"Cauliflower" disease on Copperband???

[Virginia Reef]

I bought a Copperband about 3 weeks ago and put it in my refugium to acclimate and observe. It took several days to find food it would eat but mysis did the trick. After a couple days I noticed a smooth, round bulb forming on the tip of the lower jaw. The growth was kind of white/flesh colored. I thought that it might be an injury from ramming something after the move. Also saw several white specks form on the back edge of the dorsal fin. Kind of looked like ich but there are no other spots that I have been able to see. There was a cleaner shrimp in the fuge with the copperband but the shrimp showed no interest in the fish.

After the growth continued to increase in size somewhat over about the next week, i moved the fish to a separate tank to treat it with Lifeguard by Instant Ocean. I have just completed a 6 day treatment regimen. The growth began to show some red streaking in it midway through treatment. The redness is just about gone now. The growth is now larger and rougher on the surface...kind of like cauliflower. Here are a couple pics:

In addition, the fish has not eatenj in 2 days. It's still interested when I feed and pecks at the mysis but si unable or unwilling to actually eat.

The white spots on the edge of the dorsal have increased a bit in that they now edge about 3/4" of the fin but I don't see them anywhere else on the fish.

Any thoughts on diagnosis or treatment? The Lifeguard product is supposed to treat ich, oodinium, fungus, milky or shedding slime, bacterial gill disease, mouth and fin rot, clamped or torn fins, and ulcers.

 

[Virginia Reef]

OK, I've made a small bit of progress. The disease seems to be "Lymphocystis." This is a viral disease with no known treatment. However, most fish are able to recover by immune response but are reported to continue to carry the virus.

I can't find any information on whether there would be a risk to other fish if the Copperband recovers and I return it to my reef tank. It seems to me that a carrier of a viral infection would pose a risk of infecting others even if it is not showing symptoms.

Anyone have any authoritative information on this (or even just some second hand info)?

 

[kevin2000]

Lympho tends to be contagious only within the same species - as such if your reef tank has no similar fish I would suspect you can return him to the main tank now.

Hope this helps.

 

[jpccusa]

I am having a lymphocist problem with a Coral Beauty right now in my QT.

It is in hyposalinity in order to minimize stress. There is a Green Chromis with it... The Chromis developed the lymphocist AS WELL (contagious even in different species?) but got over it a week later.

There is no signs of improvement for the Coral Beauty and I'm starting to see signs of complications... It is not eating well anymore. Take a look at the pictures on my gallery.

I have 2 questions:

- Since the chromis has been better for more than a week now, can I move it to the DT or do I have to wait until the Coral Beauty gets better?

- Since lymphocist is associated with stress, diet, etc. and the immune system of the fish is the only hope, should I still keep it in the QT or moving it to the DT would increase its life conditions? (algae to eat, live rocks to graze on and hide, etc.)

Thanks,

 

[sugartooth]

Yes, you have to provide absolutely pristine water quality, low stress, and nutritious diet to deal with it. With this kind of therapy, lymph usually goes away.


Try enriching the mysis with beta glucan or vitachem to help. Make sure no one is chasing him around, that adds to stress. Keep your water quality top notch and you should see improvement within a couple of days.
Good luck.

 

[kevin2000]

Lympho is a viral disease and many would argue that many fish are exposed to it during their trip through the wholesale distribution system ... to my knowledge it has zip to do with water quality etc. Like most viral diseases their is no "cure". If the fish was otherwise healthy I would not keep it in QT just because of lympho.

 

[sugartooth]

I agree kevin, all those I pointed out in my post was supportive for the fish to have the best environment to fight it off. Since there is no 'cure', the best you can do is therapy.

Reducing as many stressors would help the fish fight lympho.

 

[Virginia Reef]

I have received advice from a vet school student who has just returned from a month long aquatic medicine seminar. He advised that the fish be placed back in the main system in order to have the cleanest possible environment. Most of these outbreaks are self healing.

I am concerned about my specific situation because the growth is on the tip of the jaw and may be inhibiting feeding. The copperband has not eaten anything when I have fed it for 2-3 days but continues to show interest in the food (mysis which it had previously eaten). It may be picking up something when I'm not observing it. There is LR, chaeto, and the frozen mysis on the bottom of the fuge till the hermits finish it all.

The growth has begun to shring since yesterday so I'm hopeful that my copperband will begin eating before it's too late.

 

[kevin2000]

Lympho doesn't tend to be fatal unless it gets in the gills. Suspect in an unusual situation interfering with eating would have similar negative impact ... but to be frank Copperbands are one of the hardest fish for anyone to keep and a Copperband not eating is pretty common (lympho or not).

Lets hope for the best.

 

[jpccusa]

Thanks Kevin2000 and Sugartooth... you guys confirmed what I've been suspecting (the sick fish will be better in the DT).

I will start making a slow transition from hypo to normal salinity and hope that the stress of the move, the extra salt, and the new tankmates don't make the matters worse. If they do, it is a goner since I will never be able to catch it again. :/