Lymphocystis / lymphocytes - Is it contagious?

[csmfish]

I finally got a fish to live through QT and guess what!?

Lymphocystis @#$@%$

I thought it was some basic fungus and plopped it in with the blenny and goby I still have left from 12 fish ( or is that actually 65 - total tally? ), anyhow, after some reading, it is a virus. Really? Now isnt that sweet!? I know tangs can get all kinds of crap very easy, but, I want a small PB will be in the main display for a year or two and the DT is still virgin, thank god. So, whats the deal with the goby and blenny thats been sharing a home in the 20l community tank for the past week with the angel? They have Lymphocystis now too? stuck the gobie and Blenny in the 55l, grrrrrrrr, but thats kinda okay cause thats where the angel was supposed to go, BUT, I did want to have a few other odd fish in there. Now I dont know how safe any of them would be??? :headwally:

[csmfish]

Never mind, found out its contagious.

Man, this hobbie is just B#@L $h/* !

[keving]

viruses are unpredictable; in a balanced tank, they can completely disappear or go dormant, while other times they spread. You can manually remove the lympho from the fins pretty easily (if you can catch the fish); lympho is rarely fatal, but very unsightly

[csmfish]

I tried scraping it off with a q-tip but that didnt take it off. I am sure I could get it off if I scraped him with a flat edge or something but anything more than a q-tip I would think is not viable, if I cant get it with a q-tip.

Do we know anything about its life cycle?

[csmfish]

No one? That not good. I need to get the angel out of my 20L and drain it so I can dry it, but, does that kill the stuff drying it out or does it leave behind spores that can regenerate?

Someone need to do research on this virus so we can eradicate it! :(

[Sitarangi]

Its is very contagious IME. I have had alot of success surgically removing it with a sterilized scalper or razorblade. Isolate the fish in antibiotics to prevent a secondary infection and they'll be fine in a couple weeks

[csmfish]

Thanks for the info, but, unfortionatly if I tried that on him he would be sushi as he has it ALL over his body now. I want to take him out of the 20l and put him in a 10g for the time being, dry the 20l out and put my tang in there I just got, but, I wonder if drying the tank out is good enough to kill the virus?

Im scared, lol. :worried: