Ich? Scale Damage? Something else?

Frigideus · 2026-08-30T17:30:44-0400

I got a Japanese Swallowtail Angel a couple days ago at my LFS and I just noticed it has a little white dot on one of its sides. It doesn't LOOK like ich to me but as a new reefer with no access to a QT tank this is potentially a nightmare scenario. Is it ich, and if it is, what steps can I take? It rarely flashes against the side of the tank but sometimes on the side without the dot. It could be a very small injury as her only other big tank mate, a Quoyi Parrotfish (you can see him in the bottom left) is a bit territorial when she swims too close to his corner. Thankfully he is only territorial and not openly aggressive, so I hope they can work it out. Any help is appreciated!

Jay Hemdal · 2026-08-30T17:38:04-0400

Frigideus said:
I got a Japanese Swallowtail Angel a couple days ago at my LFS and I just noticed it has a little white dot on one of its sides. It doesn't LOOK like ich to me but as a new reefer with no access to a QT tank this is potentially a nightmare scenario. Is it ich, and if it is, what steps can I take? It rarely flashes against the side of the tank but sometimes on the side without the dot. It could be a very small injury as her only other big tank mate, a Quoyi Parrotfish (you can see him in the bottom left) is a bit territorial when she swims too close to his corner. Thankfully he is only territorial and not openly aggressive, so I hope they can work it out. Any help is appreciated!

That spot is too large to be ich. It is likely scale damage, either from scratching due to flukes, or from tankmate aggression. Now, ich could well show up on this fish, but look for smaller, distinct white spots on the body and the fins.

Is the angel eating well?

Empirically, you might want to treat for flukes since you see scratching. It is something that you can do for the whole tank with invertebrates present. You might want to wait a few days though, to see how this progresses. Flukes won't kill a fish in a few days - weeks typically, so you don't have to rush right into treating.

Here is some info for treating for flukes with praziquantel:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dosing-praziquantel-pzq.1105700/

Frigideus · 2026-08-30T17:42:04-0400

@Jay Hemdal

The angel will eat floating pieces of nori from the parrotfish's messy eating habits. She also picks regularly at the walls, rocks, and glass. The LFS told me I should try and feed her mysis and formula two but is that correct?

And I just want to be sure I can treat for flukes with my invertebrates (crabs shrimp featherdusters snails liverock etc.) in like you said? I have quite a few crustaceans and I quite like them so I'd love to keep them around! This is a very stressful time for a new reefer like me! It has been two days with the spot since I got her and nothing has changed, but I will wait a few more days before trying to treat for flukes.

I also need to ask if there is any specific brand for this med as I see there is also a med by this name for dogs and cats as well.

Jay Hemdal · 2026-08-30T18:21:23-0400

Frigideus said:
The angel will eat floating pieces of nori from the parrotfish's messy eating habits. She also picks regularly at the walls, rocks, and glass. The LFS told me I should try and feed her mysis and formula two but is that correct?

And I just want to be sure I can treat for flukes with my crabs and shrimp in like you said? I have quite a few crustaceans and I quite like them so I'd love to keep them around! This is a very stressful time for a new reefer like me! It has been two days with the spot since I got her and nothing has changed, but I will wait a few more days before trying to treat for flukes.

I also need to ask if there is any specific brand for this med as I see there is also a med by this name for dogs and cats as well.

You should try to get the angel to eat more higher protein food than nori, or what it can get by picking at the tank walls. I would try both mysids and formula 2 (chopped small enough for it to eat).

Yes - praziquantel is fine for use in tanks with crabs and shrimp. Any corals might close up temporarily, but they will be fine also.

Don't use praziquantel designed for pets - those have adjuncts and excipients added that might not be safe for fish, and the dose is more difficult to calculate. Prazipro is available through Amazon. I prefer the powdered Prazicleanse from Fritz. Prazimed also will work fine, but it is pricey due to the amount sold - works best for larger tanks.