What is Growing on my Foxface?

[mikedb]

Since I purchased my foxface a month or so ago, it has had a few funny spots that seem to be increasing in number. There are two symptoms:

1. yellow spots on his side that look almost like enlarged scales. There were two when I received him, and now there are three
2. Brown and yellow dots on the left pectoral fin, which appear to be increasing in number.

He is fat, eating well, and shy-but-active. None of my other fish have any symptoms. He was purchased ‘pre-quarantined’ from Marine Collectors, but I realize this is only a 14-day process so not a full quarantine.

Should I be concerned? He is difficult to photograph... here is the best I could do.

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Bump

 

[mikedb]

I’m not sure if it helps, but here is another picture. Note the growth on one of his spines:

 

[Bryson.bobby]

#reefsquad, any ideas?

 

[Billldg]

@HotRocks
@4FordFamily
@Humblefish

 

[Flippers4pups]

Looks like flukes.

Fish Diseases 101

Fish Diseases 101 The purpose of this article is to provide a quick reference for identifying both “Common Diseases” and “Not So Common Diseases” afflicting saltwater fish. It is by no means a comprehensive list, but should cover the vast majority of fish diseases encountered by the average...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[azank]

I would try a freshwater dip and see if they fall off.

Freshwater Dip

Freshwater Dip What It Treats – Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases: 1) Marine Velvet Disease (Amyloodinium ocellatum) 2) Brooklynella hostilis 3) Uronema marinum 4) Flukes (Monogeneans) 5) Black Ich (Turbellarians) Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes (see video...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[4FordFamily]

I would try a freshwater dip and see if they fall off.

Freshwater Dip

Freshwater Dip What It Treats – Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases: 1) Marine Velvet Disease (Amyloodinium ocellatum) 2) Brooklynella hostilis 3) Uronema marinum 4) Flukes (Monogeneans) 5) Black Ich (Turbellarians) Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes (see video...

www.reef2reef.com

This. Use a dark bucket, and look for “sesame seeds” at the bottom when done.

 

[Humblefish]

It could just be Lympho which sometimes presents differently on a rabbitfish due to a serum in their mucous coat: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lymphocystis.257461/

However, I've also scraped a gram-positive infection off some rabbitfish that looks somewhat like that. 10 days in Erythromycin usually clears it up.

 

[mikedb]

Hi everyone, thank you so much for trying to help.

Unfortunately, my Foxface is still very shy, and flees into the rock work as soon as a net touches the water.

I also havethe AccliMate fish trap, but so far my fish would rather starve than eat food out of there! I’m going to keep working on it.

FWIW, I contacted Elliott at Marine Collectors, and he also suspects lyphho.

I will keep this thread updated! Thanks again.

 

[mikedb]

An update:

About two weeks after I posted this thread, I came home and noticed that all of the 'spots' on the foxface's pectoral fin had suddenly disappeared, and that the fin was somewhat shredded. I also noticed that my Melanurus wrasse was paying particular attention to that fin. I don't have any evidence, but I do wonder if the Melanurus wrasse ate them off the Foxface? Sure seems unlikely, but I can't imagine anything else...

Several weeks later, and the Foxface's pectoral fin has now fully grown back, and the fish appears perfectly healthy. Even the spots on his side have disappeared.

Thanks for everyone's help!