Please help confirm lymph on our clown. (Pic included)

[motlot77]

I believed this was lymphocystis on our Ocellaris Clown but I want to be absolutely sure before it gets worse. We've had him for about 2 weeks and the first spot on his top fin started a day or two after bringing him home from the LFS. All the white spots you see have texture, meaning that they're not just flat spots. Our biggest concern is that it's now spread to his mouth -- he looks like he can't close his mouth and sometimes he won't eat. Also, with everything we've been reading, we're concerned about any secondary infections that might go unnoticed because of the lymph. What does everyone think this is?

Water paramaters:
ammonia - 0
ph - 8.2
nitrate - 5
nitrite - 0
80 degrees
1.025

The tank critters:
1 Ocellaris Clown
2 cleaner shrimp
1 peppermint shrimp
4 nassarius snails
4 astreas snails
5 ceriths snails
1 Blue Stripe (?) Mushroom
1 Torch Coral
1 Xenia

20 gallon tall
2 x 65w pc
38lbs of live rock
aqua c remora hang on skimmer
fluval for flow and carbon

[bchristie]

Looks like a textbook case of lymphocystis lesions. Secondary infections are not usually an issue with these lesions, given good water quality and time they usually recede without complications...though if another infection takes hold (such as Cryptocaryon), it will look completely different, and should be obvious. You will want to watch the lesion on the mouth very carefully, if it severely impedes feeding it could be a problem.

[TerryB]

Looks like a classic case of lymphocystis to me. It is also obvious that the clown is emaciated from too little food and/or a poor diet. There isn't a direct treatment for this viral condition, but most fish recover with great water quality, low stress, a widely varied diet, and vitamins added to the food. I suggest Zoe by Kent Marine for vitamins and Selcon for needed fatty acids.

What are you feeding the fish and how often?

TerryB

[motlot77]

We feed him 2-3 times a day. Spectrum Thera pellets and OSI Marine flakes in the AM. Frozen meaty food with the zoecon and freshly minced garlic in the PM. He pretty much only likes the pellets and ignores the rest. I'm really worried about him.

[TerryB]

I would not feed the fish garlic on a regular basis. Try frozen pacifica plankton, mysis shrimp, blood or black worms, frozen spirulina, cyclopeze, Formula-Two.Less flake and freeze-dried(they do work well for soaking up Selcon). Soak the food in Selcon.

TerryB

[motlot77]

Forgive me but what's the difference between Zoe and Zoecon and Selcon?