Mappa Puffer skin issue circle disease

RyanFish

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Hi everyone,

My mappa puffer has these weird white things on his body. They are white cloudy blotches. Some are large. Some are small. I don’t really know how to explain them. They aren’t raised and aren’t fuzzy and don’t look like cotton. Those small dots on the front of his face are just sand. Is this a disease? I cant find any information. Every time I search up terms it just results in ich links. But I’m 99% sure this isn’t ich. I don’t see these blotches on other puffers.
Any thoughts on what this is?
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My friend has a puffer that gets these same patches. Nothing raised, nothing fluffy, just a skin discoloration. Ill be interested in what people say.
 
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RyanFish

RyanFish

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My friend has a puffer that gets these same patches. Nothing raised, nothing fluffy, just a skin discoloration. Ill be interested in what people say.
Interesting. Initially there were a few. And I thought he rubbed against a coral or even something crazy like a tang nibbled on him. My walls algae gets cleaned by the tangs and their bites are circles, so there’s hundreds of small circles. But it can’t be either of those because some of the circles are very large and in areas around his gills and fins where a tang can’t reach.

No idea whats going on. I’m worried that some of my other fish have this issue but I can’t see it because they are light colored.
 

Jay Hemdal

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This is a localized skin reaction to some irritant. Ich can actually cause this in some cases, but my bet would be on flukes or possibly copepods. How long have you had the fish and how long has it been since you added a new fish to the tank?

I think the first step would be to try a freshwater 5 minute dip, and then search the dip water container for anything that may fall off the puffer.

Jay
 

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Interesting. Initially there were a few. And I thought he rubbed against a coral or even something crazy like a tang nibbled on him. My walls algae gets cleaned by the tangs and their bites are circles, so there’s hundreds of small circles. But it can’t be either of those because some of the circles are very large and in areas around his gills and fins where a tang can’t reach.

No idea whats going on. I’m worried that some of my other fish have this issue but I can’t see it because they are light colored.
I am sorry I am digressing but You have your puffer with corals? What kind of corals? He ever nips/eats them?
I hope these white spots are nothing serious.
 
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RyanFish

RyanFish

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This is a localized skin reaction to some irritant. Ich can actually cause this in some cases, but my bet would be on flukes or possibly copepods. How long have you had the fish and how long has it been since you added a new fish to the tank?

I think the first step would be to try a freshwater 5 minute dip, and then search the dip water container for anything that may fall off the puffer.

Jay
I’ve had the fish for several years. He was about 3 inches when I got him. I added a small grouper about 5 months ago. He was in a separate tank for close to a month and got treated. I do have little animals in the tank but they were identified as harmless and beneficial to the tank. I think they were called amphipods? Could they be these copepods instead? I’ve also had these for several years.
Freshwater dipping a close to 10 inch puffer will be tough. But I’ll try.
Thank you for the advice.
 
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RyanFish

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I am sorry I am digressing but You have your puffer with corals? What kind of corals? He ever nips/eats them?
I hope these white spots are nothing serious.
That’s fine. I don’t have live corals. My puffers never bite the corals. I used to have a dogface puffer that would rarely bite them but then he stopped. I honestly wish they did so it would grind their teeth down.
 

Jay Hemdal

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I’ve had the fish for several years. He was about 3 inches when I got him. I added a small grouper about 5 months ago. He was in a separate tank for close to a month and got treated. I do have little animals in the tank but they were identified as harmless and beneficial to the tank. I think they were called amphipods? Could they be these copepods instead? I’ve also had these for several years.
Freshwater dipping a close to 10 inch puffer will be tough. But I’ll try.
Thank you for the advice.
The copepod issue is pretty rare, and what you are seeing are most likely harmless. To do the dip, you’ll need a dark bucket and lid, and enough dechlorinated freshwater to hold the fish for 5 minutes. Don’t use RO/DI water unless you buffer the pH. Careful when catching it, you don’t want to frighten it so that it swallows air. After the dip is done, search the bottom of the container for any worms or copepods. You may need a magnifier to see them. This won’t cure the fish, but if there are parasites, it will tell you that, and provide temporary relief.
Jay
 
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