What is This???

[amanda_]

I bought a pair of beautiful black perc clowns. They had been in the lfs for about 3 weeks and I quarantined them in a tank at home for about 1.5-2 weeks. When I added them to my show tank they developed spots overnight. There were only a couple white dots that looked like ich spots. I immediately removed them, drip acclimated them back into my quarantine tank and overnight the spots were gone. Its been a week and the spots haven't returned. They are healthy looking, active and eating well. What were those spots? Is it normal? Can I add the fish to my show tank?

[salty420]

that's odd, are there other fish in the display?

[amanda_]

Yes I have quite a few other fish in my display and nothing is wrong with any of them. Their behaviour hasn't changed and they didn't end up with any spots. Everything seems healthy.

[RiVerfishgirl]

I had this issue with some fish I had once. Couldn't figure it out, thought it was ich but it didn't really behave like ich.

I eliminated it by treating with Maracyn figuring maybe it was bacterial. I can't guarantee to you that's what cured it though since I didn't actually know what the illness was, could have been coincidence I suppose.

Same thing basically, I'd acclimate them back to quarantine and the spots would disappear. Move them back to main tank and they'd come back. Couldn't ever figure out what it was *shrug*.

[FeatherDuster]

Hmm.. maybe you can work on building up their immune system? Like soaking food in garlic.

[Reefscape]

Its possible i suppose that it could of been tiny air bubbles or sand grains caught on their coat..If it was Ich, it would not go away that quickly..I would not worry to much about it. Just keep a close eye on them. Any sign of spot on them when they go back in the display tank, them remove straight away..

Niko

[clown-lover]

I have to agree with Niko.. I have seen "white" spots on a couple of my fish that turned out to disappear in my main tank within an hour or so after initially seeing it. I haven't also not heard of ICH going away that quickly or it not even progressing a little bit during the treatment phase before getting better.

[cmar]

i once had to try to catch my blue damsel, he had a hair caught in his mouth. i never got him, but he developed white dots soon after the chase. thought it was ich, but they went away. could have been stress. also, had some small black ones on my tang, they were just parasites. don't know if they come in white, though. hopefully, yours is something minor too. good luck!

[RiVerfishgirl]

If the original poster has the same problem as I did it's definately not bubbles or sand.

I had this happen with 4 fish all from the same source.

Obviously something causing irritation to the fish causing a secretion (much like ich), but definately not ich.
I'd be curious what it actually is since I have never seen or heard anything quite like it.

[amanda_]

Well its been over a week now and no sign of anything so I'm going to try and add them back into my show tank. I don't want to keep stressing them by switching them between my 2 tanks. I have never heard of this before. It can't be ich but the spots were definitely not air bubbles. I actually had seen a spot like this on my flame angel shortly after I got it...it turned out to be nothing. There was only 1 so I thought maybe it was a grain of sand but now I'm thinking it was stress.

[salty420]

good luck, let us know how it turns out!