another question

Question

angel   QUESTION: Another question, this is a picture of my emperor angelfish, I purchased him about a week ago and the pet store had him for about a month and a half, at the pet store he looked great, she fed him in front of me before I got him. About two days ago I started noticing white cotton looking stuff growing on his two fins. He has a monster appetite eating pretty much anything I put in the tank and he still has strong color. I was just wondering what this stuff was and how to get rid of it. Any information would be great.

ANSWER: Hello Again,
Did you quarantine the new guy? It's a very important step in saltwater. There are so many things that can be introduced to our systems that you have to take precautions to prevent huge loss. I have some questions for you so I can better help. Can you get a closer picture of just the growth? Is there any redness on the tail or fins? Whats he been eating since you got him and at the petstore? Get back to me on those and we'll get you going.

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QUESTION: No I didn't quarantine him, I usually don't with anything I get (i know, could be devastating) I tried to get closer but it just got harder to see. There is no redness on any part of him, its just the white stuff on the tips. I feed him spectrum pellets and some red and green algae, and ive seen him picking at some brine shrimp and bloodworms that I feed my carnivores.

Answer
Ok, well white, cottony growth on fins and body can be numerous things. Probably a fungus, improper nutrition and poor water quality can assist this happening. The pellets and algae are good, brine shrimp are empty calories and blood worms are a fresh water fare. They will survive for a while on these foods but not thrive, or for long. I would replace them with mysis shrimp, a good Ocean Nutrition Omnivorous food and a variety of other sea foods that are available for similar prices. Much more nutritional. I would also get a vitamin supplement like "Zoe" to use once in a while. It can really make a difference in the health, immunity and strength of your fish. Now, back to the growth. You cant really treat it until you know exactly what it is. Fungal treatments dont work on parasites or bacterial infections and as I said... white cottony stuff could be numerous things. Improve his diet, test your water frequently and watch him closely for any changes. Redness, lethargy, spreading, fin deterioration, not eating, darting, any behaviors out of the ordinary or that seem unusual. You can get a "universal" treatment from Seachem and a couple of other companies, but I would give it a day or 2 more and observe before medicating. And watch the other inhabitants to make sure they dont show the same signs. Let me know if it changes and how it's going. I'll be glad to help if I can.