Posted 04 September 2009 - 03:50 PM
Hmmmm....sorry to see this reverend.
You need to address this very quickly. If it were my fish, I would euthanize it humanely.
The cauliflower growth on the tail appears to be classic lymphocystis to me. There is no cure, as it is a virus. The one on the body definitely is an open ulcer. The way lymphocystis works is that the fish acts normal, eats well, etc. Lympho doesn't kill a fish normally, but it does leave it open to secondary infections (such as that ulcer) where other parasites and bacteria enter.
Lympho is highly contagious and can spread to other fish. This fish pictured looks to be in overall bad health to me and I would euthanize it. You don't want this going further into other fish. One way to euthanize humanely is to put some strong, pure alcohol in a container (I don't mean rubbing alcohol, but rather spirits--any clear, strong alcohol like gin, vodka or tequila). The alcohol enters the gills and basically knocks out the fish and they just go to sleep after a few seconds. You don't need to fill the container, just tilt it so that the fishes head/gills are totally covered. Not a pleasant task, but I think its necessary in the case of this fish.
After you've done this deed, you need to address what is happening in your pond. Please provide us with your water parameters: ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, etc. When a fish looks like this, it typically means poor water quality. How often do you do water changes and how much do you change, etc.?
After euthanizing the fish (or moving it to a hospital tank if you want to to try to heal it); you need to immediately do a very large water change. I would do at least a 60% change or even 70% if you can swing it. Do you have muck or debris that you see on your pond floor? If so, you need to scoop/vacuum that out asap as its a breeding ground for mega parasites/bacteria.
If you choose to try to heal the fish, you should still totally isolate it. I would not try to treat it in the pond. I would dab the wounds with iodine (which you can buy in your local drug store). I have had a lot of luck with a product called QuICK Cure (which you can buy at any local pet shop) and use it for one week (instead of the recommended 3 days). There are pretty clear instructions on the packaging on how to use it for whatever sized container you keep the fish in. After a week, I would salt the hospital tank and put the right amount of salt in whatever sized container you keep the fish in. I would also salt your pond to protect your other fish and help them build a heavy slime coat.
The cauliflower on the tail, as I said, appears to by lymphocystitis. You can't cure lympho. It will always be the fish. Even if you can manage to make the lump go away or reduce it in size (sometimes it just falls off), the fish will always have lympho. Think of it as the equivalent of HIV/AIDS in a human. Even if the person isn't showing the systems of the virus, they are always carriers of it. And just like a human can infect other people though contact--this fish will also do the same. In fact, your entire herd of fish is now a carrier of lympho--whether they show the same cauliflower symptoms or not. If they breed, the fry will also be infected. You must take care never EVER to give any of these fish or any plants to any other person as you will be passing the virus onto them.
The only way to rid your pond of lympho is to euthanize the entire herd, dump all your filter media and clean everything with a bleach solution and start the pond up all over again.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news reverend. But it's gonna take more than prayers to save your fish. As I said, I would do the humane thing and euthanize it. But perhaps, you're wanting to try something more. I just can't imagine this poor fish isn't suffering at this stage.
Create Account
Sign In
Forums
Members
Gallery
0
