Possibly Lymphocyctis? Please Help.

orlandobrian · 06/04/2020, 05:12 PM

Is this Lymphocyctis? I’m confident the ones on the fins were. They are now cleared up. I’m concerned with his side. He is not eating.

https://youtu.be/eOHXtJQhodY

teddscau · 06/09/2020, 04:57 PM

No replies? I've never had fish with lymphocystis, but in my experience, fish get weird little bumps on their fins whenever they're stressed, and a single spot on their body once in a while. In my experience, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. The bumps I'm talking about are distinct from lymphocystis and ich. Like, the fish will typically have maybe two or three bumps at most that do NOT increase in size or multiply, then go away on their own after a week or so.

The most important thing for you to do is get him eating again (try feeding frozen omega enriched brine shrimp) and to maybe add some plastic plants to the quarantine tank so he doesn't feel so exposed.

orlandobrian · 06/09/2020, 05:48 PM

Thanks! He’s still not eating, but the spot on the side is gone. Now it’s just a darker color area. I’ve tried Mysis, Mysis soaked in garlic, nori, frozen brine, live brine, pe flakes, pellets, and spirulina tabs. Oh, I also tried ocean eggs from WWC. It’s exactly two weeks since he came in (LiveAquaria dot com). I’ve treated with metro every other day and one shot of stress coat for the aloe effect. I’ve added a small cleaner wrasse on Friday and some small PVC pieces for the wrasse to hide in. I think I’m going to remove the wrasse though, might be stressing him out. Ironically the wrasse eats everything including the nori. :/ this tang is still pretty fat. Maybe order live copepods?

Steveb · 06/10/2020, 07:49 AM

how are you presenting the nori?

I have found that some tangs (especially at first) prefer having the nori rubber banded to a frag plug so it is more natural.

I don't think your tang will have any interest in copepods. They are algae grazers. I would focus on that.

My PBT tang only has minimal interest in mysis/brine shrimp. It could just be that it is nervous. As was suggested - add plastic plants or some other structure (large PVC fittings) to the QT.

orlandobrian · 06/10/2020, 09:05 PM

Now he is developing small lump on the other side. It looks like a wart or zit under the skin about 1/8” round. I’m stopping metro since it’s two weeks with no results. I’ve added 1.5 tbsp of copper power because I have no idea what’s going on. I’ve also added one cap of melafix. Only other medicine I have. I really don’t know what’s happening here. The fish seems fine, just not eating and lumpy now. Oh. I tried dragons breath algae and romaine lettuce too. No interest.

orlandobrian · 06/10/2020, 09:07 PM

I’m going to add another dose of copper tomorrow night to hit 3 tbsp for 10 gallons. Opinions?

Steveb · 06/10/2020, 10:12 PM

You have any way to test the copper level?

Going to 1ppm fast is ok but you need to raise up to 1.75 over several days. Better to dose small 2x/day rather than one large single dose

Send Humblefish a PM and ask his opinion.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

teddscau · 06/11/2020, 02:11 PM

The way I got my tangs to eat nori was by folding it (so it looked kind of like a greeting card or whatever), then cutting almost all the way to the fold to create thin strands of nori, so that it ended up looking like a comb. I don't know how to describe it. Basically you want to present the nori as a bunch of thin strands. I find that having just a flat piece of nori, even if it's only an inch in size, is intimidating for fish who don't know about nori. If it's in thin little strands that can easily be singled out by the fish and easy pulled off without much effort, the fish is far more likely to eat it.

Also, see if you can buy some live sea lettuce (Ulva). You can get it at Algae Barn (USA) or at Gulf Specimen Marine Lab (international). You can also buy live red nori from them as well. Buying live copepods wouldn't hurt either.

Have you specifically tried the Hikari Omega Enriched Brine Shrimp yet? It's the only thing I can get my carnivorous nano-fish to eat (Dario dario, bumblebee gobies), and it's one of the few things my wild-caught (thought I was getting captive-bred) pyjama cardinalfish will eat. Even fish who refuse to eat get extremely excited at the smell of the Hikari Omega Enriched Brine Shrimp. They must use some sort of proprietary blend of omega acids. Oh, you can also try culturing some live baby brine shrimp to see if it triggers a feeding response.

