Hi,

I'm looking after my mate's tank whilst he is on holiday, and have discovered that one of his guppies looks unwell.

I'm unfamiliar with this symptom so would appreciate if anyone could ID the problem and recommend action to be taken.

You will see in the pictures below, the guppy has what appears to be a lump in the caudal fin. Could this be some kind of parasite, flukes, etc etc......?

He has had several unexplained deaths in the past couple of months, and i think this may be the cause.

I have also linked to a couple of videos in case they can help in the ID.

Sorry about the quality, i had to make do with my mobile phone. Ggggrrrrrrrrr.......

Any help is very much appreciated. Thanks.

BTT





Video 1

Video 2

Size of tank in gallons or litres.
How many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.

What colour is the lump.
Lumps on fins can be lymhocsystis with is viral.
Does the lump look like a cauliflower or cluster of berries.
Does the lump look hard or soft filled with fluids.
Info taken from this link.
http://www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm

Lymphocystis



Symptoms:

Fish infected with Lymphocystis will present with clusters of whitish, berry-like growths on the skin and fins. These "clusters" may resemble small clutches of eggs or cauliflower (hence, it is sometimes called Cauliflower Disease). They will be clearly visible and may even become extremely large. This disease often affects the fins first.



Cause:

Viral infection. The virus will eventually kill the fish if it is unable to mount a strong enough immune response as the virus rampages through the fish’s tissues, destroying its cells.



Treatment:

As with all viral infections, there is no suitable cure or efficacious treatment; however Quick Cure claims to be helpful. I have also heard of people who trim the fish's fins, followed by several baths in Malachite Green. Fortunately, this disease is uncommon and in some cases, infected fish are able to recover quickly without treatment.

Lymphocystis is highly infectious. When infected cells from the fish’s skin or fins burst the virus is spread throughout the aquarium and can remain contagious for periods of up to two months. Fish not showing symptoms should be removed from the aquarium and placed in quarantine, away from other fish, for at least 60 days. Note, remove uninfected fish, not the other way around because the aquarium has become contaminated. The infected aquarium should be emptied and thoroughly disinfected before returning any fish to it. Do not use soap to clean the aquarium.

This post has been edited by Wilder: Jun 29 2008, 07:10 AM

Thanks Wilder,

It doesn't look like Cauliflower Disease. It's more like a blister on the fin, but it's the same colour as the fin.

I can't give you water stats i'm afraid because i'm not there to test. It's my mate's tank.

Any other ideas?

BTT

All you can do is issolate the sick fish and try a bacterial med.

Thanks again. What do you recommend? Myxazin?

No.
Anti internal bacteria med by interpet.
Good luck.

Thanks for all your help. I'll let you know how i get on.

Lumps that suddenly appear are usually bacterial.
All you can do is try a bacterial med, if no improvement it could be a tumour.