Firstly hello everyone, I'm a new fish keeper and do not know too much. I have one japanese shubunkin and one comet in a 72 litre tank. I have had the shubunkin for around a month now and he's doing fine, however the comet has been introduced into the tank about a week ago.

Today I noticed white spots covering its tail and thought it might be a pattern. Then later on the white spots have spread over the body leading me to think there maybe an infection or disease? For this reason I took the comet out (called Audi) and put it into a "hospital" tank. The comet is eating the food well but it sitting at the bottom not doing much. (the hospital tank is 4.4l) I know the comet won't move in there that much but I had to move it so that the other fish did not catch anything.

Does anyone know what this can be and how I can treat it. Any help would be appreciated. Also can someone tell me if the fish is feeling any pain due to this problem as i'm very worried?

Thanks in advance.

White spots can be anything.

Can you describe the spots? Do they look like salt grains or cotton wool?
Any other symptoms (such as flicking off the decor, substrate or fin clamping?)

Any results for ammonia nitrite, nitrate and pH?

Definately salt grains like little lumps every where. I'm not quite sure what you mean by flicking of decor, substrate or fin clamping? I do not have a water test kit, I will by that tomorrow definately and get some results.

Thanks.

I've read that it might be ich, and that if i increase the temperature it will help cure it. However comets are coldwater fishes so I cannot increase the temperature can I? I've also read that I can add salt to it would this be normal table salt? Thanks

Sounds like it could be whitespot, but a picture would help confirm diagnosis.

If it is whitespot, you'll have to watch the other fish as well. If the new fish has been in with the existing one for any length of time, chances are, there are some of the parasites in the water of both tanks.

In some cases, salt can be used to treat whitespot (proper aquarium tonic salt - table salt is no good at all), but the parasites are growing immunity to it so it's better to treat with medication, so get Protozin or Esha Exit in. Temperature hikes increase the life-cycle of the parasite and reproduction failure doesn't occur until temps are higher than 30*C. Even tropical fish will suffer in those kinds of temps. Anything less than 30*C just works to the parasite's advantage - they breed quicker and the fish are infected at a quicker rate, so for tropical tanks, one of the best ways to treat it would be to administer meds, THEN slowly increase temps to 30*C.

For goldfish you can't use the temp hikes to your advantage so treatment times have to be longer - around the 2 week mark.

Edit// Flicking or flashing is when the fish rubs itself off the decor and/or substrate. Substrate is the gravel or sand - whatever's on the base of the tank. Fin clamping is when the fish holds its fins to its body.

I would be inclined to put the comet back in the main tank - 4.4 litres is unbelievably small and I would think he must experience water quality problems and psychological stress in there, which won't help him get better. Plus if it is whitespot, the other fish has already been exposed to the infectious stage of the disease and will need the same treatment anyway.

Hmmm the comet is on day two treatment with protozin. The other fish in the 72L tank has no white spots on it so i', thinking it hasn't caught it. Will it catch it if i put the infected fish back?

Assuming that protozin is effective against this strain of whitespot (and there is no reason to suspect it wont be) then no, if you put the fish back into the 72L tank and continue to treat it there then the other fish will not become infected.

So the best thing to do is put the comet back into the 72L tank and carry on treatment? Will the protozin damage the biological filter? I have a fluval U2 one. Protozin contains formaldehyde which sounds bad for the bacteria on the filter.

Yeah, the best thing to do would be to put the comet back into the bigger tank and still continue treatment. Didn't realise your QT was only 4.4ltrs

As long as the filter's fully mature, Protozin shouldn't affect the bacterial colony too much.