You should also try buying LRS Fish Frenzy, and if you can find it, LRS Fish Eggs. Heck, try to find some PE Mysis Shrimp. I can tell you my tangs were total carnivores when we brought them home (they aren't fully grown yet, but they're nowhere near as small as tangs you see for sale at stores). I don't think they'd touched a single piece of nori or algae in their entire life.

Also, I'd recommend covering the other three sides of the tank with paper (preferably black), leaving only the front part uncovered. This should make him feel more secure (it works with birds at least), and prevent him from getting distracted by reflections. I know this isn't common practice, but you could also maybe try put substrate on the bottom for him (don't use live sand since it'll probably just cause an ammonia spike).

I'm on the fence about removing the wrasse, since the wrasse might end up teaching him to eat the nori, since most animals can learn by watching others.

The only other thing I can think of is playing classical music for him. It sounds stupid, but playing classical music has been shown to have a positive effect in terms of reduced stress in dogs, cats, birds, multiple fish species, etc. The reef's a noisy place, and the only time the ocean's relatively quiet is when there's predators nearby or in open ocean.

orlandobrian · 06/12/2020, 05:53 PM

I did not remove the wrasse. I agree he might teach the tang how to eat. The wrasse is all about eating anything I put in the tank. I’m not going to add anything alive (brine etc) because the copper power will just kill it. I’m at 1.0 according to my API test kit for copper power. I am slowly adding a few drops a day until I hit the 2.0 mark. I dose in the morning and at night but again just a few drops. I did see add dragons breath algae from my sump and put it in the tank. I would love to add more live algae and I may hit top shelf to see if they have any. Copper power Won’t affect live algae will it?

orlandobrian · 06/14/2020, 05:57 AM

I just read that copper is ineffective against internal parasites. I really don’t know what to do here. Should I try a freshwater bath? Should I remove the copper and try general cure? Or leave the copper and do both at the same time?

orlandobrian · 06/15/2020, 07:58 PM

Update: he’s still not eating. I went to top shelf and they told me copper was very bad for powder blue tangs. They strongly suggested removing the copper and going with general cure. They also sold me some live culpra algae at a very discounted rate to get him to eat. Eating is vital and it’s been three weeks! As soon as he eats the advice was ROE (ocean eggs) laced with both focus and metroplex. I hope this happens! I’ve noticed live aquaria discounted these large fish over 50 bucks this week!!! �� sure right after they sent me this sick one!!!!!! I’m not a fan.

Steveb · 06/15/2020, 09:43 PM

I’m not sure what you are trying to treat but I’ve never had an issue with blue hippos and copper. Usually for ick and velvet.

I use API general cure + focus in the food for internal parasites. Does it have white stringy poo?

orlandobrian · 06/16/2020, 05:31 AM

No poop that I’ve seen. Three weeks of no eating. That’s just it... I have NO idea of what I’m treating either. There’s no visible signs of anything anymore. Just spots in his fins that were lymph that’s now gone. A spot on his left side that looked like a wound that had a white spot on it (the original reason for the thread and visible in the video) also now healed. Finally a wart like bump under the skin on his right side that is only visible if the light hits him just right. He behaves normal, but I can catch him easily without a net and he won’t eat. Two signs there is something terribly wrong! I would love to put him in my display tank if it’s not contagious... but I don’t know what it is. He’s in his 10 gallon QT filled with the display tank water, some bio media, and two golf ball clumps of two different live algae. He has a small cleaner wrasse that doesn’t seem to be finding much on him. Can he possibly have Lymph on the inside blocking his stomach? Lack of food (energy) could be why I can pick him up? I’ll get my son to put another video on YouTube.

orlandobrian · 06/16/2020, 05:36 AM

In the meanwhile I’m treating with API General Cure per the box instructions.

orlandobrian · 06/16/2020, 04:38 PM

https://youtu.be/P5wnH6Z78GY

orlandobrian · 06/18/2020, 07:33 PM

Bump

orlandobrian · 06/23/2020, 08:05 AM

So I did three treatments of general cure. The fish is still not eating, but looked clean and healthy besides that. So I put him in my display tank and went to bed then work the next morning. After work yesterday I came home to this:

https://youtu.be/okbP_N1twUw

What are the zit like bumps under the skin?!??

orlandobrian · 06/23/2020, 03:33 PM

Anyone?

orlandobrian · 06/23/2020, 04:42 PM

I guess just forget it.... it’s dead

Steveb · 06/26/2020, 11:33 AM

I’m sorry for your loss and not replying. Been taking care of my mom.

