Dog faced puffer with lumps HELP

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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anniewee
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Dog faced puffer with lumps HELP

Post by anniewee »

2.22 (2).jpg
Hi, we have a dog faced puffer with what can only be described as lumps. These lumps have now begun to open with poor Sushi now not wanting to eat.
Water parameter's are: ammonia 0, PH 8, nitrite 0.03ppm with a salinity of 1.024/5.

He is currently in a 90l hospital tank being treat with copper (thinking the lumps were ick) after reading many web sites and consultation with the aquarium shop. His only tank mate is a dotty back who we have put in the hospital tank with him. We are maintaining a copper level of 0.5g/l. Carrying out a 10 - 20% water every other day and adding seed every day to keep the bacteria levels up in the filter.
2.22 (2).jpg
1.11 (2).jpg
These two pictures are how the lumps developed, quite quickly really.
3 (4).jpg
This picture shows the "lumps" opening near his dorsal fin.

Does anybody know if it is ick? If not what is it?

Many, many thanks in advance

Dave n Anne
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Dog faced puffer with lumps HELP

Post by Pufferpunk »

Not ich (or Crypt in marine species). Looks like cysts. Not a common problem. Be sure to keep his water clean. You might want to add Melafix to prevent the open sores from getting infected. Do NOT use copper, it's quite deadly to puffers.

Only other suggestion is possibly nematodes. Do the bumps move around at all?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
anniewee
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Re: Dog faced puffer with lumps HELP

Post by anniewee »

Hi, thanks for the reply and advice. Are getting rid of copper as we were iffy about using it anyway. There is nothing moving in the lumps at all, they just look like a boil/pimple with this white stringy substance leaking out. He now looks as though he can't open his mouth properly! Would chloramphenicol antibiotic do any good, do you think?
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Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32764
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: Dog faced puffer with lumps HELP

Post by Pufferpunk »

As I mentioned, this is pretty rare. I have PMed our Medtors here, to see if they have any advice on this. Your best bet is if Kelly/Pufferqueen responds.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
anniewee
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Re: Dog faced puffer with lumps HELP

Post by anniewee »

Once again, thanks for the help. Fingers crossed someone can help!
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Re: Dog faced puffer with lumps HELP

Post by nmonks »

Almost certainly viral... looks like lymphocystis or similar to me. No cure, but not normally fatal either. As PP suggests, fish biologists suspect an environmental linkage between lymphocystis and something in the water... typically heavy metals. Review, and act accordingly. Optimising water quality can help (check copper level for example, and ensure usage of water conditioner that neutralises copper). Reviewing diet is probably worthwhile too (thiaminase-content for example: avoid prawns and mussels, focus on cockles and white fish fillet such as pollack or tilapia). Use of marine aquarium vitamins definitely worthwhile. Lymphocystis usually takes months, even years to clear up, but it usually does eventually.

Would recommend sending these photos (resized to less than 1 MB though!) to Bob Fenner, a mutual friend of Jeni's and mine. He's good at identifying these problems. Can be contacted through WetWebMedia.

Cheers, Neale
anniewee
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Re: Dog faced puffer with lumps HELP

Post by anniewee »

Thank you so much for the help. Will try and contact Bob Fenner and act on your suggestions re water, diet etc...
I'll do anything I can to help the little fella, he's such a character
anniewee
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Re: Dog faced puffer with lumps HELP

Post by anniewee »

Thought I'd update you on Sushi...
So far so good. Got rid of all medication, frequent water changes and he's back to his old self, eating like a horse!!
He's still got the lumps and bumps but they're not weeping like they were and also it looks as if some have disappeared. Fingers crossed he carries on like this and continues to improve.
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Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32764
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: Dog faced puffer with lumps HELP

Post by Pufferpunk »

Wonderful!
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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