Quote:
Originally Posted by phoenixhieghts  oh dear - i have been told that brown spots (as opposed to white) is marine velvet. If you dont have reef i would personally start a coppe treatment, or if your able to quaratine the fish.
Pretty fish but i am told very difficult to look after |
From DRFosterSmith
Marine Velvet Disease
Symptoms / of velvet
The symptoms of marine velvet usually involve the skin and lungs. Mild infections will usually only infect the gills and the fish may show minimal symptoms. As the infestation becomes more severe, the gills will become inflamed, bleed, and the lung tissue will begin to die. The fish will show signs of irritation and distress, with rapid breathing and lethargy. As the inflammation increases, the fish will lose its ability to transport oxygen across the gill membranes resulting in a fish that shows symptoms of suffocation, and if treatment is not initiated, death will often result.
The skin is the site of attachment for the organism and in severe infections, small gold-colored spots will cover the skin, which can progress to create a "velvet" appearance which gives the disease its name. By the time the gold-colored velvet appears, however, the gills may be so infected that treatment is usually too late. Many fish die from this disease without ever showing any visible skin changes. It may be possible to visualize early forms of the infection on the skin by using indirect illumination. This works best on dark fish and can be done by shining a flashlight on the dorsal surface of a fish in a darkened room. Viewing infected fish against a dark background may also be helpful.
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The last time I saw a friends fish that was suspected of having marine velvet, you knew something was wrong way before he had signs on the outside. Can you get a picture?
I would definately QT if he is not already. If it is Velvet it spreads like ich so your other fish are in trouble. You may have to treat the tank or keep it empty for a while.
Al
Foxface has Chickenpox?!? 
