Help please. (lump)

[Don cheech]

So this Lump on his head, developed several weeks ago and has gotten larger and has gotten a white color to it recently. He is hiding at the top back corner behind the heater most of the time and sometimes he will try to scratch himself as if he has an itch on rock or driftwood if it is Lymphocystis I am told there is no treatment and it will eventually go away but what if it’s not what else could it be and what should I use to treat it?

 

[MacZ]

if it is Lymphocystis I am told there is no treatment and it will eventually go away

Lymphocystis is indeed untreatable as it is a viral infection. If it is that, the growth will at one point fall off and leave an open wound behind. That's how that stuff spreads. So isolation would be a good idea. Keeping the water clean, soft and acidic will give good chance of healing without meds. But keep an external disinfectant (methylene blue or better malachite green, look at the med list in the health subforum) at hand. Offspring usually also get it, so if you have bred with this fish, I'd cull any offspring left in your care.

But honestly, it looks more like a cyst. Which can also not be treated. If it is, it will break open and the fish will have an open wound just as with Lymphocystis. Treatment would also be symptome-focused. Isolation, clean water, maybe disinfectants. All you can do.

 

[Don cheech]

Lymphocystis is indeed untreatable as it is a viral infection. If it is that, the growth will at one point fall off and leave an open wound behind. That's how that stuff spreads. So isolation would be a good idea. Keeping the water clean, soft and acidic will give good chance of healing without meds. But keep an external disinfectant (methylene blue or better malachite green, look at the med list in the health subforum) at hand. Offspring usually also get it, so if you have bred with this fish, I'd cull any offspring left in your care.

But honestly, it looks more like a cyst. Which can also not be treated. If it is, it will break open and the fish will have an open wound just as with Lymphocystis. Treatment would also be symptome-focused. Isolation, clean water, maybe disinfectants. All you can do.

Thank you

 

[MacZ]

My pleasure!