[ncm13579]

Hello,
I am looking for some help to diagnose some growths on my gold severum. I noticed a small growth near his eye last week. It has not gotten larger since then, but has not gone away. Now I see that there is another small one on his head. I am trying to figure out what it is so I can treat him. No other fish in the tank are exhibiting signs of these growths so it seems to be an isolated issue. I've attached a few photos of the growths.

 

[Auballagh]

That looks a lot like LYMPHOCYSTIS. Which despite the somewhat ominous sounding name, is basically a skin wart caused by a virus.

Albino Oscar with bump on chin

My albino oscar in the last week has developed a bump on his chin and I'm not sure if it's an illness or from rubbing up against the glass or bumping into things. He is behaving normally and does eat still. I have another oscar and other fish in the tank and none show signs of similiar bumps...

www.cichlid-forum.com

And, just like in us when we (as humans) get these things, there is not a whole lot you can do for them to treat or remove them. With time and some patience, those growths will eventually fade out and disappear.

 

[ncm13579]

That looks a lot like LYMPHOCYSTIS. Which despite the somewhat ominous sounding name, is basically a skin wart caused by a virus.

Albino Oscar with bump on chin

My albino oscar in the last week has developed a bump on his chin and I'm not sure if it's an illness or from rubbing up against the glass or bumping into things. He is behaving normally and does eat still. I have another oscar and other fish in the tank and none show signs of similiar bumps...

www.cichlid-forum.com

And, just like in us when we (as humans) get these things, there is not a whole lot you can do for them to treat or remove them. With time and some patience, and those growths will eventually fade out and disappear.

Thank you for the quick reply. I had someone else diagnose it as enlarged sensory pores from hexamita. Last week he was hiding in some foliage which is not like him and he seems to have no interest in food, something he usually goes crazy for. I'm wondering if it is stress related because I had a huge nitrate spike last week from a dead snail (I didn't realize it had died). I did a 50 percent water change, but the nitrates still seem to be high so I have to keep up with water changes. Do you think that this all is because of the nitrate spike? None of my other fish seem to be affected though.

 

[Auballagh]

Oh wow....
Beware the dead creature problem in an aquarium! Yikes! With a closed little box like that, there's just nowhere for those dissolved organics to go.
So yes, the lack of food interest thing, could definitely be related to that Nitrate explosion (and runaway, potentially harmful bacteria bloom as well) in your tank. I would certainly keep up those water changes until you get the Nitrates in there back down to very low levels. If you are doing the water change thing as remediation for potential problems, suspected illness, etc... then it is recommended that you push higher percentage and frequency water changes to get that measured Nitrate level down in your water as close as possible, or very close to zero.
As for the visible growth on your Severum? It's fortunate that growth doesn't look anything like the pitting and lesions associated with a HLLE/HITH outbreak.

 

[Oscar6]

I also tend to think along the harmless cyst line. Quick nitrate spike won't harm fish unless it's left unchecked. It's prolonged exposure to high nitrate that causes chronic health problems in cichlids. You did the right thing with a water change. If in doubt at all, hit it again. No such thing as too clean of water.

 

[ncm13579]

Oh wow....
Beware the dead creature problem in an aquarium! Yikes! With a closed little box like that, there's just nowhere for those dissolved organics to go.
So yes, the lack of food interest thing, could definitely be related to that Nitrate explosion (and runaway, potentially harmful bacteria bloom as well) in your tank. I would certainly keep up those water changes until you get the Nitrates in there back down to very low levels. If you are doing the water change thing as remediation for potential problems, suspected illness, etc... then it is recommended that you push higher percentage and frequency water changes to get that measured Nitrate level down in your water as close as possible, or very close to zero.
As for the visible growth on your Severum? It's fortunate that growth doesn't look anything like the pitting and lesions associated with a HLLE/HITH outbreak.

Yeah, the snail had somehow ended up underneath my air stone and died. Couldn't find him for a while and literally tore apart the tank to find him. I physically took everything out one by one until I found him, but it was too late and it had died. I'm still trying to get the nitrates under control. I am using prime to detox in the mean time and used stress guard just to help the fish out a little. I am still doing water changes, but they take forever because I have to do the 5 gallon bucket method. Hopefully the bumps will go away on their own and he'll start eating again.

 

[ncm13579]

That looks a lot like LYMPHOCYSTIS. Which despite the somewhat ominous sounding name, is basically a skin wart caused by a virus.

Albino Oscar with bump on chin

My albino oscar in the last week has developed a bump on his chin and I'm not sure if it's an illness or from rubbing up against the glass or bumping into things. He is behaving normally and does eat still. I have another oscar and other fish in the tank and none show signs of similiar bumps...

www.cichlid-forum.com

And, just like in us when we (as humans) get these things, there is not a whole lot you can do for them to treat or remove them. With time and some patience, those growths will eventually fade out and disappear.

Hello again,
Just a quick update. It looks like the bump went away on one side, but then appeared around his eyes (in the same spot) on the other side of his body. They looked white and maybe a little fuzzy yesterday, but looking a little better today. Not sure what is causing them, but he still isn't eating and I'm getting concerned. None of my other fish are affected by this (1 blue acara, 4 Bolivian rams, and 3 really, really old skirt tetras). Could it be a fungus or parasite? I am starting to wonder if it is hole in the head disease because of the location of the bumps. I treated him for a fungal growth on his eye with Imagitarium Bacterial Remedy when I first got him. It treats fungal infections too and it actually worked, but I am reading that it is not actually good for fish because of the "natural" oils it uses. Could I try something like paraguard? And would you recommend a hospital tank? I have a spare 20 gallon, but it might be a little cramped for him. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm super worried about him.