Clown has red bump on gill plate. Beth... Sep?? ** Pics

K

kat74

Guest
I have a pair of ORA n-a-k-e-d ocellaris that I got on Monday. Both have been doing fine; no problems eating, breathing or swimming, look very healthy. Very active and curious.
This afternoon, I noticed a red bump on the gill plate of my larger one. It doesn't seem to bother her at all. No problems with her breathing. She's acting normal, eating well, swimming fine. No indication of anything wrong with her except for this red bump. The bump is under the skin surface. I don't know what could have happened to her for her to get this. She swims very fast and is all over the place curious about things, so I tried my best with the pics.
Tank is a 29 gallon Biocube, established since January '07 from a 14 gallon Biocube.
Weekly 5 gallon water changes; RO/DI top-offs
T- 79.8
Ammonia: 0
PH: 8.2
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5-10ppm
Calcium: 400
Phosphates: 0
SG: 1.025
The red bump is only on one side:


As you can see from these pics, she's very curious and is into everything


This morning I fed them some ORAglo pellets which they love, and some of the pieces were a little too big for their mouth. They would suck in the pellet, spit it out, suck it back in and spit it back out, sucking on it until it got small enough for them to swallow. Is it possible that one of the pellets caused some irritation there to cause this bump?

Other than this bump, she seems perfectly happy and healthy.
Any suggestions? Your help is greatly appreciated!~
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
It looks like an injury to me. She may have scraped it on a rock or been harassed by the other fish. It should heal by itself. Keep a close eye on it. If you see it getting worse then you may have to treat the fish in a quarantine tank.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Yes, it could actually be aggression. Maybe even the other clown. Keep an eye out without your fish noticing it to see if you notice any aggression.
 
K

kat74

Guest
Thanks, Beth and Sep for the comments. I'll keep an eye out to see if I notice any aggression from the others. The bump doesn't appear to be any bigger this morning, but she seems to be breathing a little heavy and not swimming around as much as she normally does.
Could it be anything else but an injury? It's just a pinkish/red bump that is under the skin by the gills. I wish that I could take a picture that could show it exactly the way it looks. Hmmm....
I'm keeping an eye on her....
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
It looks like a bit of broken flesh in the picture, which is consistent with aggression.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
I am sorry Kat, I know you just got these fish. What else critter wise is in the tank with the clown? Did you just notice this, could it have been there when you got them?
 
K

kat74

Guest
It's in the tank with another n-a-k-e-d clown, a bicolor blenny and an aurora goby. I haven't seen anyone messing with it. It's still staying around the same place, breathing a little heavier and it did not eat when I fed the tank. I'm a little worried about the lil fella!
 
K

kat74

Guest
BTW... I know that in the pic it looks like it's an abrasion or a bit of broken flesh, but it's actually not. The bottom part of the gill is actually swollen. One side only. This is the only area affected. Fins and body look perfect. No other discoloration. She's basically just swimming in one spot, breathing a little heavy and didn't seem interested in food at all and didn't even try to go after any of it.
 
K

kat74

Guest
No, unfortunately, I don't have a QT tank. My 29 gallon is in my office in a healthcare facility, so there really isn't any "extra" room around here for me to have a separate tank.
She's acting a bit more "normal" now. She's chasing after pellets, so she has an appetite and is eating and she's swimming around more. Maybe she was staying in that one spot next to the brain because she's trying to host it? I say that because anytime the other clown got near it, she would charge at it. I'll still keep an eye on her and update as needed. Thanks for your help.
 
K

kat74

Guest
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/2483950
How is the fish today?
Today, she is much better! She still has that swollen gill, though it looks a little better today. She's swimming all over the place, back to being very active and she ate some reef carnivore pellets this morning, so I think she will be okay.

Thanks for asking!~
 
K

kat74

Guest
The clown is looking better everyday! So it probably *was* an injury because the redness is fading. She's totally back to normal, very active and eating. Thanks everyone for your help!
Today:
 
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