Trying to Rid Baby Trigger of Unknown Speck on Tail...

[PIPSTER]

I have a 1" picasso in QT. :love2:
When I picked him up from the LFS Saturday, he looked perfect. When I floated his bag in the water to QT him, I saw a speck on his tailfin. :mad2: It's oval, but very small, so I'm hoping it is a fluke. I have done 3 freshwater dips, once each day for about 3 minutes each, and it has not fallen off--it's already opaque. I was hoping it would because it is on the clear part of his tailfin, near the base, but I know they don't always fall off when dead. I'm starting the tank transfer method, just in case, for ich. I haven't found where ich can look oval. The speck looks kinda like a really small version of a grain of rice, but it doesn't bump out from the fin, it's small enough to only be visible from the side of the fish, not when viewed from above or below. I'll try to upload pics tomorrow. I'm almost suspecting some kind of parasitic copepod or similar parasite.

He acts and eats normal, doesn't have anything else visibly wrong, no itching.

I'm planning on continuing freshwater dips between tank transfers every 48 hours, for at least 12-13 days. I guess I should order some prazipro. Does anybody have experience with parasites staying on fins through treatment?

 

[PIPSTER]

BTW, I can't tell you how annoying it is to try to research pictures of flukes on fins or tails because whale tails are called flukes! :angryfire:

 

[Newsmyrna80]

You are correct, flukes do not always fall off even after they're dead. Their hooks prevent them from dislodging. If it was a parasitic copepod the FW dip would have killed it. If you are dosing Prazi there's no reason to continue FW dips.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

BTW, I can't tell you how annoying it is to try to research pictures of flukes on fins or tails because whale tails are called flukes! :angryfire:

Google monogeans.

 

[PIPSTER]

You are correct, flukes do not always fall off even after they're dead. Their hooks prevent them from dislodging. If it was a parasitic copepod the FW dip would have killed it. If you are dosing Prazi there's no reason to continue FW dips.

What is your opinion of trying just FW dips every other day for awhile instead of prazi? I'm guessing it will take 5-6 days to get prazi shipped to me. It's not at any lfs.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

If you are 100% sure the fish has flukes (confirmed by the dips) then yes I would do FW dips until the Prazi comes in. I would only do them at least 4 days apart, not every other day...it's too stressful on the fish. Read this stickie to get an idea of their lifecycle: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2388423

 

[PIPSTER]

If you are 100% sure the fish has flukes (confirmed by the dips) then yes I would do FW dips until the Prazi comes in. I would only do them at least 4 days apart, not every other day...it's too stressful on the fish. Read this stickie to get an idea of their lifecycle: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2388423

That's the thing...the dips didn't have anything fall off at all, so I'm not sure about the diagnosis. The fish seems to be otherwise pretty healthy so far. I just don't want to have that "speck" multiply into something destructive when I eventually add the fish to the DT. I'll post the promised pics tomorrow, and hopefully a diagnosis can be made.

I thought it was crypto when I first saw it, but it's oblong, not a circle or dot. I'm still going to do the TTM.

 

[Deinonych]

If it persists for more than a week, it's not crypto. You are doing the right thing by doing TTM anyway, as crypto does not have to be visible to be present. It sounds like it might be a small lymphocystis nodule, but will wait to see the photo when you post it.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

If the fish is eating, breathing, and swimming normal I wouldn't worry about it. Like Chris said it could be lympho.

 

[PIPSTER]

Here's some pics...the first one is right after the first FWD on Sunday, the second one is during the last FWD Tuesday evening. I think the blue light helps pick out the speck. The speck was still there this morning. The attachements are the same photos so you can zoom in.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Doesn't look like a fluke. Could be some kind of anomaly in his tail. My goby has something like that on his pectoral fins..he's had for years. Personally I wouldn't do anymore FW dips on him. Wait until the Prazi comes in and dose that.

 

[PIPSTER]

Doesn't look like a fluke. Could be some kind of anomaly in his tail. My goby has something like that on his pectoral fins..he's had for years. Personally I wouldn't do anymore FW dips on him. Wait until the Prazi comes in and dose that.

Ok, thanks for your opinion...he is really small, again about 1", so the size of that speck is really, really small...yet it isn't a circle and appears much more bright in real life. He is otherwise very healthy looking and active. He spent 3 weeks in a low copper QT at the LFS before I picked him up, too, and no ich or anything was sighted during that time. I will continue to observe him.

 

[Deinonych]

Agree with Newsmyrna80 that it doesn't look like a parasite, although the pictures are not conclusive. I would continue to observe and treat with Prazi to be sure.

 

[PIPSTER]

Fish is still acting normal, speck is still there.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Good! Feed him well, keep stress low and treat with prazi