New Butterfly white on mouth - Infection? Treatment?

[NancyT3]

Hi - I just acquired these two beautiful pyramid butterflies last week on Thursday. One has a white spot on his mouth. Both are eating well. No other spots on their bodies. Pictures from yesterday and today. and a video for better resolution, if helpful. Would you wait or treat? scrape? fungus? Lymphocytitis(sp?) or bacterial? It is on the larger of the two butterflies.

 

[NancyT3]

Here is the video (trying to upload...)

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Here is the video (trying to upload...)

Banged up mouths are SUPER common with this species. As long as it doesn't get infected and the fish isn't startled (causing it to crash into things again) and as long as the fish is eating well, I wouldn't try treating it. Capture and treatment in a small tank will just increase the risk of additional damage.

On a side note - I almost always see these arrive carrying Neobenedenia flukes. Symptoms of these are cloudy eyes, tattered looking skin and scratching. These symptoms usually develop a few weeks after you acquire the fish. Multiple doses of prazipro are reef safe, but not always effective. Hyposalinity works great, but of course, is not safe for invertebrates.

Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

I cannot access video on my device but will be able to shortly but seeing pics, likely damaged from netting or shipping bag

 

[NancyT3]

Banged up mouths are SUPER common with this species. As long as it doesn't get infected and the fish isn't startled (causing it to crash into things again) and as long as the fish is eating well, I wouldn't try treating it. Capture and treatment in a small tank will just increase the risk of additional damage.

On a side note - I almost always see these arrive carrying Neobenedenia flukes. Symptoms of these are cloudy eyes, tattered looking skin and scratching. These symptoms usually develop a few weeks after you acquire the fish. Multiple doses of prazipro are reef safe, but not always effective. Hyposalinity works great, but of course, is not safe for invertebrates.

Jay

Thank you. Very helpful.

 

[NancyT3]

Hi everyone - quick update. My butterfly developed a couple white spots on pectoral fins so I moved him to QT tank. I am treating with Kanaplex now in the tank vs food and Paraguard. Here is a pic and video. Can you help please identify the disease and your advice on treatment? No other fish in my DT have any similar symptoms. Up until today the Butterfly was eating well. Now he appears to be trying but his mouth may be preventing him from eating well.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi everyone - quick update. My butterfly developed a couple white spots on pectoral fins so I moved him to QT tank. I am treating with Kanaplex now in the tank vs food and Paraguard. Here is a pic and video. Can you help please identify the disease and your advice on treatment? No other fish in my DT have any similar symptoms. Up until today the Butterfly was eating well. Now he appears to be trying but his mouth may be preventing him from eating well.

Oh - moving the fish to a QT was a mistake; as I said, that increases the risk to the fish’s snout being further injured, but it also does nothing to protect your other fish because they’ve been already fully exposed to anything that the butterflyfish may have.

The spots on the fish’s fins look a bit too large and diffuse to be ich, but watch them - if they change location and change in numbers every few days, it could be ich.

If you see cloudy eyes on any fish in your display or on the butterflyfish, you may need to treat both tanks with prazipro for flukes.

You could start a coppersafe treatment on the butterflyfish, in case it does have a protozoan disease, but then you’ll still have the issue of your display fish.

 

[NancyT3]

Uh oh. Thanks Jay. I used a fish trap to move him so no netting, so hopefully he didn’t get more damage…. But I should have checked with you first. I just felt he needed antibiotics and possibly Ich treatment. All other tank mates are good. The white spots do look raised so maybe lymphocystitis?

Will Prazipro hurt my anemones, urchin, snails or crabs?

Which meds do you recommend for the mouth infection? In food or just in the tank?

Should I continue Paraguard or stop?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Uh oh. Thanks Jay. I used a fish trap to move him so no netting, so hopefully he didn’t get more damage…. But I should have checked with you first. I just felt he needed antibiotics and possibly Ich treatment. All other tank mates are good. The white spots do look raised so maybe lymphocystitis?

Will Prazipro hurt my anemones, urchin, snails or crabs?

Which meds do you recommend for the mouth infection? In food or just in the tank?

Should I continue Paraguard or stop?

Those spots aren’t lymphocystis, but can just be various bumps and such that are often seen in new fish.

Prazipro is reef safe - you just need to supply good aeration. You keep any skimmer running, but don’t collect the skimnate during the treatment. Dose it once, then repeat 8 days later.

 

[NancyT3]

Well - play taps now. My sick butterfly was doing so much better and then today acted like the reaper was calling. So I treated him with kanaplex and immediately his eyes clouded up. so I called it. He has joined the fishies in expensive fishy heaven. Drat! What caused the eyes to cloud do you think? The QT tank water parameters are 0 ammon, 0 nitrite and 0 nitrate. ph 8, Salinity 1.021. Good gracious. I had hope for this one.