Questions regarding quarantine and lymphocystis   1/30/07 Hello again, I really appreciate all of the advice and dependable information.  Actually my fish do too as they are alive and well. <Ah, good>   I have two questions I need your advice on.  First, I am going to close down my 75 gallon FOWLR and transfer a Niger Triggerfish, Assasi Triggerfish and a Tuskfish to a 125 gallon FOWLR tank.  The 75 gallon had an ich outbreak about a year ago that I managed well and have not had a problem since.  In treating the ich outbreak the tank remained in a fallow state for 30 days. Question 1 is do I need to quarantine and or dip the fish before transfer to the 125 gallon to manage the risk that there may be a low level of parasite activity that has not affected the fish?   <I would do the dip/bath... FW, pH-adjusted... enroute to the new digs> These three fish will be joining a Kole Tang and a Flame Angel in the 125 gallon so I want to minimize any potential problems. <I understand> Question 2 the Assasi Triggerfish and Tuskfish will occasionally have white patches on their fins that I diagnose as lymphocystis.  I make this diagnoses based on the appearance that the white patches seem to be inside the transparent fins of the fish and not discrete grain like spots that protrude from the fins.  The white spots are more patch like and larger in size then the ich that I have encountered in the past.  I realize the description is terse, but that is how I would describe it.  I don't treat and have no concerns as they come and go intermittently.  Can you provide any help with the diagnoses?  Thanks again. <Mmm, might be virally-mediated... but could also be protozoan (there are some microsporidean, sporozoan infestations that appear as this... are wide-enough in their expression to show on diverse Orders of fishes...) and even a few worm possibilities. In all cases I would NOT go so far as to venture into test-treating this... I'd ignore and focus on elements of bolstering resistance through nutrition, and providing an optimized, stable environment. Bob Fenner>

Queensland "Super" Grouper  8/25/06 First Fish To Undergo Chemo Dies At Shedd Bubba the Queensland "Super" Grouper Passed Away Tuesday (CBS) CHICAGO Bubba the Queensland Grouper was born a female but became a male. More remarkably, this Shedd Aquarium resident was the first fish to successfully undergo chemotherapy. Now, staff members at the Shedd Aquarium are mourning the death of a most "super grouper." Bubba died suddenly on Tuesday. Teams were mobilized to provide emergency medical care to Bubba, but efforts to save the fish were not successful. "The past twenty-four hours have been extremely difficult for our staff as Bubba was truly a member of the Shedd family," said George Parsons, director of the Fishes department, in a news release. "Bubba overcame some incredible odds over the years, and that's what made him so special to us. His story of survival inspired so many of our guests and the public that followed him." An initial autopsy revealed Bubba had health issues related to old age and a number of abnormal growths. A more extensive report will come back in a few weeks. Bubba was born a female, but later became a he because groupers can actually change gender as they mature because of social and other factors. Bubba was left as an abandoned pet at the Shedd in 1987. Bubba was diagnosed with a type of cancer and successfully treated in 2003, earning him the nickname "super grouper" by the media who followed his story. He became an inspiration to cancer patients and even has a tile in his honor at the Hope Children's Hospital oncology division in Oak Lawn, Ill.