White Growth on Queen Angel's Mouth

[Seno2k]

I'm having trouble identifying an odd white growth that's been gradually growing in size over the last couple weeks on the tip of my Queen Angel's mouth.

From my research, the closest I've been able to find is Lymphocystis. However, none of the photos I've been seeing of cases of Lymphocystis online look exactly like what what I'm seeing on my Angel's mouth. From what I've read, it sounds like "Lymphocystis" is often a catch all term, so perhaps it's just a matter of my having not come across the right photos yet.

I've also read some cases where people have described these kinds of symptoms as being associated with Ich. However, these haven't really been what I'd view as reliable sources. What's more, the growth on my Angel just doesn't seem to consistent with what I've read about Ich in the past.

I was curious if any of the more seasoned reefers might have come across this in any of their fish? Am I looking at Lymphocystis here? Or is it something else?

Video: https://youtu.be/pfXCnzlP-pw

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

That isn’t classic Lymphocystis “look” but there is some variation on how it grows on different tissues. Could the fish have damaged its mouth some how? I see this a lot in angels recently caught in a net for example.
If it is Lymphocystis, having it on its mouth can keep it from feeding normally, is the angel still feeding well?
Jay

 

[Seno2k]

Yea, so far no change in appetite. Still eating okay.

If it’s trauma, it would have had to have come from something in my tank. I’ve had the angel for a couple months now and this only started in the last couple weeks.

Could this sort of thing have come from one of the rocks in my tank? Seems like a weird place to get injured by a rock. But I guess anything is possible. Do you find that certain rock configurations can lead to increased amounts of trauma?

 

[Seno2k]

Just a quick update. It looks like the growth is getting longer. Instead of growing outward, though, it's tucked into the angel's mouth. Every once in a while, I see the angel "spit" it out, almost as if it thinks it has a piece of food stuck in its mouth and is trying to get it out. But each time, the growth gets sucked back into its mouth. Currently, the angel is still acting normally otherwise. It still goes for food at feeding time. Though, I can't tell whether it's able to get any food in its mouth to swallow it or not.

Given that Lymphocystis is contagious, it seems like I should quarantine the angel. This would also allow me to monitor whether its able to eat or not. Also, since the growth is obstructing its mouth, I'm wondering if I should try to remove at least part of it so as to ensure it's able to eat. The white growth doesn't seem to be live tissue. So my novice thinking is that removing a little bit should be okay without risking infection. Does that seem sound?