Perplexed-Need Help Identifying Odd Stalk on Wen

[Tank120]

I am extremely perplexed by this stalk-like growth or parasite that I have found on my Lion Head Oranda's Wen. It appeared very quickly. Coincidentally, I had done a routine, once a year, preventative Prazi-Pro treatment the week before.

He acts perfectly healthy and unaffected by the growth/parasite. It looks black in some of the pictures but is actually a very light brown color.

I studied worms, other parasites and diseases in depth and can not find anything that looks like it. He is extremely healthy, in fact my fish even receive Goldfish FLS soaked in vitamins on top of their fruits and vegetables.

This is a 55 gallon planted tank supplemented with homemade CO2. The only residents are the Lionhead, a beautiful white Ryunkin, a couple of Cory Cats and 4 very happy, True Siamese Algae Eaters.

I have never seen anything like this. I did a second treatment of Prazi-Pro just in case it is a worm of some type. I really don't know how to treat it until someone can help me identify it.

Tank parameters are always good. I am testing pH every couple of days so I can adjust my CO2 accordingly. I try to keep it in the neutral range. Ammonia and nitrites are always 0. Nitrates are kept between 5 and 30 with weekly water changes.

 

[jlk]

Hi! Your fish look beautiful! And your lionheads wen development is amazing! Your doing a wonderful job caring for them!!

Ok, bare with me here. From my cell, I can see something a bit odd on your lionhead's wen. What it is, I am honestly not quite sure. The fact that it appeared after a prazi course is just coincidence and nothing more.

So, a few questions! This may seem like this has nothing to do with his situation but do you QT and/or disinfect your plants before adding them?

Have you actually picked him up and inspected the area further? I am curious if the brown 'thing' is actually a living, moving (growing?) creature or if it appears to be more of a skin growth/extension. Are there any indications of skin inflammation or infection in the area of the thing? Have you noticed any small red marks/sores or missing scales on him or any of your other fish or noticed any odd behavior after the lights are off?

Ruling in or out possibilities so we can hopefully address the situation!


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[Tank120]

Thank you JLK

It was the weirdest thing. I did another Prazi treatment the night I posted this. The next morning I visually inspected the object again. I still couldn't distinguish what it was. Like you I thought it almost looked like a skin tag in a human. There was absolutely no infection, just a bit of loose slime coat. I decided if I needed to cut it off or pull it out I would like to sedate the little guy first. I did not have any Clove oil on hand. I had to leave and was gone all day running errands. I looked for Clove oil and could not find any (odd since I used to get it at the store to make hard Christmas candy). Even the herbal house did not have any. I called my husband, who was at the hospital with his Dad. He and his sister searched all over too and could not find any.

When I got back home and looked at the boys, the stalk was gone. If it was a worm, it came out but like you, I am thinking it was a foreign object stuck in the folds of his Wen. I looked all over for it so I could investigate but could not find it. My thought is that it could have been a bit of stem from the Wisteria. He is nuts about swimming through the plants.

These are my two sight impaired fish. Midge is the one-eyed (Lionhead) and Bubbles is the GBD fish (still has corneal bubbles). I moved them to their own 55 gallon tank and they went on growth spurts. Midge's Wen is actually a little better than his brother's. The boys never bother the plants.

On the other hand, the big guys in the 120 gallon tank devour everything. They now have driftwood and plastic plants. I need to take a picture of them for you. The Lionchu is the biggest, fattest, most triangular fish I have ever seen. She is either going to grow the Wen slowly or it is just never going to be a nice one but it is there.

I do the Clorox treatment on purchased plants and then they go into a small quarantine/backup plant tank. I Clorox treat them again before moving them to another tank. In spite of my precautions, I still ended up with a Ramshorn snail outbreak. A snail trap and squishing the small ones has gotten it down to just a few. In spite of the good they can do, they WILL eat your plants. They especially love my Dwarf Amazon Sword. I think that in spite of all of my precautions, the tank was infected by some Frogbit that may have been contaminated with eggs. I think if I can get rid of the larger ones before they are capable of asexually reproducing, I might possibly be able to eliminate them with diligence.

There are Ramshorn snails in the big tanks too but I pull out the big ones and kill them (would never infect the environment with these by flushing or washing down the sink. They are extremely invasive). I soak the snails in pure Clorox for several days until the shells turn white and you can see the shriveled bodies inside. Then I toss them in the trash. The fish will also eat the smaller, softer ones and in the 55 they don't seem to tolerate the additional CO2 that is being injected.

I have ordered Clove oil to keep on hand.

 

[Angela1108]

Do you have drift wood in the tank? Maybe a tiny little piece broke free and it was just stuck there?


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[jlk]

Well, that's good news!!!! Thanks for the info too- I was bit fearful it may have been a leech that came in with the plants but your taking the proper precautions to minimize the risk of new additions. Just keep an eye out in case anything else weird happens to show up.


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