I couldn’t really tell from the video.

A single large white bump could be lymphocysistis or some type other type of viral or bacterial lesion. If it’s a bunch of white bumps I would be inclined to think ick.

Really though it seems most likely it was starvation. It’s really odd that it wouldn’t ever eat.

Makes me think cyanide collection.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Splitcane · 06/27/2020, 08:57 AM

I am really sorry your fish didn't make it. If I'd seen this earlier I would have suggested a fresh water bath. I see you mentioned it but not sure if you tried it. I had an issue with a Sailfin Tang. Not quite like this but I was at a loss just the same. A fresh water bath cleared it right up so I'm assuming it was some sort of parasite. From then on, it's been my go to when nothing else works. Thanks for all of your posting...documenting everything the way you did might be beneficial to someone else in the future.

06/04/2020, 05:12 PM	#1
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	Possibly Lymphocyctis? Please Help. Is this Lymphocyctis? I’m confident the ones on the fins were. They are now cleared up. I’m concerned with his side. He is not eating. https://youtu.be/eOHXtJQhodY

06/09/2020, 04:57 PM	#2
teddscau Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Canada Posts: 214	No replies? I've never had fish with lymphocystis, but in my experience, fish get weird little bumps on their fins whenever they're stressed, and a single spot on their body once in a while. In my experience, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. The bumps I'm talking about are distinct from lymphocystis and ich. Like, the fish will typically have maybe two or three bumps at most that do NOT increase in size or multiply, then go away on their own after a week or so. The most important thing for you to do is get him eating again (try feeding frozen omega enriched brine shrimp) and to maybe add some plastic plants to the quarantine tank so he doesn't feel so exposed. __________________ Dotty the firefish, Delilah and Little Henry Ocellaris clownfish, Pixel (convict tang) and Darwin (blue tang), pyjama cardinalfish, Riku and Kenji the orchid and elongate dottybacks, and Jeremy (yello Current Tank Info: 160g reef tank with mushrooms, leathers, zoas, SPS corals, NPS corals, firefish, a school of pyjama cardinalfish, a pair of designer Ocellaris, two tangs, a striped blenny, two dottybacks, and a watchman goby

06/10/2020, 07:49 AM	#4
Steveb Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: TX Posts: 1,090	how are you presenting the nori? I have found that some tangs (especially at first) prefer having the nori rubber banded to a frag plug so it is more natural. I don't think your tang will have any interest in copepods. They are algae grazers. I would focus on that. My PBT tang only has minimal interest in mysis/brine shrimp. It could just be that it is nervous. As was suggested - add plastic plants or some other structure (large PVC fittings) to the QT. __________________ Steve My Tanks 50x30 ABS Tub & a 48x24 frag tank at the moment Steve's Reef 265 Build In Progress

06/10/2020, 10:12 PM	#7
Steveb Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: TX Posts: 1,090	You have any way to test the copper level? Going to 1ppm fast is ok but you need to raise up to 1.75 over several days. Better to dose small 2x/day rather than one large single dose Send Humblefish a PM and ask his opinion. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro __________________ Steve My Tanks 50x30 ABS Tub & a 48x24 frag tank at the moment Steve's Reef 265 Build In Progress

