fluffy and white- not ick

[RockinSmall]

I picked up two pyramid butterflies several days ago. One had a large white lump on its fin, and has since gotten worse. His mouth is also a little nawrled up from shipping and you can see its two front teeth. The parasite or fungus has spread to the other fins and well as some white lumps around its mouth. It does not seem to be ick, as there are no small spots or flecks on its body, besides its mouth. Kinda looks like herpies. Anyhow, what is this white growth and what can i do?

The fish is eating extremely well and is not acting sickly at all.

 

[DustinB]

From what I've read, in most cases everyone just left it alone. It seemed to go away.

 

[RockinSmall]

Nobody has any other thoughts?

 

[DustinB]

Search around on google, there's tons of threads on this from many sites. The general consensus is to keep the fish fed and let it disappear on it's own.

 

[RBU1]

Its probably lymphnosis (sp?). Do a search. Will go away on its own.

 

[Beandawg]

Lymphocystis is viral. There is no treatment. It is typically not terminal, just unsightly. Once the virus has run its course the fish will be fine. This can take a few months. I have manually removed the white growths and applied diluted iodine to the area. The worst infection I've seen has been on a blueface angel. Within the past month it has finally cleared up. The areas that took the longest were the main body of the fish (between scales). Do a search for help with I.D.

 

[pugmommie]

But if it is a bacterial/fungal I had success with E.M. Erythromycin, when my clowns had it.
They also had ick at the same time! So I did hypo on them first and then started them on the E.M. when I started to raise the salinity.

 

[RockinSmall]

Update, it appears to be going away!

 

[SlateXIV]

Great to hear it is going away. My pair of clowns had Lymphocystis a couple weeks after I first got them. All I did was make sure they were well fed and did a lot of small water changes to keep the water as clean as I could. The main concern I was warned about is that sometime when the growths are expelled from the fish it can leave a wound. So make sure to keep a close eye for any secondary fungal infections that may take place on those areas. Good luck and keep up the good work!