help! mandarin in trouble (after 18months in tank)

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

i have a mandarin in trouble.

i keep 2 mandarin in a small system and i have for 19 and 18 months. both eat frozen foods, (mysis,cyclopeeze,ocean plankton)

but have a ready supply of live cope/iso/amphipods as well as live mysis,rotifers and baby brine 24-7

100+ lbs of lr for a feeding ground.

 

i noticed today my mandarin (small female-18months in tank) has a large lump on her face. i cant see a visible wound. no hole from a parasite, just a large lump (i think this happened quickly-last 2-3 days)

i've attached pic's

 

 

 

 

it hasn't slowed her down, i dont think its causing too much pain, she's very active and still eating. upon occation she'll bump it against the glass/lr and she doesn't seem to dart/jump. no scratching or flashing. seems her happy go lucky self. i havent added anything new tot he tank in months. the other fish are problem free. (fire fish, perc's)

help!

now i have a mandarin with a hole in its head (was that way when i purchase him 19months back-never healed, never slowed him down)

and a mandarin with a lump.

 

edit* this morning the lump has a small white dot dead center

[andykee]

edit* this morning the lump has a small white dot dead center

pimple? could be the onset of mandarin puberty!

 

sorry i don't have a real answer for you...

[FishFreak77]

formery icyuodd/icyoud2- First I would just like to say that I look up to you as a nano-reefer because you have proven everyone wrong about keeping mandarins in nanos. Also you care so much about your mandarins.

 

To answer your question it is probably a parasite or infection of some kind. Did your female have any noticeable scratches on it a little while ago? If so it might be infection. If it is a parasite on the other hand, you could give your mandarin a very quick FW dip to kill the parasite. DO NOT use copper based medicines on mandarins because they do not have scales like other fish.

 

Get Well Soon MAndarins!

[jenn_jeffery]

I was browsing WWM the other day, and saw this exact same thing....go check over there and see what you can find. I'll go start digging as well. Good luck with her!

 

www.wetwebmedia.com

 

 

**edit**

 

that was fast, here ya go.

 

Mandarin Malady - Goiter? Iodine Deficiency? - 09/09/2005

I've asked this question on a couple boards and I was told to ask you guys.

<Please capitalize and punctuate in the future.... it will save us time in revising prior to posting on the site.>

My mandarin has this bubble thing under his mouth, about the size of a BB.

<Excellent images, a picture really is worth a thousand words.>

He's still eating normal. No sign of stress. He's had it about a month now. Any ideas?

<A few, yes. This looks to me like a condition brought about from a deficiency in iodine, called a "goiter". It can happen in people, too. Anthony suggests that high nitrate levels can contribute, as high nitrate can inhibit a fish's ability to use iodine even if there is enough present in its environment. So, step one, test those nitrates. You'll want them as low as humanly possible.... as close to zero as you can be; preferably 5ppm or less. Next, on to treating the condition.... with the delicate nature of how Mandarins feed, this should probably be done in your main tank, with caution of course to try to find out how it will affect your other animals. Untergasser recommends a stock solution of 0.5g iodine and 5g potassium iodide dissolved in 100 ml.s water (be sure to use distilled water). Add one ml.s of this solution to every 13 gallons of water. Add to compensate for water changes, and keep at it until you see improvement. If you can, you might want to pick up a copy of Untergasser's "Handbook of Fish Diseases".... Inexpensive, informative.... Very useful, indeed - and easy to read/understand, too. Wishing your mandarin a swift recovery, -Sabrina (and Bob, and Anthony, and Eric - thanks for your input, guys!)>

 

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/manddisfaqs.htm

 

There is a picture on their site, just under that post....

[evoracer]

Nice find! And good luck on curing this!

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

hey guys, first off i have to apoligise.

i posted on 3 forums previous to nano reef, thinking i'd get a speedier, informative reply.

 

i was wrong, sorry i ever doubted you guys.

thanks for the kind words fish freak, but i gotta tell ya, i feel real bad this problem was caused by my hand.

 

jenn jeffery, thanks for the help!

i dont think my nitrates are high, but i did a 25% water change anyway. figure worst case i'll increase iodine levels. (trace elements in the salt)

 

anyway, i'm off to the lfs to get the thinks i need. i'm hopeful i can fix this blunder.

anybody know if i can indroce iodine through food (safely) to give the fish a quick boost?

 

thanks so much for the help guys.

[Caesar777]

I'd do it as mentioned; iodine builds up in fatty tissues and can easily reach toxic levels, so too much all at once could be harful.

 

I'd get an iodine test kit, too (go with Salifert), but again, builup in animals' tissues and in the rocks means that portion won't show up in the test. But it's good to have to measure free iodine (and "iodate"...?).

 

Good luck!

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

you rock ceasar thanks, i appreciate it

 

and thanks again guys.

[jenn_jeffery]

Glad I could help. It was really just dumb luck that I had read that the other day, just browsing on WWM, and reading some on Mandarins...

 

Good luck with your girl--and keep us updated!

[Fanof49ASU]

Glad I could help. It was really just dumb luck that I had read that the other day, just browsing on WWM, and reading some on Mandarins...

 

Good luck with your girl--and keep us updated!

 

Great find JennJeff.

I had no idea fish could get goiters.

[DementedLullaby]

Please keep us updated...For all the mandarin owners and mandarin owners to be =).

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

im not sure if its goiter or a parasite.

 

i havent added iodine, but have increased the amount of water changes. (2 a week) after reading alot of articals, i wasnt sure i wanted to start adding iodine, so i went for new salt option instead (hoping it would help replenish the iodine levels in the water.

the day after i posted this thread, the growth ruptured. i didnt see a parasite, however now the mandarin has a hugh hole in her face (i'll get some pic's in the morning whenthe lights come on.)

she's still in high sprits and continues to eat, i dipped her just incase.

the swelling gone down, but the hole does look a mess.

 

im pretty sure its healing though, and i think she'll pull through just fine.

thanks for the concerns.

[adinsxq]

MELAFIX

 

 

 

take a swig of it yourself afterwards

 

it's yummy!

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

thanks adinsxq

 

heres some pic's

other than the mess on her face, she's still very fat, very active, and seems to be healthy.

 

heres hoping!

[LifesAreef]

Hope she makes it, would be very sad to get a nice and fat happy mandarin die from illness.

 

All the best and post some more pics of her and the male please!

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

Hope she makes it, would be very sad to get a nice and fat happy mandarin die from illness.

 

All the best and post some more pics of her and the male please!

cause you asked so nice

who am i kidding, any chance to show off these beautiful fish, and i'll jump at it.

 

the female.

and the male

enjoy.

[LifesAreef]

Thanks alot, Very nice!