sirdarksol

I'm not positive. Could be some kind of parasite (there's a parasite in the local lakes that does something kind of similar, but the bumps are black), could be some kind of tumor, or it could be a fungal or even bacterial or viral infection.

My thoughts (and others may have given some of this advice already... I haven't completely read the thread):
Keep the water as clean as possible. Lower nitrates means the fish can devote more energy toward staying healthy.
Give the highest quality of food you can. From what I've seen, that fish is typically herbivorous. Omega One makes high quality food, and you can supplement with fresh veggies.
Garlic juice or GarlicGuard provides nutrition, as does VitaChem.
If it is affecting the fish's ability to move/eat/breathe/whatever, you may want to consider trying PimaFix or MelaFix, as well.

vamedic11

This little guy is going to drive me CRAZY :P

I wish I could post more pics, but I left my camera at work.

The spots have remarkably decreased in size but still fairly prominent. HOWEVER, his left eye is markedly swollen. It is distended roughly 2 - 3 mm greater than the right eye. I would think popeye, but there is notable swelling around the eye as well pretty much the same area the spots were in. The eye is still working in coordination with the other, the iris coloring and pupil size and coloring are identical, there is no cloudiness indicative of a bacterial infection (although I am not ready to rule out a bacterial infectinos just yet).

No fin rot. No holes similar to pix I have seen in HITH (but I'm not willing to rule that out yet, either). No scale loss, no coloration changes. No behavior changes (since the spots were noted). Not scratching angainst any rocks.

Water quality consistent. pH=7.2 | ammonia=0 | GH=120 | kh=120 | nitrite=0 | nitrate=10| temp has been increased to 84F for two days now.

Heavy sigh...I am going to keep researching and watching and hoping for the best!

joy1125

looks like it could be the beginning of lymphocystis. It usually appears as white cauliflower bumps. It's viral, and found in both nmarine and freshwater fish. There's no treatment or cure, and sometimes the bumps will eventually go away on their own. While it my look ugly , it's not life threatening. Does the fish seem okay otherwise? Eating? Pooping normal? active?


You can read up on it in the below links,
http://fishprofiles.com/profiles/dis...cystis/100004/
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/dise...mphocystis.php
http://www.petmd.com/fish/conditions...i_Lymphocystis

Here's a site with pictures. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/lymphfaqs.htm

aquarist48

Keeping my fingers crossed that Joy has found the answer! It sure sounds like a good possibility and it's great to see that it isn't life threatening and will go away on it's own. Good research Joy!
What do you think VaMedic?
Ken

vamedic11

The right side is back to normal, but the left side... It is gone from the several small areas/dots to this one massive area. I swear it looks like he got "sucker punched" on the left side of his face. You swelling is blatently obvious, and look at the left eye compared to the right

The pink hue you see is the aquarium lighting, his color is actually quite good. Besides having not had any appetite, his behavior remains unchanged.

Water quality has remained very steady. pH=7.2 | gH=120 | kH=120 | ammonia=0 | nitrite=0 | nitrate=10

I have increased the tank temp to 82 degrees and am doing daily 25% water changes and twice weekly gravel washing.

His tankmate, a catfish, is not showing any of these signs/symptoms.

Maybe Joy does have it. I can live (and so can he) with a non-lifethreatening disease. Got some more reading to do.

Thanks again all!

Attached Images

	017.jpg (41.9 KB, 46 views)
	018.jpg (46.8 KB, 46 views)

aquarist48

Hello Vamedic. Glad to hear that the right side is back to normal. Such a beautiful fish. Amazing the difference in size of his eyes. More good wishes coming your way! Hopefully the other side will return to normal "soon" too. I'll be watching for updates.
Ken

katetnies

i would say that it is most definately hole in the head. i dont have my fish medical book on me but you should be able to find a cure online

sirdarksol

It appears to me to be precisely the opposite of hole in the head disease (Head and Lateral Line Erosion, or HLLE, which is easier to write, so that's what I'm going to refer to it as for now).
HLLE starts with small holes around the head, not pimple-like cysts. The body seems to eat away at itself. This is actually a swelling of the area with a number of cysts or other growths.
Hopefully it's not HLLE, because there is no known cure for it (the cause isn't even known). There's plenty of ideas for prevention and treatment, many of them common-sense things that should be done for all of our fish, but no actual cures.

katetnies

HLLE is another name for hole in the head. which the fish deffinately has. it has a popeye and more importantly, the lesions located on the fish head.
below is a cite with some good info.
http://www.peteducation.com/article....+1791&aid=2586

Shawnie

I also do NOT think its HITH ..doesnt look anything like it....those 2 lesions on his head between his eyes are normal for the fish...oscars have the same thing...HITH doesnt start by the side of their eyes/cheeks and cause popeye but popeye could be caused with the same reasons as HITH ...which is feeding live sick feeders, bad water quality and all around bad diet..none of which the op has ....

Oscar_Scotland_Cruise_105[1].jpg<-- HITH Disease
DSC03739.JPG<--NORMAL type of lesion on large cichlids


I am glad hes doing a bit better....it look a ton better...prestine water like you are doing should help clear up his popeye unless it has something to do with the cyst ..goodluck!

sirdarksol

That's what I said.

Here's where I (and at least one other member) disagree. You say that this is "definitely" HLLE.
I'm seeing areas of inflamation, like pimples or boils. Hole in the Head, on the other hand, presents as... well... holes in the head, much more like what Shawnie posted.

vamedic11

Well, after much deliberation, and the fact that it looked as if he was getting worse, I decided to treat for a bacterial infeaction.

After running the course of treatment, I have noticed no improvement and the disease seems to be prgressing.

I am going to put the charcoal back in there and clean out the water (and bacterial medication) and then after a couple weeks of clean water I think I will start treating for a fungal infection.

If you look at the picture, you can see the "fuzz" just below and behind the eye, the eye itself is looking more cloudy, and the are just behind the lip.

Wish me luck!

Attached Images

PA100050.JPG (131.3 KB, 25 views)

vamedic11

P.S.

If anyone has any recommendations on anti-fungal medications, I'm all ears. I am starting to research the various products now.

sirdarksol

I'm sorry he hasn't gotten better yet.
I have heard Jungle Labs' product suggested around here before.
Also, PimaFix and MelaFix have seen immense amounts of success around here (and tend to be less harsh than most meds)
Also, I don't know if these have been suggested here yet, but GarlicGuard (or the juice from a jar of minced garlic) and VitaChem are excellent products that help a fish's immune system keep up. A varied, high-quality diet can also help with this.

JasperII

This is probably late news, but I was reading "The Super Simple Guide to Common Fish Diseases" by Lance Jepson, on pg. 157 he shows a picture of a dicus w/HITH(his lettering)that looks just like the califlower look of the first pic. I don't know much about this disease but I hope your fish will be OK.