Is This White Spot / Ich?

[MikeO]

I have just stocked my tank today. I have noticed that a number of my fish have some white patches on their bottom fins - They were not noticeable in the shop on any of them, but a few seem to have them. I tried to get photos but they are hiding in the rocks at the moment.

Im not sure if its part of the coulouration of the fish. The biggest patches are on my cobalt blue zebras. I found this pic online which closeley matches what mine are looking like:

http/web.mit.edu/lxs/www/cichlids/images/powder-blue-4.jpg

I have some Acei, rustys and labs as well and some of them have similar.

I am off to buy some treatment now just in case it is, but would appreciate comments on if it could be or not!

They dont have any little specs anywhere else on any of them, only like in the picture. I will try to take some of my own fish again when I get back.

Thanks

 

[fishyfeet]

no, i dont think so mike, may be a fungle infection, not sure it looks like that though, too
round ? ill have a think.

ich is like grains of salt mike, the parasite make a hole in the fish were it exits and goes looking for a new host, we are talking tiny spores hardly visable with the naken eye so the spot is very small indeed these look like patches, which might be fungus but they look round oval shape and fungus isnt quite like that either. di

 

[MikeO]

Hi Di,

None of them have any small spots, so looks like it isnt then. At least I now have some treatment here if I need it!

It may well be part of the colouring as I have seen a few photos of malawi with these spots on, but I always thought they were ill. Maybe someone who has the same species will read this and put my mind at rest. In the mean time I will continue to monitor and *try* and get some photos, although im not holding my breath!

Thanks for the reply.

 

[WILDER]

Not familar with these type of fish, but just keep a close eye on them.

White patches can be colunmaris, finrot, calcuim deposits, lymthocystis, parasites.