!!Ghost knife has white patches all over body!! Help please!!!

[moch1moch1]

Have you tested your water?

No

If I did not test my water...

...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.

Do you do water changes?

Yes

What percentage of water do you change?

21-30%

How frequently do you change your water?

Every week

If I do not change my water...

...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.

My ghost knife is about 20cm (7 inches).
We’ve had him for about a year and a half.
He’s got some white patches over his body, today we did a 30% water change and the patches got worse and could be seen more vividly. The patches come and go. His behaviour is fine and he doesn’t act sick (I don’t think).
Due to covid I can’t feed him bloodworms though because I can’t go out and shops are closed, so we’ve been just feeding pellets.
The patches look concerning but like I said before they come and go, im not sure if it’s some fungal infection or parasite that is doing this. We have been treating a corydora for fungus and fin rot, and I assumed it would also heal the BGK.

These pictures were taken few minutes after water change, but the white patches have died down now.
Btw, We changed his tank the recent bigger one a week or two ago because he’s growing really fast.
Since we are treating the tank with fungal remedy the colour of the water is green and it might affect the pH colour (I’m not really informed on how pH tests work).
Somebody have any advise?

 

[phreeflow]

Hard to say what it is or if it’s a disease or not. The only thing that was worrisome is that you said you have been medicating that tank. Black ghost knives are scaleless and are more sensitive to medicines. Perhaps he is having a reaction to it? If it were my fish and I was not sure what it was, I’d do a bunch of water changes first before doing anything. If you can’t because you’re treating that tank, I’d move to a separate tank with clean water and observe before adding any meds

 

[kno4te]

Get a test kit and check ur water quality. Increase water changes to 50% twice a week with a dechlorinator till u can test ur water. Id try feeding something else other than bloodworms if that’s all it eating.

 

[Rocksor]

Hard to say what it is or if it’s a disease or not. The only thing that was worrisome is that you said you have been medicating that tank. Black ghost knives are scaleless and are more sensitive to medicines. Perhaps he is having a reaction to it? If it were my fish and I was not sure what it was, I’d do a bunch of water changes first before doing anything. If you can’t because you’re treating that tank, I’d move to a separate tank with clean water and observe before adding any meds

Are they truly scaleless? I see a scale pattern in the first pic. When my south american lung became light like that through sickness, there was no scale pattern like the one shown for this BGK.

 

[Caveden]

Honestly I’m quite sure it’s just slimecoat. Not disease or anything. I’ve had bichirs and rays lose their slimecoat after a water change, and it looks like this. That’s probably the reason why you see it coming and going ?.
Proves my point more when you said after a water change. If it’s eating as stated I doubt it’s anything to do with disease, I’m quite sure slimecoat

 

[Caveden]

Hard to say what it is or if it’s a disease or not. The only thing that was worrisome is that you said you have been medicating that tank. Black ghost knives are scaleless and are more sensitive to medicines. Perhaps he is having a reaction to it? If it were my fish and I was not sure what it was, I’d do a bunch of water changes first before doing anything. If you can’t because you’re treating that tank, I’d move to a separate tank with clean water and observe before adding any meds

Yes, +1 as well, my rays in the past which are scaleless had a reaction after a water change, losing their slimecoat

 

[Rocksor]

I do a large water changes, and add activated carbon to the filter in order to remove the medication faster.

How are your water changes done? Seems rather odd that you see worsening after a water change. It might simply be that you need to dechlorinate the water in a brute trash can for an hour or 2 first before adding the new water to the bgk tank.

 

[phreeflow]

Are they truly scaleless? I see a scale pattern in the first pic. When my south american lung became light like that through sickness, there was no scale pattern like the one shown for this BGK.

I’m no marine biologist but that’s what all the sources say. It’s hard to believe plecos are scaleless but they are

 

[Rocksor]

I’m no marine biologist but that’s what all the sources say. It’s hard to believe plecos are scaleless but they are

Just did some digging, and while true that many online articles state they are scaleless, I found this

Transversal series above lateral line with 15-16 scale rows (Campo-da- Paz, 1997)

Apteronotus albifrons (Linnaeus, 1766)

Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Free and Open Access to Biodiversity Data.

www.gbif.org

Apteronotus albifrons - Plazi TreatmentBank

treatment.plazi.org

 

[moch1moch1]

Honestly I’m quite sure it’s just slimecoat. Not disease or anything. I’ve had bichirs and rays lose their slimecoat after a water change, and it looks like this. That’s probably the reason why you see it coming and going ?.
Proves my point more when you said after a water change. If it’s eating as stated I doubt it’s anything to do with disease, I’m quite sure slimecoat

Right that makes more sense cuz he returns to all black after a few minutes.