Hi all

Had this peacock eel for a year and a half now and has grown a lot. Noticed some white stuff on its head just now it's getting me quite worried. Wasn't there yesterday, but not sure about today.

Looks like something stuck onto its head rather than a growth of some sort. What could it be? Hopefully photo is clear enough for you to make it out.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Hard to tell when looking at fluffy stuff in a fluffy pic

Fluff, often looking like it is perched on top of the skin, is often a secondary infection caused by a wound underneath. It may, or may not, need some sort of anti-fungal treatment.

I know of some who discovered that when they manged to pull the fluff off, found the fish had actually healed nicely underneath and nothing further needed to be done.

Are you able to catch the fish for a closer look and gently see if the fungus is easily removable? If it is, you may have to treat the underlying infection. I wonder if it originally bashed its head getting stuck in a tight spot at some point and that is how it got the original damage.

have you used flourish in the tank?

Thanks for the replies.

No Flourish in the tank.

Glad to say that I checked 15 minutes later and it was gone, so must have been something stuck to it.

Very relieved, it's easily my favorite fish in the tank, which also happens to be my mum's least favorite.

OK phoenix44, what's with the question about the Flourish, :roll:

There is obviously a reason why you asked this??

Be good to know??

yeah for sure. flourish is great, but an overdose causes a white burn on the fish. rips off the slime coat, and you are left with this white burnt looking fish. just like what would happen with an acid burn. its really really harsh on some fish, and usually kills them - best way to save the fish is put them in a totally different tank with other water. my clowns got it once, and it was Baaaad! luckily they made it through. ive been careful using excel after that.

Hmmm, yes this is now bringing back memories of when I dosed my Discus Tank with Flourish Excel and my Discus swam right into it when I was tipping it into the Tank, they came out in Whitish Marks, was damn lucky I didn't lose them, I think.

Had been full of the Flu, and feeling dreadful, obviously wasn't thinking straight, so measured it and Tipped it straight into the Tank, my poor Fishys weren't Happy :oops:

Did a 50% Emergency Water Change the next morning, they seemed to be fine by that night, thank goodness :bounce:

Just keep an eye on the eel. Some times fish with sucker mouths latch onto them.ie-plecos

could have been healing. Do you have any thing like that in your tank?

yeah for sure. flourish is great, but an overdose causes a white burn on the fish. rips off the slime coat, and you are left with this white burnt looking fish. just like what would happen with an acid burn. its really really harsh on some fish, and usually kills them - best way to save the fish is put them in a totally different tank with other water. my clowns got it once, and it was Baaaad! luckily they made it through. ive been careful using excel after that.

so it would be prudent to add the excel to a container of water before adding to the tank then?

i inject it into the tank, and it makes a million little bubbles. looks v cool. but even if you dilute it down, and then add it to the tank, since you're adding the same end amount of excel to the tank - it will have the same effect but maybe with less harsh visual symptoms.

I have since learned that anything added to the Tank whether it be Meds or Plant Food, should be diluted in Water before adding.

Have 2 golden Bristlenose catfish in the tank.

They are small though.

I have since learned that anything added to the Tank whether it be Meds or Plant Food, should be diluted in Water before adding.

Unless you add it slowly in front of a powerhead or filter outlet so it is instantly mixed into the water column.

Yea I do it that way when I'm doing a Water Change

But if I'm on a day when I'm not doing a water change I then Dilute it.