Cancer promoting germs

Earl Karl · Feb 24, 2018

This isn't really an emergency, nor disease treatment needed. So, unfortunately my beloved snowflake eel died from nose cancer, this was confirmed by an autopsy when my good vet friend found multiple tumors in his nostrils. He was also pretty young, over 7 years old (compared to my 21 year old and still alive). Because of this, my friend thinks that there are germs in my tank that could be promoting cancer. He suggested my tank to fallow for 3 months. However, I still have other fish in there such as wrasses and a trigger. The wrasses are IMPOSSIBLE to catch, especially with too many rocks for the eel. Fish traps are way too small for them, they are about a foot long per fish. I am left with the option of using a U.V. sterilizer. How long would I have to let it run before it is I add another eel in?

Instigate · Feb 24, 2018

I'm skeptical about his guess that there is some unknown "germ" that causes cancer and that going fallow would do anything or that anything even needs to be done..

How do you know the tumors had anything to do with the death and have there been any other deaths that had tumors?

Cnidoblast · Feb 24, 2018

Could it have been lymphocystivirus infection?

Earl Karl · Feb 25, 2018

I don't know if there are germs or bacteria or whatever in my tank that promotes cancer. Although there are germs that promote cancer in mammals, so I'm guessing there's one for fish. Here's a pic of the eel when his snout started to swell. It's a bad picture, but hope you can tell.

The swelling wasn't as prominent as this was the first time I noticed it. I thought it was physical trauma, but his snout isn't discolored. And even if it was, he wouldn't have died in a few days later. The only way he could have died from physical trauma was if he starve due to not being able to sense food. But eels can live months without food, he died in a few days. And he was eating, until he acted all sluggish and even shrunk on his last day. I couldn't put him in QT, he died way too fast for me to figure out what it was and cancer was the last thing I expected. So it had to be cancer that killed him. My friend suspected that there was something in my tank promoting cancer due to the fact there were many tumors formed in his nostrils and were malignant. But then again, it might just be one unlucky eel. Who knows, but I am not taking a risk. I can't afford luck in this hobby. The tank is going to have to go through treatment whether I have nothing or something in the tank. Plus, I have a U.V. sterilizer around, so I guess it's time for the U.V. to shine. It's sad that there are times where things are just out of your reach.
Well, the tumors were in his nostril tubes, so I don't think it's a lymphocystis virus.
Now back to my question, how long do I have to run my U.V. until I can safely add another eel in (or anything else if I choose to)?