Yellow Box Fish - white spots, please help

Ste.Marine

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Hi guys,

I’ve been through a fallow period recently - finished it almost 3 weeks ago. After that I decided I’m only getting TTMd fish moving forward.

I have a yellow tang, gem tang that I put in over 2.5 weeks ago and they’re going great.

I TTMd myself 2 Picasso clowns and a yellow spot box fish. They came out of TTM last week and went into my tank a week ago.

I noticed yesterday on the yellow spot box fish 1 very prominent white spot sticking out yesterday. Devastated thinking it is white spot but it didn’t look like white spot usually would. Today I noticed 3 additional spots again very prominent, sticking out of the body, quite large and very white. I’ve done some googling and am wondering now if it is white spot or lymphocystis? Or something else? He is happy has, swimming around all day as usual, not shy or hiding and is eating heaps of food each feeding!

I’ve attached a video, please let me know your thoughts. I am really hoping it isn’t white spot as it would mean all that effort has been wasted and that I had done something wrong .
If it is lymphocystis from what I’ve read it shouldn’t really affect the fish and it will go away within a couple of weeks as long as water quality is generally maintained, does that sound right or should I be concerned?

water parameters are stable:
Nitrate - 2.5
KH - 9
Mag - 1215 (I know this is a little lower at the moment than usual need to buff
Cal - 420
Temp - 23.7
Salinity - 35
Phos - 0
PH - 8.2
Nitrite and ammonia - 0
 

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vetteguy53081

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Can’t open video but these are notorious for getting ich. A couple still photos under white light will help determine what you have
 

Oceanwave

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Can’t open video but these are notorious for getting ich. A couple still photos under white light will help determine what you have
I am also seeing white spots on new box fish , just got it yesterday .. same concern is it ich? I’m New to the hobby had my tank for 3 months ..
 

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vetteguy53081

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Yes ich. Treat in either hypo salinity (1,014) or copper safe. Ruby rally pro will also work
 
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Ste.Marine

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Here are some stills from the video
 

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Ste.Marine

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Update: still eating and all normal. Yesterday he had 4 of these big spots and today he only has 2
 

Jay Hemdal

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Update: still eating and all normal. Yesterday he had 4 of these big spots and today he only has 2
The little cubic box *might* have ich. The spots look a bit large to me, but I've been fooled before by proportions - ich spots look larger on a small fish, and I can't judge size from a photo. Lymphocystis would not have come and gone that quickly, but ich does.

The other boxfish almost certainly has ich. Is it isolated? I think I would opt for hyposalinity for that one. If you go with copper, use Coppersafe.

Jay
 

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My first boxfish came from an LFS that maintains copper in their systems but I put them through a standard QT when I get them anyhow - regardless of where they came from. I thought he had ICH despite the LFS and my QT but the spots didn't come and go in the normal ICH pattern and were very prominent. I put him into DT and they faded over time. Determined it was Lymphocystis. That box fish for being a box was a very adept jumper and eventually succumbed to his antics by jumping out when we weren't around and he landed on overflow cover. Our tank has a hood so jumping doesn't get you very far. Ordered a Scrawled Cowfish which came directly from the ocean in Florida. He had internal parasites and what appeared to be ICH. I treated the parasites first then did W/C and treated with Cupramine then followed that with Maracyn 2 - all I accomplished was treating the internal parasites (no more icky white poo). The apparent ICH never changed - likely Lymphocystis with this guy too. They seem to be prone to it. I also did a fresh water dip (he laid on his side not moving the entire 5 minutes) and nothing came off of him in the bowl. He's in the DT and spitting water at me just like the boxfish did. The outside of my glass is a mess but he's like a puppy dog following me everywhere and spitting water for more attention.
 
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Ste.Marine

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My first boxfish came from an LFS that maintains copper in their systems but I put them through a standard QT when I get them anyhow - regardless of where they came from. I thought he had ICH despite the LFS and my QT but the spots didn't come and go in the normal ICH pattern and were very prominent. I put him into DT and they faded over time. Determined it was Lymphocystis. That box fish for being a box was a very adept jumper and eventually succumbed to his antics by jumping out when we weren't around and he landed on overflow cover. Our tank has a hood so jumping doesn't get you very far. Ordered a Scrawled Cowfish which came directly from the ocean in Florida. He had internal parasites and what appeared to be ICH. I treated the parasites first then did W/C and treated with Cupramine then followed that with Maracyn 2 - all I accomplished was treating the internal parasites (no more icky white poo). The apparent ICH never changed - likely Lymphocystis with this guy too. They seem to be prone to it. I also did a fresh water dip (he laid on his side not moving the entire 5 minutes) and nothing came off of him in the bowl. He's in the DT and spitting water at me just like the boxfish did. The outside of my glass is a mess but he's like a puppy dog following me everywhere and spitting water for more attention.
Yeah I TTMd him and would’ve expected if he did already have white spot during that period I would’ve seen the usual white spot pattern, they’re just random spots and only a couple however they do disappear quickly which is my main concern. He’s probably got 4 at the moment. Again very prominent. I’ll be devastated if it is white spot. All that fallow period and TTM for nothing. I also have tangs so I would imagine if it’s white spot I’m gonna have a lot of problems in a couple of weeks. This is him today with the 4 or so spots.
 

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Jay Hemdal

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Yeah I TTMd him and would’ve expected if he did already have white spot during that period I would’ve seen the usual white spot pattern, they’re just random spots and only a couple however they do disappear quickly which is my main concern. He’s probably got 4 at the moment. Again very prominent. I’ll be devastated if it is white spot. All that fallow period and TTM for nothing. I also have tangs so I would imagine if it’s white spot I’m gonna have a lot of problems in a couple of weeks. This is him today with the 4 or so spots.

I viewed this video a few times - I don't think it is ich. The spots are raised, but they are two large (despite the cubic being small). So - what are they?

TTM does not control flukes well. However, flukes do not create large white raised spots.
As I mentioned Lymphocystis doesn't come and go - but *sometimes* a spot of it can be knocked off the fish.
There is also something else - poorly defined, that I call "mucus plugs". For some reason, the mucus cells go hyperactive - probably due to some irritation. It usually goes away on its own. This article I wrote discusses that (in part). The article is in the PDF link on the right side:
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/mucus-the-slime-that-binds.793/


Jay
 
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Ste.Marine

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I viewed this video a few times - I don't think it is ich. The spots are raised, but they are two large (despite the cubic being small). So - what are they?

TTM does not control flukes well. However, flukes do not create large white raised spots.
As I mentioned Lymphocystis doesn't come and go - but *sometimes* a spot of it can be knocked off the fish.
There is also something else - poorly defined, that I call "mucus plugs". For some reason, the mucus cells go hyperactive - probably due to some irritation. It usually goes away on its own. This article I wrote discusses that (in part). The article is in the PDF link on the right side:
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/mucus-the-slime-that-binds.793/


Jay
Thanks Jay, have had a read. Interesting.

still very bizarre, none of the other fish luckily have anything and the box still has 3-4 spots depending on the time of day. They aren’t so prominent I noticed in the past 2 days (resembling more like ich) so I guess I’ll just wait and hope it passes!
 

Jay Hemdal

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Thanks Jay, have had a read. Interesting.

still very bizarre, none of the other fish luckily have anything and the box still has 3-4 spots depending on the time of day. They aren’t so prominent I noticed in the past 2 days (resembling more like ich) so I guess I’ll just wait and hope it passes!
If it were ich, the spots would have changed in location and number by now.

Jay
 

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