ID white lump on tail fun along with fin recession.

Riotjj21 · Aug 9, 2021

Ok. So have this orchid dottyback. Has this large white bump on tail and a few dorsal fins worn. Been over a month. They are not spreading on the fish or to my other fish. STILL eating a lot. Eats everything I put in there. I selcon the food before I throw it in. No way can I get him out of the tank. Fin Rot? Bacterial? Fungal? Couldn't find a reef safe treatment.

Riotjj21 · Aug 9, 2021

One other observation. He did a lot of sand rearrangement with his mouth for about five days before this began.

Jay Hemdal · Aug 9, 2021

No other dottybacks in the tank, right? No fish that could have injured it?

I'd say this could be an internal fungal infection we used to call Ichthyophonus. I think it has a "new" name now. I don't know of any cure for that, sorry.

Jay

Riotjj21 · Aug 9, 2021

Jay Hemdal said:
No other dottybacks in the tank, right? No fish that could have injured it?

I'd say this could be an internal fungal infection we used to call Ichthyophonus. I think it has a "new" name now. I don't know of any cure for that, sorry.

Jay

No other dottybacks. No one nipping at him, unless a cuc, bristle worms? His strange behavior is digging in the sand with his mouth. Like a goby.

Jay Hemdal · Aug 9, 2021

Riotjj21 said:
No other dottybacks. No one nipping at him, unless a cuc, bristle worms? His strange behavior is digging in the sand with his mouth. Like a goby.

I’m just not seeing how digging with its mouth would cause a tail lesion. I have seen dottybacks that bit bristleworms and ended up with spines stuck in their mouths…but that is different.
Jay

Riotjj21 · Aug 9, 2021

Jay Hemdal said:
I’m just not seeing how digging with its mouth would cause a tail lesion. I have seen dottybacks that bit bristleworms and ended up with spines stuck in their mouths…but that is different.
Jay

I was thinking systemic infection, ingest microbe, circulate through blood, present on skin surface.