Columnaris Treatment?

[missPenguin]

Can anyone recommend a good website that sells a decent treatment for columnaris as I cannot get to lfs till saturday [funnily enough my boss will not give me time off becuase my fish is sick]. The website needs to deliver to the mainland UK

In the meantime I am gradually lowering the temperature, I have salt in the aquarium, treating with melafix and doing daily water changes to help the fish which i cannot quarentine [due to the fact my quarentine tank is fishlessly cycling]. I have also added an airstone as I read the columnaris bacteris is anerobic.

Stats at last reading ammonia 0.25ppm nitrite 0.25ppm nitrate 5ppm

 

[Bloo]

First of all, are you absolutely sure that's what your fish have ?

 

[missPenguin]

First of all, are you absolutely sure that's what your fish have ?

Sorry, I should have clarified that, my bad.

I believe so yes. I posted about it the other day [can't find the link] and Wilder and TTFFTN suggested it could be columnaris based upon the description.

It started with what I would describe as as white fleck that was ever so slightly fluffy. It's now grown slightly [overnight, after not changing at all in 2 days] and there is now what appears to be a red mark in the centre of the spot which has grown to approx 3mm in size [the spot in total].

The behaviour of the fish [so far] is unaffected. He is still chasing the females [he's a platy] and he is still eating, not shimmying, clamping fins or gasping so behaviour wise he seems uneffected.

However, experience has taught me with pets in general, just becuase their behaviour seems normal doesn't mean they can't be sick [that's a whole other story though!]

 

[Bloo]

Any chance at all of a picture ?
When I need pics of my fish, I put them into a clear glass dish which makes it a lot easier?

 

[missPenguin]

Any chance at all of a picture ?
When I need pics of my fish, I put them into a clear glass dish which makes it a lot easier?

If I can get a piccie I will. Problem being, I probably won't get a piccie till tonight.

 

[Bloo]

It's much better to know exactly what you're dealing with, rather than guessing. Though it's not even 100% certain that we can diagnose from the pic - but it will certainly help a great deal.
Columnaris is a very nasty disease and not something you want to try and treat if that's not what you have. It might even be something as "simple" as a bacterial infection.
Treating "in the dark" can more often lead to worse conditons and eventual death of the fish (or even other unaffected fish).

Post a piccie tonight when you can

 

[missPenguin]

It's much better to know exactly what you're dealing with, rather than guessing. Though it's not even 100% certain that we can diagnose from the pic - but it will certainly help a great deal.
Columnaris is a very nasty disease and not something you want to try and treat if that's not what you have. It might even be something as "simple" as a bacterial infection.
Treating "in the dark" can more often lead to worse conditons and eventual death of the fish (or even other unaffected fish).

Post a piccie tonight when you can

I have actually just spoken to the lfs where I bought the fish originally [over a month ago now] and he advise till I can get to the shop and buy some other treatment to double my dosage of melafix and net the fish and actually apply the melafix topically by using a small paint brush [in terms of stress I shouldn't imagine it's any more stressful than a salt bath ].

I will be testing the water again tonight and hopefully the parametres should be better as they have been dropping for the last couple of days, I think that's my biological filter finally starting to establish, but if not I'll continue to water change.

The research I have done on coulmnaris suggests as past of the treatment you should do the follwoing to help treat:

Change water
Vaccum Gravel
Add salt
Gradually lower temp.
[The article then went on to talk about anitbiotics]

Weird thing is, I'd done all that on the sunday as part of my tank maintenance. Even weirder thing is, I had bought some more melafix on friday, just in case. This was before the fish started to display signs. It's spooky.

 

[Mariposa]

I have clumnaris in my tank right now and have had success by raising temp slightly (to 80) and treating with tetracycline, I know it's a gram negative bacteria and bacteria grow faster in hotter water but as it was pointed out to me if temp is high enough the bacteria are more vulnerable to the meds. It was all explained to me quite clearly in following thread.
Good luck!
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=130177

 

[missPenguin]

Thanks!!!

