Poor Freddy!?

Question

I have a koi named Freddy, he's still very small for a koi, and so he lives in a 40 gallon tank right now. (He has plenty of room, if I put him in a pond at his size he'd get eaten!) Anyways, the tank is a new one. Of course, I let the tank age for three days before putting Freddy and his tank-mate (an algae-eater named Buddy that he's been with for over a year) in, and the pH, nitrates, nitrites and ammonia levels are right where they should be. The water is purified and has been treated for any remaining chlorine and chloramine. The gravel, fake plants and decorations are either from his old tank or were purchased new and soaked in boiling water for five minutes to kill any germs that may be lurking on them.

Okay, so here's the problem: Freddy has these yellowish spots on him, there are three of them, two on his sides and one on his tail. They resemble mold. He's not scratching against the decor or anything. Any thoughts?

Oh, if you're interested, here's a pic: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v385/coreinha/Freddy.jpg

A detail I forgot: Buddy isn't showing any signs of whatever problem Freddy has.

The spots are fuzzy, slightly yellowish in color (though they might be white on another fish and just seem yellow because Freddy is so white). Two are where a scale sloughed off naturally and has not yet been replaced and a third is on his tail. I've not noticed any injuries either.

Also, Freddy says "thank you" for the many compliments.

For those of you who were wondering, he's called a "Pearl Butterfly Koi." My local pet shop owner found about half a dozen like him at a fish show several years ago.

The pic was taken before the spots showed up and I can't get a shot of him with the spots showing because the stinker freaks every time the flash goes off and all I get is his tail (the wrong side, too!)

I salted his water and will keep an eye on him though. Thanks for the advice and compliments!

Answer 1

I can't see anything on the fish in the pic, but Freddie is a beautiful fish....way prettier than most koi. I can't think of any thing particularly that causes yellow spots, short of injury.

How much salt to you have in there? If none, put about 4 cups of ice cream rock salt in your 40 gallons. Salt makes fish "slough off" slim and replenish. That might be all Freddie needs. Keep in mind that salt doesn't evaporate, so when you add water don't add more salt, However, if you change out 25%, you need to replace 25% of the original amount of salt, or 1 cup. Freddie could stand a good bit more salt than that, but see if that want do the trick. It won't happen overnight, but you should notice a difference within a week L'd think. Let me know how he does. Good luck!

Answer 2

Freddy is a beauty - and he poses better than my fish do! I'm not able to make out any of the spots you're worried about, though. Any chance of getting a better photo/close up so they're more visible?

If not a photo, could you describe them in more detail? Size? Are they fuzzy, powdery, above the scales, or below?


ADDITION: Since these appear "fuzzy" and are limited to spots where there's damage or missing scales, I'd suspect a body fungus. This rarely attacks healthy fish, but may attack ones with open wounds or under stress. Adding salt (1 tablespoon per 5 gallons) should help with this, as will making sure the water stays high quality. If the infection persists, but stays limited to those areas, you may need to use an antifungal medication. If the infection spreads beyond the initial areas (especially if it does so quickly) this may be Columnatis, a bacterial infection that resembles a fungus. You can also tell them apart by the border and texture of the "fuzz". Columnaris tends to be circular with shorter, matted filaments, but fungus (Saprolegnia and Achlya, collectively) has an irregular outline and longer, straighter filaments: http://www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm

photo of columnaris: http://www.fishjunkies.com/images/Columnaris2.jpg

photo of fungus: http://www.uib.no/bot/kurs/BB220/Algae/Figures/fish.jpg

Answer 3

I can't really tell form the picture, so I'll leave some possibilities. If he has yellowish-white spots, he could have velvet or ich (especially if he starts to rub against anything). If the spots are more whitish and cotton-like or mold-like appearance, it could be a fungus (he probably won't rub against things with this one). I have a sneaking suspicion that the second one is what he has since you describe it as being mold-like and he isn't rubbing. The best treatment that I've found for this is Maroxy. You have to keep an eye out that he doesn't come down with any secondary bacterial infections as a result of the fungal invasion. If he does, you will have to treat those, as well. Good luck.

Answer 4

I wouldn't worry about it if he isn't scratching.
What I would do though is video tape them over night.
Just to make sure o.o
But you know what sucks?
I can't keep a fish alive for more than 2 weeks 8 weeks tops.
D:
They all go in the toilet.
And after I saw that one Dexter's Labatory Epsiode when I was 6.
I made someone else do it.
Because, I didnt wanna get sucked in o.o

Answer 5

sorry not sure but that is a cool looking fish!

Answer 6

he's so pretty. go to petsmart and ask. they will tell u what 2 do