What is wrong with my CBB's gill?!?

[fishguy242]

hi,glad to hear some hope here...
i am still thinking cyst/tumor, popped and drained,
the blood will follow "mucus" hopefully seal back up quick .
may come back,maybe not.
hopefully like an abcess tooth on a human.
following, and best wishes...

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do isopods 'pop'??

cymothoid isopods live off the mucus within the fish’s mouth. The mouth parts and legs of all these isopods are well adapted for clinging to the host. Assuming this was what I suspected it could be.
A freshwater dip generally causes them to dislodge.
Can they explode, never heard of that but if they overfeed, it seems possible as they are similar to a pillbug

 

[Vested]

cymothoid isopods live off the mucus within the fish’s mouth. The mouth parts and legs of all these isopods are well adapted for clinging to the host. Assuming this was what I suspected it could be.
A freshwater dip generally causes them to dislodge.
Can they explode, never heard of that but if they overfeed, it seems possible as they are similar to a pillbug

So if it popped is that a good thing? Are they able to reproduce or is the fish in the clear if it can heal up and the isopod is dead? (Assuming it is/was an isopod)

 

[Biff0rz]

cymothoid isopods live off the mucus within the fish’s mouth. The mouth parts and legs of all these isopods are well adapted for clinging to the host. Assuming this was what I suspected it could be.
A freshwater dip generally causes them to dislodge.
Can they explode, never heard of that but if they overfeed, it seems possible as they are similar to a pillbug

Yea he was in a fw dip for 5m and nothing came off. I don't know what a pillbug is but I literally heard a loud pop when this happened.

 

[vetteguy53081]

So if it popped is that a good thing? Are they able to reproduce or is the fish in the clear if it can heal up and the isopod is dead? (Assuming it is/was an isopod)

if it was an isopod and it popped, that would be good. There is tissue of some sort hanging. Would love to see/hear it dislodged as im sure its contributing to a faster breathing rate

 

[Chrisv.]

hi,glad to hear some hope here...
i am still thinking cyst/tumor, popped and drained,
the blood will follow "mucus" hopefully seal back up quick .
may come back,maybe not.
hopefully like an abcess tooth on a human.
following, and best wishes...

I'm with you on this one. The idea that an isopod would eat too much and pop... Well that doesn't make much sense to me. I'm no isopod expert though. Maybe someone here is.

 

[fishguy242]

I'm with you on this one. The idea that an isopod would eat too much and pop... Well that doesn't make much sense to me. I'm no isopod expert though. Maybe someone here is.

i am not either, just hoping for a good ending here...

 

[Chrisv.]

i am not either, just hoping for a good ending here...

100%. I wonder if there is something that should be done to treat the ruptured growth/abscess. Maybe removal and treatment with a broad spectrum antibiotic. What do you think @Jay Hemdal

 

[Vested]

True! I would keep a look out for infection, i think I read something about seachem stress guard on humble fish being a good anti-septic for open wounds.

 

[Biff0rz]

Yes any guidance would be welcome at this point - I have a hospital tank ready to go, just need a treatment plan.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Yes any guidance would be welcome at this point - I have a hospital tank ready to go, just need a treatment plan.

I'm thinking back to any time I've ever actually HEARD an animal outside an aquarium - all I can think of is snapping/mantis shrimp and then when one fish bites something. Hearing an isopod pop just isn't in my realm of possibility. I think the trigger bit at it.

With large isopods, you can always see the body segment. I haven't seen that in any pictures, so that's why I haven't gone down that route. Isopods are also a lot rarer than gill tumors are in my experience....and always on freshly caught fish. The only butterflyfish I've seen with them was in the Bahamas, and it was the external species.


Jay

 

[Biff0rz]

I'm thinking back to any time I've ever actually HEARD an animal outside an aquarium - all I can think of is snapping/mantis shrimp and then when one fish bites something. Hearing an isopod pop just isn't in my realm of possibility. I think the trigger bit at it.

With large isopods, you can always see the body segment. I haven't seen that in any pictures, so that's why I haven't gone down that route. Isopods are also a lot rarer than gill tumors are in my experience....and always on freshly caught fish. The only butterflyfish I've seen with them was in the Bahamas, and it was the external species.


Jay

I just don't know why the trigger would bite at it (thanks Mr trigger?). The trigger is a blue jaw and 1/3 the size of the cbb. They get along, the trigger tends to just eat food lol. I've heard mantis shrimp and the grunting of angels. I've also heard my trigger make a biting noise when going after nori on the clip. The sound was a little different but I was certainly shocked by the sound.. I wish I was recording it.

 

[Biff0rz]

Also, there's that red fleshy wound regardless of how it happened - should I treat the fish in any way? I checked on him today and he's alive and picking at rocks, breathing has slowed but it's still elevated.

 

[Chrisv.]

I just don't know why the trigger would bite at it (thanks Mr trigger?). The trigger is a blue jaw and 1/3 the size of the cbb. They get along, the trigger tends to just eat food lol. I've heard mantis shrimp and the grunting of angels. I've also heard my trigger make a biting noise when going after nori on the clip. The sound was a little different but I was certainly shocked by the sound.. I wish I was recording it.

Oh I 100% think a trigger would chow down on any small shrimpy (ok, perhaps isopod in this case IF it's an isopod).

Still wondering if this is a cyst/tumor that ruptured, and if so, if any prophylactic abx should be used.

 

[Chrisv.]

On the bright side, if it was an isopod and the trigger chowed down on it, your problem may be solved.

 

[MnFish1]

IMHO - its too bad there are not fish veterinarians out there. Based on pictures, etc - I thought it might be - but probably not be an isopod. for various reasons. In this case if an isopod was 'full' - it would not explode - but rather disconnect, wait , and go to another host when needed. So the question - I didn't see in the video - the burst - it could have been a tumor/abscess that burst on its own. I might watch though for other fish having issues.

 

[bruno3047]

I’m of the opinion that the trigger spotted the bulging thing, isopod or abscess, and attacked it as though it were a foreign body (food) in the tank, and his bite down popped it. I’m also of the opinion that the wound will heal itself provided it doesn’t get infected. That should be your primary concern. But what do I know.

 

[bruno3047]

My recommendation to use tapwater with your freshwater bath would have worked in both instances. It would’ve worked against the abscess, if the abscess was an infection, and it would’ve worked against the isopod. The chlorine content of the tapwater would’ve been much more deadly against the isopod and/or infection than against the fish. But what do I know. Btw. If it was an infected abscess that popped, you already have a problem there with infection. Act accordingly.

 

[Biff0rz]

So far, so good. Swelling seems to have gone down a bit and his breathing has become more regulated. I snapped a couple of pics. He also no longer had the redness around his fins.

 

[Unitylover]

Don't ask about this gif.