My daughter's Bala Shark is sick. Anybody know what this is?
Seems to be a mold or flaking.



She has many other fish and he's the only one with it.

Thanks !

looks like ick, has it been scratching itself on any objects in the tank?

Raise the temperature a bit (>80) and change 20% of the water. Get an Ich medication from your fish dealer and follow the directions.

Well the shark didn't make it through the night.
So the question now is, how Contagious is Ich?
Are the other fish at risk?
Do we still need to treat the tank?

I would suggest you read up on ich to know better how to identify and treat athe first sign. Ich is easily dealt with if done so in a swift manner.

I would still increase the temp of your tank to at least 86F. Watch for signs in your other fish and watch for a small period for the next 5-6 days.. Ich is usually more visible on the fins of the fish.

Also wondering the size of the tank? Balas need to be in groups of at least 4-5 and they grow to be 14" long, so really aren't good for the home aquarium unless you have a really, really large one. (Keeping them in a smaller tank "for a while" isn't good either, because the fish's skeleton gets stunted, but the organs continue to grow, which causes the fish to die a really painful death.)

Good luck with the Ich. I agree with Ben in raising the temp' to about 86 and watching the fish for a while. (A bit of a water change couldn't hurt either.) Ich looks like little grains of salt all over the fish. You will also often see them "flashing" or itching them selves on things in the tank. Sometimes the "flashing" occurs before the spots do, but not always. Quite often, the raise in temperature as well as some aquarium salt (IF you see signs of Ich) can cure it with out medication. Some fish don't tolerate aquarium salt though, so research before dosing.

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Ich is actually a creature - a parasite that digs into its host and forms a cyst (the white spot) and reproduces as it feeds on the fish. When the cysts burst, enormous numbers of parasites flood out looking for new homes. I would say the cysts have already burst.
You can only kill the parasite when it is freeswimming, on the hunt. In the cyst, it's protected.
It is also not an 'it', but a group of related parasites. Most of them can be killed by water above 85f. Salt irritates the skin of a freshwater fish, causing it to secrete slime. That slime makes it harder for the parasite to dig in. You're best to use one of the dye-based medications from the pet shop, as there's no guarantee your fish had one of the heat hating versions.
The shark probably got it from outgrowing the tank, and becoming run down. Ich only hits when something is wrong - either a new fish with a new strain added, a temperature drop, dirty water, keeping fish evolved for hard water in soft water (or vice versa) or stress. Fish normally fight it off.