Lymphocystis/cauliflower disease

perodogo

Member
Hello Everyone!
I have a question regarding Lymphocystis or Cauliflower Disease --- is it contagious and what is an effective treatment? I have an Asfur Angel who is currently in a QT tank (been there for 15 days) and I believe he has Lymphocystis on his pectoral fins. The fish is doing great in my 25 gal QT tank and other than this whitish stuff growing on his fins, he is okay. The Asfur did not have the disease when I took him home and I'm thinking the quality of water in my QT tank may have contributed to this. I have a fully cycled QT tank (since February) that has a Sea Storm 60 Fluidized Bed filter and a Fluval 204. I have also installed my old Sea Clone Protein Skimmer (which works great in a 25 gallon; FYI, my 120 gallon main tank now has the Aqua Medic TurboFlotor 1000, and I really like it). I have been changing 20% of the water every week ever since I got the Asfur Angel in there, but I'm still convinced that the water quality is not as good as my Main Tank. Water parameters are: Ammo = 0, Nitrite = 0, Nitrate < 20, Temp = 80 F, SG = 1.023.
I was planning on keeping him in there for 23 days (as most Sharks would recommend) and I have been treating the tank with Malachite Green as a preventative measure against parasites. If Lymphocystis is contagious, then I will keep him in QT until it clears up. Anybody have any suggestions? Would you treat for it, or just let it run its course? Thanks.
 

perodogo

Member
Trey, thanks for the reply. About Malachite Green, what was the concentration before they made it weaker? I'm pretty sure the one I'm using is imported from the States. Do you know much about its cause and effect? If it is a strong carcinogen, then I don't want to be using it. Would you still use copper on Angels? Thanks.
 

perodogo

Member
Thanks again. No, I'm not using Rid Ich. Actually, the label says "Malachite Green" and it's manufactured by Marine Enterprises International Inc. The concentration on the bottle says 0.75% (and zinc free) - whatever that means. In my experience, I think this stuff does work since I have used it successfully to treat a couple of fishes before. Another brand that's available here is "Greenex" which is Malachite Green and Quinine. Do you have any experience with this brand? This one is actually a lot cheaper than the one I'm using now.
Trey, what else can I tell you to help me confirm that what my Asfur has is Lymphocystis? I'm quite sure it's not ich. They're much bigger and appear to be in lumps, but not big enough to resemble a cauliflower, yet. They're whitish, not greyish. I've seen the same thing on a clown trigger at my LFS before, and about 30 days later, the same trigger was clean. My angel is not showing any abnormal behavior and is not bothered by it. He looks quite healthy and has a voracious appetite. The only thing I can think of is that one of his pectoral fins was not perfect when I got him (probably got damaged when caught by a net)and over several days, it was in the same spot where the whitish lumps developed. Now both fins have them. Should I try to use Maracyn? Or should I just wait it out? I really don't want to leave him in my QT longer than I need to --- he looks too cramped in my 25 gal tank. But if it's necessary, so be it. Thanks.
 
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