dead oto ?fungus

[millym]

hi
i found one of our dwarf otocinclus dead this morning . he'd been showing signs of a fungal infection - white fuzzy patches on his head, ive been treating him (&tank) initially with melafix but then with esha 2000. but yesterday the poor oto looked far worse completely pale compared with our other 2 otos.

does this sound like a fungal infection? it certainly looked like it ( ive successfully treated fungus + finrot before) but im a bit worried ive missed something. i didnt think fungus killed fish very often but it looked like this oto had been overwhelmed with it. tank has been going for 2 1/2 yrs all water params ok. ie : no ammonia, nitrite, nitrate 20, pH 7.8 (always high here in london) our other fish + otos all look happy & healthy.
any thought anyone???
thanks

 

[Phantom Thief]

Sounds like fungus alright. Are the otos new additions?

P.T.

 

[millym]

thanks
no we've had the otos for approx 6 months.

 

[Wyld-Fyre]

Oto's frighten very easily, and living in a 'fully' inhabited tank, can increase their stress. A sudden jerk here, or there, can mean the fish could potentially injure themselves amongst the tanks accessories. Do you happen to have any dangerous' accessories in your tank?

It could then have ripped open an area of the skin on its head, then leading to a rampant fungal infection, which the fish will find hard to fight off. Too much damage having been inflicted.

Hope you find the cause and be rid of it. Good luck.