Growth on Longhorn Cowfish

[Adriahna Hartmann]

Hey! I am a student in the Marine Science program at Central Campus in Des Moines, IA. In one of our aquariums, we have a Longhorn Cowfish (Lactoria cornuta). Over the past few days, a classmate and I have observed a rapid growth underneath the cowfish's mouth. The growth looks to be some type of bacterial or fungal infection (images below, before left, current right). I have been monitoring the respiration rates as well, and over the past few days, there has been an increase of almost 90 breaths per minute (graph below). We have also noted many coloration changes over the past seven months. Any ideas on what this could be or treatments to try? Thanks!

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Adriahna Hartmann Welcome to the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Forum!

The #fishmedic team and other knowledgeable members of our community will do our best to help you resolve your questions. Please provide as much of the following as you are able:

• Brief description of the issue you are observing and answers to the following questions:
  • How long have you had the fish with the condition?
  • Did you quarantine with medication when you first acquired the fish? (If Yes, which medication?)
• Current water quality measurements
• Clear photos of the issue taken using WHITE light and/or a short video of any behaviors (post in your response or on YouTube).

If you can help us by providing as much of the above info as possible, it will make diagnosing and providing recommendations for treatment MUCH easier! The Fish Medic team will get back to you as quickly as possible. In the meantime, other members of our community may also share their experience with similar situations and advice that they may have regarding your situation.

You may also feel free to provide a more detailed description of the condition if you wish to share more info than the above list.

Additionally, these links may be useful while you await a response:

• CURRENT QT PROTOCOL LINK
• HOW TO ASK FOR DISEASE DIAGNOSIS HELP LINK

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey! I am a student in the Marine Science program at Central Campus in Des Moines, IA. In one of our aquariums, we have a Longhorn Cowfish (Lactoria cornuta). Over the past few days, a classmate and I have observed a rapid growth underneath the cowfish's mouth. The growth looks to be some type of bacterial or fungal infection (images below, before left, current right). I have been monitoring the respiration rates as well, and over the past few days, there has been an increase of almost 90 breaths per minute (graph below). We have also noted many coloration changes over the past seven months. Any ideas on what this could be or treatments to try? Thanks!

This appears bacterial and is a fish that is not the easiest, in fact challenging to keep thriving long term. They rarely eat and if they do, in time shut down.