Naso tang bumps on head

[bonesreef]

Hello, I've had this fish for a few weeks now. She is in a fish only system which is currently being treated with Cupermine @ .4
She loves to eat and all food is soaked in selcon.

Any help on ID and treatment would be appreciated.

 

[melypr1985]

Can i ask a few questions? Are there any other symptoms to go along with this? Heavy breathing, lethargy lack of appetite, white stringy poo or anything else you can think of that just seems a bit weird or odd? How long has this been going on? When did it start and how quickly did it progress to this state?

 

[bonesreef]

there are no other symptoms :-/
Breathing has been fine and zero stringy poop. This fish was added on January 26th...however this has progressed over the past 3-4days.

My current thought is Possibly this is a bad reaction to the copper which is causing HLLE and this is the beginning stage..?

 

[melypr1985]

My current thought is Possibly this is a bad reaction to the copper which is causing HLLE and this is the beginning stage..?

Could be, though it's a weird way to show up. Could also be a weird way for lympho to show up. Then there's a bacterial infection rounding out the options. Of those three the infection is the only one that we can actively treat for. That's what I would do. You can safely combine antibiotics with coppper so I would start with kanaplex or furan2.... maybe both if you have them both. Vitamins in the food.... something like Selcon or Vitachem as examples and keep the water pristine clean.

 

[Humblefish]

My current thought is Possibly this is a bad reaction to the copper which is causing HLLE and this is the beginning stage..?

Very possible. How much longer does the fish have in copper? Also, are you testing to ensure the Cu level remains therapeutic?

 

[4FordFamily]

I've never seen lymph or HLLE manifest this way, so I am stumped!

 

[bonesreef]

Melypr1985: I will treat Kanaplex and use focus to bind to to food for her.

Humble: She will be in copper for a few more weeks. Copper levels are very constant, the large water volume she's in helps.

The only other thing I can think of is a possible stray current...however I have a grounding probe on the tank and no other fish are showing signs.

Thanks!

 

[bonesreef]

I took another look at her...and you can see right above her lips it looks kind of dusty/film like...any possibility this could be Brook?

 

[Humblefish]

I took another look at her...and you can see right above her lips it looks kind of dusty/film like...any possibility this could be Brook?

Possible, but I think unlikely. I've seen tangs develop bumps like this before, following copper exposure. But I don't know if its an allergic reaction of some sort, or a secondary infection (copper is an immunosuppressant), or something else.

 

[bonesreef]

Thanks again! will post any updates so we all can learn what and why this happened to her.

 

[4FordFamily]

Thanks again! will post any updates so we all can learn what and why this happened to her.

Yes, please do. Hope she does wel!

 

[bonesreef]

I wanted to provide a follow up on the status of the female naso.
It got worse before better.....the wounds on her opened up exposing a mess(considered euthanizing but she was acting normal) , and then my blue spine unicorn started to show a similar pimple like growth. This is when I decided it could be a reaction to the cupermine as suggested by Humblefish. Backing off a full .5 dose I'm now around .2... but not sure if this low of level will provide any benefit?

She is still alive and still loves to eat(one of the largest appetites of any tang I own). I have been spiking her nori sheets(green & purple) and feeding them to her/all my fish twice a day. Each day I take Metroplex & Kanaplex...generously sprinkle it around each sheet...then add a hefty amount of selcon(I tried focus, but did not do well with this type of application). After ensuring all meds and selcon are evenly distributed across each sheet I fold it in half and let them air dry until crispy. I've considered adding furan-2 to this process...can it be ingested like the seachem meds? I also have sulfaplex...should I add this to the food as well?

I know she looks terrible from the pictures, but it is truly getting better. As for the bluespine...the pimple has not ruptured or grown in over a week.
Is there anything else I should be doing to assist them?

 

[Humblefish]

First question: How long did they get the 0.5 dosage, before you lowered it to 0.2 ppm?

 

[bonesreef]

around 14 days.

 

[Humblefish]

around 14 days.

That should have been long enough to eradicate velvet, but probably not ich. If that was the underlying problem.

 

[bonesreef]

I agree that it was not long enough to knock out ick. would that low of level provide at least some defense? If I see any signs of ick I can always up the dosage again..

What about the naso...any suggestions on nursing back to health and promote tissue regrowth?

Also..can I add furan-2 directly to the food like I do with kanaplex & metro?

 

[Humblefish]

I agree that it was not long enough to knock out ick. would that low of level provide at least some defense? If I see any signs of ick I can always up the dosage again..

No, copper doesn't provide any direct benefit to the fish. Quite the opposite actually. It is a poison the fish must withstand being in so the free swimming stage of whatever parasite the fish has can be eradicated. So, you either want full therapeutic copper to get the job done or none at all.

What about the naso...any suggestions on nursing back to health and promote tissue regrowth?

I think removing the fish from copper will help immensely. Because a) Copper is an immunosuppressant if this is an infection b) The presence of low dose copper may be irritating the fish's skin.

Also..can I add furan-2 directly to the food like I do with kanaplex & metro?

Yes