White spot
What is white spot?
White spot is a disease most fishkeepers will encounter at some time. It is usually first seen as a tiny white spot in the clear tissue between the rays of the affected fish’s finnage. It quickly spreads to become a major infestation over the entire fish.
As the spots increase, the fish will become irritated and there may be a dramatic increase in the rate of respiration shown by the fast beating of the gill plates. The parasites - known as tomites - burrow into the protective mucus of the fish and rotate continuously. The irritation produces the white cyst, and this is what is visible.
How do you treat white spot?
Medications are available to treat white spot. The mature tomites can swim around the tank and so the whole tank must be treated for white spot rather than the individual fish.
If you’ve identified this disease on your fish, please call us and we will be
happy to talk through treatments with you.