06/11/2020, 02:11 PM	#8
teddscau Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Canada Posts: 214	The way I got my tangs to eat nori was by folding it (so it looked kind of like a greeting card or whatever), then cutting almost all the way to the fold to create thin strands of nori, so that it ended up looking like a comb. I don't know how to describe it. Basically you want to present the nori as a bunch of thin strands. I find that having just a flat piece of nori, even if it's only an inch in size, is intimidating for fish who don't know about nori. If it's in thin little strands that can easily be singled out by the fish and easy pulled off without much effort, the fish is far more likely to eat it. Also, see if you can buy some live sea lettuce (Ulva). You can get it at Algae Barn (USA) or at Gulf Specimen Marine Lab (international). You can also buy live red nori from them as well. Buying live copepods wouldn't hurt either. Have you specifically tried the Hikari Omega Enriched Brine Shrimp yet? It's the only thing I can get my carnivorous nano-fish to eat (Dario dario, bumblebee gobies), and it's one of the few things my wild-caught (thought I was getting captive-bred) pyjama cardinalfish will eat. Even fish who refuse to eat get extremely excited at the smell of the Hikari Omega Enriched Brine Shrimp. They must use some sort of proprietary blend of omega acids. Oh, you can also try culturing some live baby brine shrimp to see if it triggers a feeding response. You should also try buying LRS Fish Frenzy, and if you can find it, LRS Fish Eggs. Heck, try to find some PE Mysis Shrimp. I can tell you my tangs were total carnivores when we brought them home (they aren't fully grown yet, but they're nowhere near as small as tangs you see for sale at stores). I don't think they'd touched a single piece of nori or algae in their entire life. Also, I'd recommend covering the other three sides of the tank with paper (preferably black), leaving only the front part uncovered. This should make him feel more secure (it works with birds at least), and prevent him from getting distracted by reflections. I know this isn't common practice, but you could also maybe try put substrate on the bottom for him (don't use live sand since it'll probably just cause an ammonia spike). I'm on the fence about removing the wrasse, since the wrasse might end up teaching him to eat the nori, since most animals can learn by watching others. The only other thing I can think of is playing classical music for him. It sounds stupid, but playing classical music has been shown to have a positive effect in terms of reduced stress in dogs, cats, birds, multiple fish species, etc. The reef's a noisy place, and the only time the ocean's relatively quiet is when there's predators nearby or in open ocean. __________________ Dotty the firefish, Delilah and Little Henry Ocellaris clownfish, Pixel (convict tang) and Darwin (blue tang), pyjama cardinalfish, Riku and Kenji the orchid and elongate dottybacks, and Jeremy (yello Current Tank Info: 160g reef tank with mushrooms, leathers, zoas, SPS corals, NPS corals, firefish, a school of pyjama cardinalfish, a pair of designer Ocellaris, two tangs, a striped blenny, two dottybacks, and a watchman goby Last edited by teddscau; 06/11/2020 at 02:24 PM.

06/09/2020, 05:48 PM	#3
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	Thanks! He’s still not eating, but the spot on the side is gone. Now it’s just a darker color area. I’ve tried Mysis, Mysis soaked in garlic, nori, frozen brine, live brine, pe flakes, pellets, and spirulina tabs. Oh, I also tried ocean eggs from WWC. It’s exactly two weeks since he came in (LiveAquaria dot com). I’ve treated with metro every other day and one shot of stress coat for the aloe effect. I’ve added a small cleaner wrasse on Friday and some small PVC pieces for the wrasse to hide in. I think I’m going to remove the wrasse though, might be stressing him out. Ironically the wrasse eats everything including the nori. :/ this tang is still pretty fat. Maybe order live copepods?

06/10/2020, 09:05 PM	#5
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	Now he is developing small lump on the other side. It looks like a wart or zit under the skin about 1/8” round. I’m stopping metro since it’s two weeks with no results. I’ve added 1.5 tbsp of copper power because I have no idea what’s going on. I’ve also added one cap of melafix. Only other medicine I have. I really don’t know what’s happening here. The fish seems fine, just not eating and lumpy now. Oh. I tried dragons breath algae and romaine lettuce too. No interest.

06/10/2020, 09:07 PM	#6
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	I’m going to add another dose of copper tomorrow night to hit 3 tbsp for 10 gallons. Opinions?

06/12/2020, 05:53 PM	#9
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	I did not remove the wrasse. I agree he might teach the tang how to eat. The wrasse is all about eating anything I put in the tank. I’m not going to add anything alive (brine etc) because the copper power will just kill it. I’m at 1.0 according to my API test kit for copper power. I am slowly adding a few drops a day until I hit the 2.0 mark. I dose in the morning and at night but again just a few drops. I did see add dragons breath algae from my sump and put it in the tank. I would love to add more live algae and I may hit top shelf to see if they have any. Copper power Won’t affect live algae will it?

