white spot on clown

"Chris Gentry" wrote in message
news:gTGXd.110202$4q6.67509@attbi_s01...
Hi,
I have a false percula clownfish that I bought about a week ago. It
appears to be doing fine, and is very active, but just after I bought it,
I
noticed a large white spot on its side. It looks like a large grain of
sugar. I've watched it really close, and it hasn't seemed to grow, and no
others have appeared, so I didn't know if this was ok? Does anyone know
what this might be? Or if I can try to remove it? Thanks -Chris


Update:
Well so far there is still only one white spot, but it has grown just
slightly. I'm still a little worried. The fish appears to be very
active,however, and it has been feeding regularly. There is no sign of
clamped fins or anything like that.

My water parameters are a little off in the nitrate department (around
15ppm), and I have a nice growth of GHA. Could this maybe be stressing the
fish out? I've done a few partial water changes to bring the nitrates down,
but it doesn't last long.

I had the tank up for approx. 3 months with nothing but 3 blue-legged
hermits in it. Then I moved it (and disturbed the DSB, and got the LR cold
{approx. 55F}) From there I left it up 1 month and then took a sample in
for my LFS to test. Everything checked out ok, so I added a small piece of
Green star polyps, and a few purple mushrooms. I also added a mated pair of
ocellaris clowns. Shortly thereafter I got a bad outbreak of diatoms. So I
put some phosban in the canister filter (running with no floss media, just
for water flow mainly, and a place to put carbon if needed) and the diatoms
cleared up. about a week later GHA started, and I haven't been able to get
rid of it since. My light period is on for 12 hours a day.

Hi Chris,
You need to find the source of your Nitrate problem pretty
quick as Nitrate is not at all good for corals in that amount, a very
small amount is necessary, by very small I mean an amount that will not
register on aquarium test kits. It's very hard to try and give a
diagnosis from your limited description, but I can make a few points
for you to consider. First I have no idea how big your tank is or your
method of filtration. I could make a wild guess and say you are using
tap water?, and some form of Biological filtration, Biowheel?, or wet &
dry?. Normally if you get an infection of GHA you would expect to see a
low nitrate reading (the GHA consumes the Nitrate as it is produced) a
reading as high as yours means something is producing large amounts,
Phosphate will also fuel GHA but it will normally de pleat the nitrate
in preference to the phosphate. Your outbreak of diatoms (I assume they
were brown)is caused by silicates and usually appear around the end of
the initial tank cycle. Disturbing the DSB would not be a problem so
short a time after set-up. Letting your live rock drop to 55F was a
disaster you now have dead rock!!. Water temp ? 79F-82F, Water flow
rate ? about 20 times the tanks volume per hour. Lighting ? I could go
on but I think I've mentioned all the major problems. If you would like
to post full details of your tank and all the parameters actual numbers
not just ok I will try to be more specific. Oh your fish has not got
ich it could be a small injury with a fungal growth on it, I would be
more worried about your corals and general tank condition.
regards,
unclenorm.


Chris Gentry wrote:
"Chris Gentry" wrote in message
news:gTGXd.110202$4q6.67509@attbi_s01...
Hi,
I have a false percula clownfish that I bought about a week
ago. It
appears to be doing fine, and is very active, but just after I
bought it,
I
noticed a large white spot on its side. It looks like a large
grain of
sugar. I've watched it really close, and it hasn't seemed to grow,
and no
others have appeared, so I didn't know if this was ok? Does anyone
know
what this might be? Or if I can try to remove it? Thanks -Chris


Update:
Well so far there is still only one white spot, but it has grown just
slightly. I'm still a little worried. The fish appears to be very
active,however, and it has been feeding regularly. There is no sign
of
clamped fins or anything like that.

My water parameters are a little off in the nitrate department
(around
15ppm), and I have a nice growth of GHA. Could this maybe be
stressing the
fish out? I've done a few partial water changes to bring the
nitrates down,
but it doesn't last long.

I had the tank up for approx. 3 months with nothing but 3 blue-legged
hermits in it. Then I moved it (and disturbed the DSB, and got the
LR cold
{approx. 55F}) From there I left it up 1 month and then took a
sample in
for my LFS to test. Everything checked out ok, so I added a small
piece of
Green star polyps, and a few purple mushrooms. I also added a mated
pair of
ocellaris clowns. Shortly thereafter I got a bad outbreak of
diatoms. So I
put some phosban in the canister filter (running with no floss media,
just
for water flow mainly, and a place to put carbon if needed) and the
diatoms
cleared up. about a week later GHA started, and I haven't been able
to get
rid of it since. My light period is on for 12 hours a day.

"unclenorm" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Chris,
You need to find the source of your Nitrate problem pretty
quick as Nitrate is not at all good for corals in that amount, a very
small amount is necessary, by very small I mean an amount that will not
register on aquarium test kits. It's very hard to try and give a
diagnosis from your limited description, but I can make a few points
for you to consider. First I have no idea how big your tank is or your
method of filtration.
29 gal tank with 30gal sump.

I could make a wild guess and say you are using
tap water?
Yes for the initial 2 months, but only RO since then.
, and some form of Biological filtration, Biowheel?, or wet &
dry?.
No biowheels or wet-dry. Just a protein skimmer, and LR, LS. I have
around a 3" DSB and about 50-60#'s of LR.

Normally if you get an infection of GHA you would expect to see a
low nitrate reading (the GHA consumes the Nitrate as it is produced) a
reading as high as yours means something is producing large amounts,
Phosphate will also fuel GHA but it will normally de pleat the nitrate
in preference to the phosphate.

The GHA is slowly dying off. I bought a clean up crew of about 20 blue
legged hermits, and 20 cerith snails. Plus
my clowns seem to like eating the stuff.

Since I was using tap water for the first two months for top-offs, this
could be a reason why I have high nitrates. I haven't
done any large (50% or greater) water changes since I set the tank up at my
new place, and I brought most of the old water with me.

Your outbreak of diatoms (I assume they
were brown)is caused by silicates and usually appear around the end of
the initial tank cycle. Disturbing the DSB would not be a problem so
short a time after set-up.

I bought this stuff from an old man out of the newspaper. I got the
skimmer, around 70# of LR, the sand, a 55gal tank, a magnum 350 canister
filter. two full boxes of food, buffer, supplements, 4 big airpumps, and a
royal gramma for $100 dollars.
However, since this was used and I didn't have a chance to ask many
questions (had to be at work, and other people were looking at this setup) I
don't know what type of sand he had in the tank. Could be silicate based
sand. So when I moved the sand bed from the 55gal tank to my 29gal tank
that could explain the brown diatoms.

Letting your live rock drop to 55F was a
disaster you now have dead rock!!.

The water was at this temp for only a few minutes. I suspect that deep
within the rock some bacteria survived, since the setup now has no
detectable ammonia or nitrites, after a few weeks with fish in it.

Water temp ? 79F-82F,
80F

Water flow rate ?
I have a mag5 returning water from the sump, and a magnum 350 canister
filter (minus the filter media) plumbed in a closed loop for circulation.
I'm not sure the specs on either of them. The mag5 is dealing with about 3
feet of head.

Lighting ?

I have a combined wattage of 130 with two 65W PCs. One is actinic, and the
other is 10,000K

I could go on but I think I've mentioned all the major problems. If you
would like
to post full details of your tank and all the parameters actual numbers
not just ok I will try to be more specific. Oh your fish has not got
ich it could be a small injury with a fungal growth on it

Is there any way to treat, or remove this growth?

I would be
more worried about your corals and general tank condition.
regards,
unclenorm.