Purple tang spots

Davesreef’s

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 16, 2025
Messages
106
Reaction score
45
Location
New York
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hey all got this guy not too long ago, there’s some with spots on the one side of the fin, just wondering if it is anything to worry about. Or anyone can help me identify what it is, my blue tang has been chasing the purple around a little bit and maybe it was from running into rocks or doesn’t look like ich?
 
The white spot may be lympho. That is usually not a concern, however there is something seriously wrong with your Purple. He looks thin and the labored swimming is a problem. I would isolate him in a Hospital Tank right away and post some additional pics. Has he been eating and was he QT'd?
@Jay Hemdal
@vetteguy53081
 
Hey all got this guy not too long ago, there’s some with spots on the one side of the fin, just wondering if it is anything to worry about. Or anyone can help me identify what it is, my blue tang has been chasing the purple around a little bit and maybe it was from running into rocks or doesn’t look like ich?
This fish is a little thin and due to what looks like a cyst, is causing the fish to struggle with swimming. I recommend quarantining in a separate tank and apply Seachem kanaplex as treatment with air stone added and watching ammonia levels with a reliable test kit. While this represents Lymphocystis, its in an unusual location with lympho often starting at upper fins but may be Columnaris
 
The white spot may be lympho. That is usually not a concern, however there is something seriously wrong with your Purple. He looks thin and the labored swimming is a problem. I would isolate him in a Hospital Tank right away and post some additional pics. Has he been eating and was he QT'd?
@Jay Hemdal
@vetteguy53081
He’s been eating, he was a captive bred and I picked him up a week or so ago. I could set up a garbage can tank for him and hopefully I can catch him easily.
 

The white lesion looks like viral Lymphocystis to me - see how there is a lesion on its fin, but also a mirrored lesion on its body? That's pretty typical of Lymphocystis - it spreads like that. That issue won't be fatal and will go away on its own in 4 to 6 weeks (but it might get a bit worse first).

However, as mentioned, the fish is thin and it is showing signs of damage from tankmate aggression. Can you put a tank divider in there to keep it separate from the other fish? That would be better than moving it to a bucket, where it would be difficult to maintain good water quality. That said, if the damage becomes infected with bacteria, you WILL need to move it to a stable hospital tank and medicate it with a broad spectrum, gram negative antibiotic like kanamycin or neomycin.
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

As a buyer, how important are auctions to you on the NEW market?

  • As a buyer I like them

    Votes: 36 33.0%
  • As a buyer I don’t care for them

    Votes: 44 40.4%
  • I don’t care either way.

    Votes: 29 26.6%
Back
Top
Home
Post thread…
Market
What's new