06/14/2020, 05:57 AM	#10
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	I just read that copper is ineffective against internal parasites. I really don’t know what to do here. Should I try a freshwater bath? Should I remove the copper and try general cure? Or leave the copper and do both at the same time?

06/15/2020, 07:58 PM	#11
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	Update: he’s still not eating. I went to top shelf and they told me copper was very bad for powder blue tangs. They strongly suggested removing the copper and going with general cure. They also sold me some live culpra algae at a very discounted rate to get him to eat. Eating is vital and it’s been three weeks! As soon as he eats the advice was ROE (ocean eggs) laced with both focus and metroplex. I hope this happens! I’ve noticed live aquaria discounted these large fish over 50 bucks this week!!! �� sure right after they sent me this sick one!!!!!! I’m not a fan.

06/15/2020, 09:43 PM	#12
Steveb Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: TX Posts: 1,090	I’m not sure what you are trying to treat but I’ve never had an issue with blue hippos and copper. Usually for ick and velvet. I use API general cure + focus in the food for internal parasites. Does it have white stringy poo? __________________ Steve My Tanks 50x30 ABS Tub & a 48x24 frag tank at the moment Steve's Reef 265 Build In Progress

06/16/2020, 05:31 AM	#13
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	No poop that I’ve seen. Three weeks of no eating. That’s just it... I have NO idea of what I’m treating either. There’s no visible signs of anything anymore. Just spots in his fins that were lymph that’s now gone. A spot on his left side that looked like a wound that had a white spot on it (the original reason for the thread and visible in the video) also now healed. Finally a wart like bump under the skin on his right side that is only visible if the light hits him just right. He behaves normal, but I can catch him easily without a net and he won’t eat. Two signs there is something terribly wrong! I would love to put him in my display tank if it’s not contagious... but I don’t know what it is. He’s in his 10 gallon QT filled with the display tank water, some bio media, and two golf ball clumps of two different live algae. He has a small cleaner wrasse that doesn’t seem to be finding much on him. Can he possibly have Lymph on the inside blocking his stomach? Lack of food (energy) could be why I can pick him up? I’ll get my son to put another video on YouTube.

06/16/2020, 05:36 AM	#14
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	In the meanwhile I’m treating with API General Cure per the box instructions.

06/16/2020, 04:38 PM	#15
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	https://youtu.be/P5wnH6Z78GY

06/18/2020, 07:33 PM	#16
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	Bump

06/23/2020, 08:05 AM	#17
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	So I did three treatments of general cure. The fish is still not eating, but looked clean and healthy besides that. So I put him in my display tank and went to bed then work the next morning. After work yesterday I came home to this: https://youtu.be/okbP_N1twUw What are the zit like bumps under the skin?!??

06/23/2020, 03:33 PM	#18
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	Anyone?

06/23/2020, 04:42 PM	#19
orlandobrian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 398	I guess just forget it.... it’s dead

06/26/2020, 11:33 AM	#20
Steveb Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: TX Posts: 1,090	I’m sorry for your loss and not replying. Been taking care of my mom. I couldn’t really tell from the video. A single large white bump could be lymphocysistis or some type other type of viral or bacterial lesion. If it’s a bunch of white bumps I would be inclined to think ick. Really though it seems most likely it was starvation. It’s really odd that it wouldn’t ever eat. Makes me think cyanide collection. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro __________________ Steve My Tanks 50x30 ABS Tub & a 48x24 frag tank at the moment Steve's Reef 265 Build In Progress

06/27/2020, 08:57 AM	#21
Splitcane Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Ocean City, MD Posts: 30	I am really sorry your fish didn't make it. If I'd seen this earlier I would have suggested a fresh water bath. I see you mentioned it but not sure if you tried it. I had an issue with a Sailfin Tang. Not quite like this but I was at a loss just the same. A fresh water bath cleared it right up so I'm assuming it was some sort of parasite. From then on, it's been my go to when nothing else works. Thanks for all of your posting...documenting everything the way you did might be beneficial to someone else in the future.