White/silver splotches on damsel

[jon99]

My azure damsel has two uniform splotches on either side. Shiny, white/silvery. Can you please help identify what it may be?

I received the fish 4 weeks ago from online retailer. It had a small area on its side that looked like this that is now larger and on both side of the body.

It’s in a 10 gal QT tank. Acting normal (not scratching, active, eats like a pig (live blackworms, frozen fish eggs and mysis).

Link to short video:

 

[vetteguy53081]

My azure damsel has two uniform splotches on either side. Shiny, white/silvery. Can you please help identify what it may be?

I received the fish 4 weeks ago from online retailer. It had a small area on its side that looked like this that is now larger and on both side of the body.

It’s in a 10 gal QT tank. Acting normal (not scratching, active, eats like a pig (live blackworms, frozen fish eggs and mysis).

Link to short video:

While this looks like bites marks, I am leaning towards it being uronema as it is in the right location, on both sides and oval shaped consistent with this disease. Often prevention is more valuable than cure. Uronema which is an oval ciliated motile protozoan which causes tissue necrosis as seen on fish. What other fish are in the tank?
This can also be triggered by low salinity levels as well as excess food waste on tank bottom which this protozoan can feed on. If you want to attempt to stop it, fish will have to be quarantined and treated with formalin based treatment which is harder to find, so next option is Ruby rally Pro. Chloroquine Phosphate will also work but must be used precisely.
What other fish are in the tank with it?

 

[jon99]

Nothing else in the QT other than livestock and snails, but you may be onto something…..

I did have a freshwater topoff overflow a couple weeks ago. Salinity dropped from 1.025 to 1.020. It’s a QT so the topoff is pretty barebones. All it took was a snail climbing onto the float switch not allowing it to float back up.

I turned of the topoff and salinity is now almost back on track.

Is leaving it alone in hopes the fish recovers on its own an option? Or should I treat as you suggested?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

My azure damsel has two uniform splotches on either side. Shiny, white/silvery. Can you please help identify what it may be?

I received the fish 4 weeks ago from online retailer. It had a small area on its side that looked like this that is now larger and on both side of the body.

It’s in a 10 gal QT tank. Acting normal (not scratching, active, eats like a pig (live blackworms, frozen fish eggs and mysis).

Link to short video:

This is an unusual presentation - on both sides like that.

It wasn’t clear to me - how long has the fish showed these spots?

The shape is the lesions does look like Uronema, but those usually turn red in a day or so.

If it is internal Uronema, there is no treatment, but it is not really contagious.

Here is an article I wrote on Uronema:

Uronema / Red Band Disease - Hemdal

Red Band Syndrome in Marine Fishes: Caused by the Protozoan; Uronema sp. Jay Hemdal Introduction: This moderately common disease of certain species of marine fish is so often misdiagnosed that most aquarists apply incorrect treatment methods...

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