carbon out of the filter while you treat your fish.
Also Aquarium salt shoud be added to the tank. here is a website for you
Fish Diseases: ICH/ICK Information Page
When you fish had Ick/Ich it looks like someone has sprinkled them with salt. ... with these in the advanced stages of Ick then they do have a raised look ...
Saved by 15 people
www.nunnie.com/ick.html - 21k d Fish Diseases: ICH/ICK Information Page
When you fish had Ick/Ich it looks like someone has sprinkled them with salt. ... with these in the advanced stages of Ick then they do have a raised look ...
Saved by 15 peopleFish Diseases: ICH/ICK Information Page
When you fish had Ick/Ich it looks like someone has sprinkled them with salt. ... with these in the advanced stages of Ick then they do have a raised look ...
Saved by 15 people
www.nunnie.com/ick.html - 21k
www.nunnie.com/ick.html - 21k

Answer 7

If it is white spots it is ick or ich
if it is yellowish it could be fungus

Answer 8

Sounds like Ich...a fish disease. Seperate him from the others so the other fish don't catch it. www.fishdoc.co.uk/disease/whitespot.htm

Answer 9

could be a dease