White pimples on royalty

[Taratron]

Yeah, doesn't sound good in the tabloids either.

My royal pleco developed a small white "bubble" near his dorsal fin about three days ago. The bubble pimple doesn't look like a bite mark or a burn mark (there's no heater in the tank anyway), but has developed smaller white pimply marks near it. Royal is still eating, but I am concerned as to what this is and how to prevent a full outbreak.

Tank is 90 gallons, tankmates include hoplos, cories, ancistrus plecos, a few banjo cats and farlowella, some "leftover" killifish, and wild neocardinia shrimp. Water changes twice a week of 30%.

[nvcichlids]

Ich? My royals died due to the "Super Ich" strain.

[Rohan Richardson]

I second that it sounds like your fish has ich.

[Taratron]

It's not ich, unless ich are small round pimply things that don't flake off and instead spread over like little lesions. More on the fish today. I'm going to try and remove him from the tank asap.

[fischkringli]

Could you give us a picture pls?

[nvcichlids]

ich on plecos does look a bit different than on other fish (IMO). That would still be the best bet without pictures.

[Barbie]

Ich on plecos also is usually seen more on their fins than just restricted to the body where the armored plates are, IME. Does the white spot look hard and solid or fluid filled?

Barbie

[apistomaster]

Very doubtful that what you are seeing is Ich, common, "super" or otherwise.

Without a photo to go on all that can be done is more speculation. Do not speculate too long.

The direct method would be to make slide smears from the obviously affected area and somewhere else on the body and examine the smears under a microscope. First try a low power. Then go up to 400X. All the common skin parasites are visible at 400X. It may be helpful to use a touch of methylene blue to stain the organisms for better contrast. There are several diseases that manifest apparently similar symptoms, especially at particular stages of the infection. Not much differently from having flu-like symptoms initially regardless of whether one is coming down with flu, measles chicken pox etc.

If no common skin parasites are found then you have a more difficult problem to solve. That is because all the skin parasites may be treated with Ich medications. The differences are that some diseases require a longer treatment period than Ich. Still, any of the skin parasites are more easily treated than some of the more obscure diseases.