Butterfly with lymphocystis

[HankstankXXXL750]

I just received this Raccoon Butterfly last Wednesday. Within a couple of days these growths started showing on her. I believe they are lymphocystis as I’ve encountered it before with Angels. Just wondering if there is anything I should be doing other than clean water and good diet. Thanks.

None of the other fish in the QT system seem to be affected.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I just received this Raccoon Butterfly last Wednesday. Within a couple of days these growths started showing on her. I believe they are lymphocystis as I’ve encountered it before with Angels. Just wondering if there is anything I should be doing other than clean water and good diet. Thanks.

None of the other fish in the QT system seem to be affected.

Very common with butterflies and lg angels. This is viral and a condition- not disease. Often this occurs with change from one source of water to another.
Provide Good water quality and diet and it will dislodge on its own. As many ask, it’s Not contagious.
Not sure if yet eating but LRS herbivore diet, black worms and live brine shrimp are good starter foods

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

Very common with butterflies and lg angels. This is viral and a condition- not disease. Often this occurs with change from one source of water to another.
Provide Good water quality and diet and it will dislodge on its own m. As many ask, it’s Not contagious.
Not sure if yet eating but LRS herbivore diet, black worms and live brine shrimp are good starter foods

Actually I feed hikari frozen brine, spirulina brine, and mysis. Out of mysis at the moment so substituting PE mysis. I have watched her eat tonight when I took the picture. Also have some live rock in two of the tanks that are covered in aiptasia, so wanted to see how they do. The Pearl scale has pretty much eliminated it in her tank, and I think the raccoon has started to work on her rock. It has some bigger ones so not sure what will happen there. But I think the smaller ones are disappearing.
As far as brine? Would baby brine be good. Currently hatching it for my Clownfish fry, so could add some over there as well.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Actually I feed hikari frozen brine, spirulina brine, and mysis. Out of mysis at the moment so substituting PE mysis. I have watched her eat tonight when I took the picture. Also have some live rock in two of the tanks that are covered in aiptasia, so wanted to see how they do. The Pearl scale has pretty much eliminated it in her tank, and I think the raccoon has started to work on her rock. It has some bigger ones so not sure what will happen there. But I think the smaller ones are disappearing.
As far as brine? Would baby brine be good. Currently hatching it for my Clownfish fry, so could add some over there as well.

Adult brine but they seek out small worms- May eat them

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I just received this Raccoon Butterfly last Wednesday. Within a couple of days these growths started showing on her. I believe they are lymphocystis as I’ve encountered it before with Angels. Just wondering if there is anything I should be doing other than clean water and good diet. Thanks.

None of the other fish in the QT system seem to be affected.

That does look to be lymphocystis. The old joke is: "Do XXXX and it will get better in six weeks". XXXX can be anything at all because the fish naturally recover from this on their own.

Jay

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

That does look to be lymphocystis. The old joke is: "Do XXXX and it will get better in six weeks". XXXX can be anything at all because the fish naturally recover from this on their own.

Jay

Ha just like chicken soup and the common cold.

 

[MnFish1]

Completely agree with @vetteguy53081 AND @Jay Hemdal I would suggest - that in addition to their correct comments - that you look at water quality - Lymphocystis often 'pops up' - with poor water quality from shipping. I would merely make sure your water in the tank is pristine. It will get better on its own as others have said

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

Completely agree with @vetteguy53081 AND @Jay Hemdal I would suggest - that in addition to their correct comments - that you look at water quality - Lymphocystis often 'pops up' - with poor water quality from shipping. I would merely make sure your water in the tank is pristine. It will get better on its own as others have said

I’m guessing from shipping. Nothing on her when she arrived but popped up quickly. The QT system has been running for a very long time and in anticipation of these arriving I moved out the fish in it and did a 50-75% water change. Nitrates around 20

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I’m guessing from shipping. Nothing on her when she arrived but popped up quickly. The QT system has been running for a very long time and in anticipation of these arriving I moved out the fish in it and did a 50-75% water change. Nitrates around 20

What seems to happens is that newly collected fish are tanked in wholesaler's tanks. There, they are exposed to the Lymphocystis virus from previous fish housed in those systems. That begins an infection, which manifests itself a few weeks later, usually when the fish has been purchased and taken home. It has nothing to do with water quality or diet, it is all about exposure to the virus in naïve fish. Once the virus enters the fish, it causes the skin cells to grow to gigantic size, creating the lesions we all know and love. The fish then mounts an immune response, and gradually, the virus is repelled and the lesions go away. While diet and water quality have some minimal affect on the fish's immune response, the disease goes into remission regardless of those two issues - unless they are SO poor that the Lymphocystis cannot be expelled - but that is exceedingly rare. Even the worst cases seem to resolve on their own. The worst case I've ever seen was a fish from a member here, and it recovered. Here is a pic:

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

What seems to happens is that newly collected fish are tanked in wholesaler's tanks. There, they are exposed to the Lymphocystis virus from previous fish housed in those systems. That begins an infection, which manifests itself a few weeks later, usually when the fish has been purchased and taken home. It has nothing to do with water quality or diet, it is all about exposure to the virus in naïve fish. Once the virus enters the fish, it causes the skin cells to grow to gigantic size, creating the lesions we all know and love. The fish then mounts an immune response, and gradually, the virus is repelled and the lesions go away. While diet and water quality have some minimal affect on the fish's immune response, the disease goes into remission regardless of those two issues - unless they are SO poor that the Lymphocystis cannot be expelled - but that is exceedingly rare. Even the worst cases seem to resolve on their own. The worst case I've ever seen was a fish from a member here, and it recovered. Here is a pic:

Thank you. You have previously said there is no cure just nature taking its course. Was fairly sure this is what I was encountering, but love having my R2R family confirm.
The butterfly has it at least this bad on its dorsal plus three bar looking spots on one pectoral. She is just so shy that I can’t get a great side shot.
That being said she is sure going to town on the aiptasia on the live rock in her QT tank.