Purple Tang - White Spots

[kkh05b]

We have had this purple tang for about a month now. He is the newest addition to the tank. Everything chemical wise checks out fine. The only change we can think of is that yesterday we added some live sand. These spots just literally popped up out of no where today. Any ideas on what it could be?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I don't think it is related to the live sand, too soon for it to have started a disease issue. Sometimes, sand can get caught in the fish's mucus, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

The video shows something, but just not quite clear enough to definitively say what it is. Many fish diseases have the exact same external symptoms, so a visual ID is not always possible.

What other fish are in the tank?
What is the water chemistry, especially ammonia?
Is the tang still feeding?
Is it breathing fast?

At this point, you may be looking at Brooklynella here, although it isn't a super common disease in tangs.

Jay

 

[kkh05b]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I don't think it is related to the live sand, too soon for it to have started a disease issue. Sometimes, sand can get caught in the fish's mucus, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

The video shows something, but just not quite clear enough to definitively say what it is. Many fish diseases have the exact same external symptoms, so a visual ID is not always possible.

What other fish are in the tank?
What is the water chemistry, especially ammonia?
Is the tang still feeding?
Is it breathing fast?

At this point, you may be looking at Brooklynella here, although it isn't a super common disease in tangs.

Jay

It's a 180 gallon reef tank with 2 clowns, an orange spotted tang, a bristletooth, a hippo, and the purple. All are juveniles. Yes it is still feeding and acting normal outside of the raised white spots.

Water chemistry all tests in normal parameters. Ammonia is 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate ~1, Alkalinity 9.0 dkh, PH 8.4, Phosphates .21

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

It's a 180 gallon reef tank with 2 clowns, an orange spotted tang, a bristletooth, a hippo, and the purple. All are juveniles. Yes it is still feeding and acting normal outside of the raised white spots.

Water chemistry all tests in normal parameters. Ammonia is 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate ~1, Alkalinity 9.0 dkh, PH 8.4, Phosphates .21

Here is a link to an article I wrote on fish mucus: https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/mucus-the-slime-that-binds.793/

I still am worried that it could be the start of Brooklynella though.

Jay