Yellow Watchman Goby - White bumps on his side

[Simsung]

Hello,

Well, I've just learned the importance of quarantine.
Can you please help me identify the bumps on my watchman goby?

It does not look like ich or fluke, the bumps are under the skin

Thank you!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Did the bumps appear suddenly? I see 3 on one side, and 4 down near the tail. Are there bumps on the other side as well? How long have you had the fish? Is it still feeding o.k.? To me, it looks a little thin. Is it breathing rapidly?

You're correct, it isn't likely to be ich or external flukes. Internal metazoans (worms) *usually* have secondary hosts, and so they are unlikely to reproduce in great numbers in an aquarium. However, the bumps could also be nodules from a virus, fungus or bacteria. Of those three, only bacteria have any real treatment possibility...and that isn't easy - usually medicated food or injections. A typical quarantine regimen wouldn't have cured the fish of this, but it would have possible kept it away from your other fish as it developed.

Jay

 

[Simsung]

Did the bumps appear suddenly? I see 3 on one side, and 4 down near the tail. Are there bumps on the other side as well? How long have you had the fish? Is it still feeding o.k.? To me, it looks a little thin. Is it breathing rapidly?

You're correct, it isn't likely to be ich or external flukes. Internal metazoans (worms) *usually* have secondary hosts, and so they are unlikely to reproduce in great numbers in an aquarium. However, the bumps could also be nodules from a virus, fungus or bacteria. Of those three, only bacteria have any real treatment possibility...and that isn't easy - usually medicated food or injections. A typical quarantine regimen wouldn't have cured the fish of this, but it would have possible kept it away from your other fish as it developed.

Jay

I've brought him today from the LFS. I had not seen the bumps there, but it could be the lighting - In certain conditions, the bumps are not visible. Could they show up suddenly? (stress from transport)
He's now hiding in a burrow with a pistol shrimp, hopefully, he comes out tomorrow so I can see his other side.
I have not fed the tank yet so I'm unsure. His breath is normal.

#Edit
I have just dropped some flakes, as soon as he smelled them he was eating. Cautiously but he ate. I did not see his other side yet, though

His breathing is fine

 

[Jay Hemdal]

O.K., my guess is that it had the bumps before you bought it. It's a very good sign that it took up residence with the shrimp, and is eating! Just feed it well and see how things develop. You might want to offer it mysids or some other meaty food in addition to the flakes.

Jay

 

[Simsung]

This morning the goby was out and about. He was chasing his reflection in the glass and gave a chase to the purple firefish.
He ate some flakes and mostly ignored the frozen food.

There are spots on his other side, 3 next to his tail.

 

[Simsung]

I only saw him briefly today and saw that it's gotten worse.
Now there is 10+ of those spots on his side

 

[Sharkbait19]

Could be a fungal infection but it sounds like ich. It will stop eating in roughly a week and things will go downhill. Quarantine and medicate everything pronto.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Sounds more like ich with the appearance of new bumps.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The bumps in the first image are NOT ich. Do these new bumps look the same? Can you get us a fresh picture? There is an internal fungal disease, used to go by the name Ichthyophonus, I'm not sure what the new name is - this could be that, but it isn't curable.

Jay

 

[Simsung]

Hello,

Today I managed to see him outside his usual hanging spot. He's getting more comfortable in the tank.
I don't believe it got any worse. His behaviour is fine - he's eating, also his breathing is fine.

The spots are difficult to see on the photos and are really hard to catch - they can only be seen when the light hit's him just right.

The darker spots under certain light conditions look like bumps:

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Personally, I think it looks better! If not, then at least its behavior has improved, right?

I looked it up, apparently the name for the disease I was thinking of is still Ichthyophonus hoferi. What has changed is that it is no longer considered a fungus (grin). However, I had forgotten one important symptom in addition to these skin nodules - spinal curvature that your fish does not have....so that isn't it.

Jay

 

[Simsung]

Goby is still alive and doing well! No other fish got ill

 

[jjmccloud2011]

I just got mine and made the same mistake and was very dumb considering I added a pair of expensive frostbite clowns smh. (See avatar for clowns)

 

[jjmccloud2011]

Additionaly i didn't see till next day and swear they wasn't there bit who knows, kinda look under the skin type of bump like above pics then when the light hits a certain way looks white maybe even fuzzy like but when he turns again just bumps no clue what it is and now in paranoid, the weirdest part is most of them seem to be where his blus spots are so just looking u can't see anything but up close it seems like his blue spots are bumpy or have a white spot sticking out idk I've never seen it before but overall hes acting fine and swimming around tank and stuff. What a rookie move smh

 

[Simsung]

My Goby is still alive and no other fish got ill.
He still has got those bumps. Now that I think of it maybe those are scars?

My LFS said all gobies they got from that supplier had these odd bumps but no fish died

 

[jjmccloud2011]

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On mine now its almost like his blue spots look like there's fuzz on top or something but only of u look up close

 

[jjmccloud2011]

Both pics taken together

 

[jjmccloud2011]

See how when I get closer the blue spots now look like this or am I just crazy lol both pics taken back to back just tried to zoom in a tiny bit to pick them up