discolored fish . . .

[mermaid_girl]

hey everyone . . .my fish are mostly doing ok but a few are getting really discolored, like white, and they seem very listless, they dont really eat, they dont swim very much or do anything. and one has white lips . . .and mom tells me that its some type of mouth fungus but from what i've read, its very contagious and fatal but the fish that has it is the only one, it swims and eats just fine . . .if anyone has a clue whats goin on plz help!

I did a 25% water change about 2 days ago and am intending to do another one today . . .

Mermaid Girl

PS there are only 2 silver tips now ...

 

[Kossy]

Ok how long have you had the fish? fish lose color when over time because most LFS feed there fish color enchancing food. If its fluffy cotton its probably fungus and you should remove the fish and put in a hospital tank.

 

[mermaid_girl]

i've had my fish for about 2 weeks, no others are showing signs of the fungus and i'm feeding my fish color enhancing food by top fin . . .

 

[Kossy]

I don't reccomend feeding colour enchancing food in the long run. One...its terribly expensive and two its completely artifical these artifical ingredients aren't particularly hedalthy in the long run

 

[smb]

OK lets take this step by step.

If it is the bacterium Chondrococcus columnaris, did it start as a white line around the lips and progress from there? Do you see any tufts eminating from the source of the fish in question? I don't see enough evidence here to think that it's fungus yet. It could very well be and that your mom is correct because she is there and very well knows better than any of us. Actually, she sounds like a great mom that knows her stuff in the aquarium world! The only problem is, it's not enough for us that can't see it to go on so you might want to listen to your mom? I wish my mom was as interested in fish as I was. You're very lucky!

they dont really eat, they dont swim very much or do anything. and one has white lips

Sounds like a few things, could be fungus.

and mom tells me that its some type of mouth fungus but from what i've read, its very contagious and fatal

Not very but it is contagious. It's not fatal if you catch it soon enough which means if you see you fish everyday and look them over. Once it gets interior, then yes, it's too late but there are many days between seeing it externally and providing meds before it goes internal.

If it is fungus you can try Maracyn.