scale problem

Question
heya, i asked last week about UV sterilisers and green water etc, so just to let you know its all under control now and looks great! but, i have a male gouramis in one of my fish tanks, and i feed him one blood worm by hand everyday as a reward for following my finger along the aquarium. however today, i noticed about 3mm behind his left gill, he has what looks to me like a burn does on human skin, sort of pearly white and smooth, slightly reddish around the edge. as i said, i play with him each day and therefore am watching him closely, i am sure i would have spotted it if it was there yesterday.. the tank is a community tank, but he is the biggest fish there, there is a female in the tank, a bristle nose, cherry barbs and neon tetras, so i dont think its a wound from any of them. the tank has plants, bog wood, and a sand substrate, i guess it could have been the wood, im not sure.. but, does this sound like a cut to you? is it possible he jumped and hit the light tube? it doesnt get very hot.. or is there a skin virus/bacteria/disease etc that could have caused this? the affected area is small, but larger then say a fish with white spot.. its in an oval shape.. if it is a cut, it looks minor, what should i do? and if you think it may be a pathogen of some sort, what would you suggest it could be? thanks for any help! cheers

Answer
Hi Josh,

Glad to hear the algae has cleared up and my cheque book doesn't have to be opened (yet again).

I think this is probably just a minor cut. Ancistrus of any sort can be nasty buggers if they're picked on and your Gourami may have just picked a fight with the wrong guy. Fish like Weather Loaches and common Plecs have been known to suck the scales off other fish when competing for food. Several of my Goldfish have whitish marks where scales have come off but it is often nothing to worry about.

There's a couple of nasties that could cause this, Coral Fish Disease being one, but this is a freshwater tank so it's definitely not that. The other is bacterial Septicaemia. However BS only really ever effects fish that are kept in unsatisfactory conditions. To be honest I'd hazard a guess that your water parameters are better than mine so I'd also rule out Septicaemia.

If his gills are clammed, he's flashing on substrate and has gone off his food, then get back to me ASAP!

However, if the bloodworm is devoured with relish and your finger is still an object of amusement then I wouldn't worry mate.

Good luck!

Tom