I now have the following problem [still cannot get to lfs till sat]

Has anyone ever had experience of melafix affecting their test results?

I have melafix in the tank at the moment [better than nothing] and I have just done my daily tests

Ph7.2 [no change]
Ammonia 0.00 [woo hoo! same as yesterday]
Nitrite 0.00 [woo hoo, agan same as yesterday]

Here's the weird one

Nitrate 0.0ppm. Yesterday it was 5 and I haven't done any water changes since then as my ammonia stats etc were good.

I was using melafix as I was of the understanding that it didn't affect the biofilter or your test results.

Help?

Oh BTW, the spot does seem slightly smaller today.

Confused!!!!

My appologies for not being able to post a piccie. The fish won't stay still!!!

 

[WILDER]

Melafix is no good for columnaris, plus you can't hang around with this desease it can soon kill a fish in hours.
Where is the columnaris on the fish.
Salt baths would be better than the melafix as columnaris hates salt, you need maracyn one and two to cover all areas.
Or tetracycline which is better in my opion.
But it will wipe some or most of the bacteria out in the filter.
Here is a thread it tell you step by step the salt procedure.
http/article.discusnews.com/cat-02/columnaries.shtml

 

[missPenguin]

Melafix is no good for columnaris, plus you can't hang around with this desease it can soon kill a fish in hours.
Where is the columnaris on the fish.
Salt baths would be better than the melafix as columnaris hates salt, you need maracyn one and two to cover all areas.
Or tetracycline which is better in my opion.
But it will wipe some or most of the bacteria out in the filter.
Here is a thread it tell you step by step the salt procedure.
http/article.discusnews.com/cat-02/columnaries.shtml

The fish has had this since late saturday evening, you may recall you suggested it to me it could be columnaris. I must admit I meant to get some meds on sunday but events competley over took me, plus my really local lfs was shut and the next nearest 1 is nearly an hour's drive away.

There is salt in the tank already and as I mentioned my ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are all now reading 0 [it's the nitrate that concerns me, not done any water changes since MOnday and it's been consistenly reading 55ppm for the last week]. The tank has just finished it's cycle.

The spot is on the tail. The fish is fine to all intents and pruposes, swimming about happliy, chasing the ladies and eating with no problems.

I just don't know what to do. I've just started fish keeping, I'm only assuming it's columnaris because thats what was sugested it might be in the fisrt place.

Thanks for the link though!

 

[WILDER]

Right, columnaris spots are greyish white in colour, they can have a circling of red on the outside of the spot, or a red spot in the middle of the spot.
I had a guppy with this when first started on it's head didn't know what it was at the time, but the spots don't seem to kill the fish as fast as the fluffy fungus.
I would try the salt baths though while you can get the meds that have been mentioned.

 

[Bloo]

I agree, the salt treatment should do the little fish no harm, and in fact help to heal it. And can be used in conjuction with Melafix.
I would however still be very cautious to assume it's columnaris. A host of other fungal / bacterial infections can look similar.
Columnaris can spread like wildfire - which doesn't "seem" to be the case here.
I'm not saying it isn't, but I'm saying you can't tell for sure what it is without a clear picture.

Here's another article on Columnaris which should help you decide what you are dealing with.

 

[missPenguin]

This spot is most definately white. AS for it having a red outline or red spot in the middle, the other day I thought it had a red spot but now it doesn't appear to at all [I've spent a long time staring at it, belive me, I have stared, almost had spots of my own in front of my eyes lol]

Just had another look, definately white and it has got smaller and NO red. Back on saturday, I thought it might be ich, but no other white spots have appeared and there are no other symptons [flicking, rubbing etc]. It's very puzzling in fact.

 

[WILDER]

I agree we need a pic.
I had a guppy with a columnaris spot and that all it had never got anythig else on the body or fins of the fish.
But i agree it can mean other things as well, that why we need a pic.