[tech1]

Howdy all. I have a black clown fish with a white nodule on its side fin- at the very edge. it seems to be getting fairly large. no other marks on the body or other fish. My clarkie darts at it from time to time, besides that, nothing seems to slow him down...especially his appetite. Any info. would be great.

thanks

[Bughead]

Does it look like a tiny cauliflower? If so it's probably lymphocystis, an annoying but not usually serious disorder. If left alone it will usually disappear spontaneously in a month or two. If it gets into the gill or mouth, or becomes so big you just want to relieve the fish of the burden, here's what you do. Gently remove the fish and put it in a shallow dish of tank water. A little slatted breeder cage works perfect for this, but a soup bowl will work too. Lay the fish on its side (It won't have much choice but to lie on its side in a shallow bowl). Gently scrape the nodule off with a knife or blade. Some say use a fingernail, which is what I do, but these things are really stuck tight so something sharp may work better. When you have as much off as you can get, apply a drop of pure iodine to the spot. Try to leave it for 30 seconds or so before returning the fish to the tank. Be very careful when the nodule is in the fin, as the fins tear easily.

Your best bet though, is to just leave the fish alone and wait for the thing to go away. It will.