Single white pimple/dot on clownfish

[Nicholas Scelzi]

hey everyone! Need some help please. Today when I got home from work I noticed a single white dot ( looks like a pimple) in the one side of my clown ( towards the posterior of the fish , not on its tail but before it’s 3rd line pattern).

It’s very small and almost unnoticeable to even the naked eye. I only noticed it because I’m a weirdo and practically push my face against the glass when I’m observing my fish. I tried to get a pic to post here but like I said I can only see it when I look closely at the fish and if she like turns a certain way.

I am just confused what it could be. I QT my two new clowns and royal gramma all together and added them to the display about 5 days ago. I had them in QT for 2 weeks prior and they are the first fish in my display so there was nothing in the display before that and not a single thing added since. While in QT I only performed a formalin bath for 45 mins followed by a methelyme blue bath for 45 mins before adding them to QT. After that while in QT I only observed them because I don’t like to treat with copper etc unless I notice signs of parasitic infection. Fish is eating healthy and has no other signs of parasitic infection (such as scratching / flashing against the sand and rocks) and has a healthy appetite. While in QT the fish showed no signs of parasites either and I had him in there for 2 weeks. My question is if ich or something, wouldn’t it have reared it’s ugly head before now ? What could it be ? Flukes ? Bacterial ? Ich? It is a single white small “pimple” that almost looks like a spec of sand about to fall off of him. @4FordFamily @ngoodermuth @HotRocks any advice ?

 

[4FordFamily]

Your treatment protocol wouldn’t likely prevent any ailment entirely, so it could be absolutely nothing or just about anything. Hopefully it was just a small piece of sand and nothing comes of it.

Let us know if anything changes. A photo would also help us. :)

 

[Nicholas Scelzi]

I tried to get a picture all night. Doesn’t really show up on camera and is very small. I just feel like it If was a piece of sand it would have fallen off by now. It looks like a single white pimple protruding outward. The other clown and royal gramma show no signs of anything. I just thought if it was ich or velvet it would have shown before now considering I had them all in QT for 2 weeks and now in the display for 5 days and this is the first day this appeared. Could it be bacterial ? Lympho?

Parameters.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite -0
Nitrate - 40 ppm

Could it be lympho from the nitrates being to high causing poor water stress ? I thought lympho showed up mostly on the fins and gills and not necessarily the body. Any suggestions for best plan forward ? Observe for a fee days? Or try and get all fish out right away and back in QT and treat with copper while leaving display fallow? I’m just not sure copper would do anything because I don’t know if this is ich.

 

[Nicholas Scelzi]

I just did a freshwater dip on the clown for 4 minutes for good measure. Didn’t see anything fall off her like sesame seeds. So I guess that rules out flukes ?

 

[jeffchapok]

I've had similar sounding spots appear at one time or another on one of my clowns, my royal gramma and my blue devil damsel. I didn't do anything and they all went away after a few days. If the fish otherwise appear to be healthy, I prefer to let their own immune systems deal with it.

 

[Nicholas Scelzi]

This morning I woke up and the white spec / dot on the clowns body is gone ... more confused then ever. If it was a white spot from the ich parasite being burrowed inside the fish and the sore that is left behind after... wouldn’t that normally take more than 12 hours to clear up / go away? Any ideas ? Bacterial? Any suggestions on how I should move forward ? Just observe? Or pull the 2 clowns and royal gramma and treat back in QT again? But treat with what? I don’t know or think it’s ich because it was a single white very small barely visible pimple
Looking dot protruding outward from the body. No other signs of ich such as scratching or flashing and he is eating like a pig. Other fish show no signs of anything. I just feel like if it was a parasite such as ich it would have shown up before now considering I was observing in QT for 2 weeks

 

[Nicholas Scelzi]

Nevermind. That ONE spot is still there. Didnt notice it this morning until I turned the lights on.

Again hard to see unless I’m very close to the glass.

No other white pimple / spots and still acting swimming, behaving fine. Other fish are perfectly fine.

Bacterial? Lympho?

 

[Nicholas Scelzi]

Best pic I could get. Circled in red

 

[Nicholas Scelzi]

Best pic I could get. (The spot circled in red)

 

[Nicholas Scelzi]

@HotRocks @ngoodermuth @4FordFamily see pic. Any suggestions ? You can’t see it when I take a pic of the clown head on

 

[Nicholas Scelzi]

Can anybody tell anything from that pic ? Any suggestions?

 

[Nicholas Scelzi]

Trying to get pics but barely noticeable on cam and really to the eye

 

[Nicholas Scelzi]

@ngoodermuth you and @HotRocks always give the best advice. Any advice based on these pics above ? Single dot / white pimple on him. Best to keep in tank and monitor? Should I pull both clowns and gramma and place back in QT and start treating with copper ? Just don’t want to do copper if you all don’t think it’s ich. Could a single white small pimple looking dot be bacterial? I had and observed the fish in QT for 2 weeks plus the 5 days in the display and this just appeared last night. I feel like if it was ich or velvet it would have happened before these 20+ days

 

[HotRocks]

I think it's probably lympho, has the spot changed or grown at all?

 

[Nicholas Scelzi]

The little dot / spot hasn’t changed at all in my opinion. Still eating well and no flashing or scratching behavior. Only thing I noticed is he seems a bit more irritable in his behavior chasing the smaller clown around more than usual. I’ve also noticed just now that the smaller clown as an identical looking little white pimple / dot near its mouth on the one side ( not on its mouth but just behind it). Now I’m worried ich / velvet but I’ve never experienced ich with a single dot on a fish. Bacterial? Would lympho spread from fish to fish like that even though it’s viral? @HotRocks I am not sure if I should pull them into a QT or leave and observe. I’m equally worried because I have a shipment of fish coming this week in addition. So if I need to QT my 20gal long will be being used for my new arrivals and I could run the display fallow. Would it be possible to QT and treat 2 small clowns and a royal gramma in a 5 gal bucket with a heater and sponge filter? My wife will absolutely not let me set up a 3rd tank. @Humblefish any ideas that you or hotrocks could think of ?

 

[ngoodermuth]

Any update? I’m sorry... I’ve been tied up a bit the last week or two.

I wouldn’t pull the fish for one spot. I’d keep an eye on it, if it moves or more spots appear then I’d take action. It could be nothing more than a small scrape/injury, lympho, etc. Any other symptoms?

 

[Nicholas Scelzi]

Should have waited and continued to observe... unfortunately, I tried to pull the fish in order to put them back in a hospital tank / QT so that I could run my display fallow / fallow in hypo as I'm expecting a few new fish to be delivered this week. So instead of using my 20 gal long for QT like I typically do, I had to resort to using a 5 Gal bucket with a sponge filter and a heater. They did not make it through the night in the bucket, most likely because I wasn't prepared and didn't have the sponge filter seeded in my display building up beneficial bacteria. So they most likely died from an ammonia spike as I doubt it was the copper becasue clowns are pretty hardy and I did have the recommended dose for day 1 for 5 gals of water.

Lesson learned the hard way! Now I have the display running fallow in hypo just incase it was parasitic.. meanwhile when my new fish come in I'll have them in the 20 gal long for 2 months to QT them and make sure the display is safe before transitioning them .

Any advice how to properly sterilize the equipment I used to try and QT the clowns and gramma? Just rinse well with fresh RODI and let everything dry out? Or soak in Vinegar?

Thanks for everyone's help!