My 4” tiger Oscar has white spots in his belly

[Adrianog17]

hi there, I have a juvenile tiger Oscar who is acting completely normal. My water quality is perfect and I do weekly 15% water changes in my 55 gallon set up (I’m upgrading to a 120 in 2 months). My concern is he has a white spotting pattern on his belly and lower fins. I don’t know if it’s just a unique design or if it’s something to be concerned about. I will attach a photo below. Thank you in advance!

 

[Chicxulub]

Moved to FW Diseases and Health Issues.

Looks like ich. Raise the temp, oxygenate, add aquarium salt. Maintain this routine for two weeks after the symptoms go away, as ich can only be treated when it's in the free swimming nematode stage, which is not in the fish and therefore not visible.

 

[Adrianog17]

Okay thank you is it weird that he hasn’t lost his appetite, And is still very energetic and interactive?

 

[Adrianog17]

Moved to FW Diseases and Health Issues.

Looks like ich. Raise the temp, oxygenate, add aquarium salt. Maintain this routine for two weeks after the symptoms go away, as ich can only be treated when it's in the free swimming nematode stage, which is not in the fish and therefore not visible.

My temp is at 79 F what should I put it up to?

 

[kno4te]

My temp is at 79 F what should I put it up to?

Increase to 86. A degree per hour. Add salt about 3 tsp per g in divided amounts in a day. Not all at once. Keep like this for over 10 days. Atleast a week after the last spot has gone.

 

[Fishman Dave]

Okay thank you is it weird that he hasn’t lost his appetite, And is still very energetic and interactive?

No it’s not weird at all and this is a good sign.
fish catch ich when they become stressed, which can be for a multitude of reasons including changes in water chemistry, tank mates, diet, even something as simple as a lot of people frequenting the room the tank is in. Often the fish doesn’t even notice and carries on as normal with the disease being fended off naturally by the fish with no intervention. Just like we might get over a cold without taking anything. When a fish does stop eating and behaving normally is usually when we can tell there is something still bothering the fish and that’s when they become more susceptible to the disease taking a better hold.
whilst ever he is acting normal and eating, that’s a good sign, but raising the temperature and adding aquarium salt ( Not table salt as this is not real salt) as advised will all help him get over this.
Note however that ich is not something any of us can truly get rid of. It’s always there in every fish tank, and takes hold when the fishes immunity drops, again just like us with a cold. If all the spots go away then that’s a good sign and shows that the fish is in good shape and it’s immune system constantly fights off any disease.