Clown fish growth

[ArmyReefer]

Okay, so will clean the tank today and get better pictures. It appears the fish is covered but it’s just dirty glass.

This clown has been in QT at full therapeutic levels (2.54) copper power for 15 days. Around 4 days ago I noticed a little growth under his chin. Thought maybe lymph, but now it’s bigger and brown.

The clown is not acting normal staying on its own in the top corner, but eating immediately when food hits the water.

He is being QT with a few other fish including another clown no other fish has any signs of anything, and have not seen any aggression at all.

full disclaimer, with the holidays I have not been doing regular water changes and the water quality is bad.

Going to do a big water change today.

any idea what the growth is?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Okay, so will clean the tank today and get better pictures. It appears the fish is covered but it’s just dirty glass.

This clown has been in QT at full therapeutic levels (2.54) copper power for 15 days. Around 4 days ago I noticed a little growth under his chin. Thought maybe lymph, but now it’s bigger and brown.

The clown is not acting normal staying on its own in the top corner, but eating immediately when food hits the water.

He is being QT with a few other fish including another clown no other fish has any signs of anything, and have not seen any aggression at all.

full disclaimer, with the holidays I have not been doing regular water changes and the water quality is bad.

Going to do a big water change today.

any idea what the growth is?

When I see a brownish, protruding growth, my thought goes to a rare external fungus. This could be that issue. It could also be a tumor, they grow in a fibrous fashion in some cases. Nothing can be done if it is tumor though.

For the fungal issue, the treatment that has worked for me is a formalin dip. The trouble is, getting formalin now days is very difficult....I'm not sure if you would have it available to you. The basic treatment is 100 ppm formalin, with good aeration for 45 minutes, once a day for 3 to 5 days.

One possible option (and I've not done this myself) is Paragard as a dip. Seachem says you can do this:
ParaGuard™ can also be used as a medicated dip. For 1 hour dips, use 3 mL per 4 L (1 US gallon) in a container separate from your main tank.


Jay

 

[ArmyReefer]

Thank you for the suggestion, if it’s fungal can it spread to other fish?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thank you for the suggestion, if it’s fungal can it spread to other fish?

I’ve not seen that happen, but I can’t say for certain. This fungus gains entry into the fish through a preexisting injury, so it won’t show up on the skin of uninjured fish.
Fungal diseases are really common in freshwater fish, but rare in marine fish.
Jay