Bump on fairy wrasse head

Ev8siveaz · May 21, 2024

Hey everyone,

I recently bought a new house and a new tank. I swapped everything over about a month ago. Everything did well with the transition (except I lost my goatfish during transport).

I noticed yesterday that my orangeback fairy has a bump on his nose that looks like a pimple. I've had him for years and have never seen this before. Today he has been acting lethargic (laying on the sand, which he never does) and won't eat. The bump also has a white spot at the end now. I am curious if anyone knows what caused this and what I should do for him. I was thinking maybe stress or an injury. Any input would be appreciated.

Video for reference

cdemoss01 · May 21, 2024

Ev8siveaz said:
Hey everyone,

I recently bought a new house and a new tank. I swapped everything over about a month ago. Everything did well with the transition (except I lost my goatfish during transport).

I noticed yesterday that my orangeback fairy has a bump on his nose that looks like a pimple. I've had him for years and have never seen this before. Today he has been acting lethargic (laying on the sand, which he never does) and won't eat. The bump also has a white spot at the end now. I am curious if anyone knows what caused this and what I should do for him. I was thinking maybe stress or an injury. Any input would be appreciated.

Video for reference

@vetteguy53081

Jay Hemdal · May 21, 2024

Looks like an injury to me - something may have caused the fish to "start" and run into something. It does seem kind of "flighty". I also see some damage to its tail fin (missing a few rays). Has that been like that?

Ev8siveaz · May 21, 2024

My wrasses tend to get at each other every now and then. They have done that off and on for the past 3 years or so. It's never gotten to a point where he hasn't eaten before. Ge didn't even look at food for either feeding today.

Jay Hemdal · May 22, 2024

Ev8siveaz said:
My wrasses tend to get at each other every now and then. They have done that off and on for the past 3 years or so. It's never gotten to a point where he hasn't eaten before. Ge didn't even look at food for either feeding today.

Hmmm, that's a bad sign. Normally, if it was a minor injury, the fish would only be off feed for a day or less. If it is a major injury, the fish may not recover. Another possibility is that this isn't an injury at all, but rather some internal infection. Trouble is, there is no clear sign what type of infection that might be, so there is no way to devise a treatment.

Ev8siveaz · May 22, 2024

Jay Hemdal said:
Hmmm, that's a bad sign. Normally, if it was a minor injury, the fish would only be off feed for a day or less. If it is a major injury, the fish may not recover. Another possibility is that this isn't an injury at all, but rather some internal infection. Trouble is, there is no clear sign what type of infection that might be, so there is no way to devise a treatment.

Jay,

He is back to his normal self and eating like a pig today. The bump appears to be going down too.

Ev8siveaz · Jul 6, 2024

Well that bump healed and he was doing great until yesterday. The bump is back along with another one. I did think the culprit was my big hogfish so i donated him to my lfs about 3 weeks ago. No signs of aggression at all.Does anyone know what this could be?

Jay Hemdal · Jul 6, 2024

Ev8siveaz said:
Well that bump healed and he was doing great until yesterday. The bump is back along with another one. I did think the culprit was my big hogfish so i donated him to my lfs about 3 weeks ago. No signs of aggression at all.Does anyone know what this could be?

Hmmm, continued development of these lesions, after the possibly offending fish have been removed is odd.

There are some disease issues that mimic injuries, but the actual issue is developing inside the fish, and then the lesion "breaks" to the surface and causes a lesion that *looks* like a surface injury, but is actually coming from inside the fish. These can be fungal (Icthyophonus), viral or from microsporidians. However, treating this sort of internal issue, from an unknown cause, really isn't possible.

I can't really give you any treatment advice other than to continue to see that no new symptoms develop, and ensure it is still eating well and not showing any other symptoms (lethargy, rapid breathing, not eating).

Ev8siveaz · Jul 10, 2024

Jay Hemdal said:
Hmmm, continued development of these lesions, after the possibly offending fish have been removed is odd.

There are some disease issues that mimic injuries, but the actual issue is developing inside the fish, and then the lesion "breaks" to the surface and causes a lesion that *looks* like a surface injury, but is actually coming from inside the fish. These can be fungal (Icthyophonus), viral or from microsporidians. However, treating this sort of internal issue, from an unknown cause, really isn't possible.

I can't really give you any treatment advice other than to continue to see that no new symptoms develop, and ensure it is still eating well and not showing any other symptoms (lethargy, rapid breathing, not eating).

Well he hasn't eaten in a few days now. He is starting to go downhill. This is what he looks like. He has white bumps on his head and has a big bump on his upper side. Tail is starting to fray as well. I don't see any signs of anything on my other fish. He is a huge fairy about 6 inches or so. He was a few years old when I rescued him and I've had for close to 3 now myself. Is it just his time? Not sure what their lifespan is.

Jay Hemdal · Jul 10, 2024

Ev8siveaz said:
Well he hasn't eaten in a few days now. He is starting to go downhill. This is what he looks like. He has white bumps on his head and has a big bump on his upper side. Tail is starting to fray as well. I don't see any signs of anything on my other fish. He is a huge fairy about 6 inches or so. He was a few years old when I rescued him and I've had for close to 3 now myself. Is it just his time? Not sure what their lifespan is.

Given this timeline that the fish is 5+ years in captivity, another possibility is Mycobacterium marinum, fish tuberculosis. This is present in every aquarium, but usually only affects "old" fish. In fact, it may be the #1 cause of "old age" death in marine fish. It is a great mimic of other issues - the symptoms it causes are all over the board - some include; discoloration, not eating, pustules erupting on the fish's skin and increasing thinness. There isn't any treatment for this because while it can be controlled with certain antibiotics, as soon as you stop treatment, it just starts back up again.

Ev8siveaz · Jul 10, 2024

Jay Hemdal said:
Given this timeline that the fish is 5+ years in captivity, another possibility is Mycobacterium marinum, fish tuberculosis. This is present in every aquarium, but usually only affects "old" fish. In fact, it may be the #1 cause of "old age" death in marine fish. It is a great mimic of other issues - the symptoms it causes are all over the board - some include; discoloration, not eating, pustules erupting on the fish's skin and increasing thinness. There isn't any treatment for this because while it can be controlled with certain antibiotics, as soon as you stop treatment, it just starts back up again.

This honestly sounds like what's going on down to the pustules. That's what they look like, popped pimples. Thanks for the input Jay. I will try to make him as comfortable as I can for his remaining days.

PJ