Fluffy Fungus? Finrot? Advice Please?

[karigupi]

I'd be really grateful for any advice, i'm a bit upset this morning, I added to my tank 2 swordtails, 1 sailfin mollies & 4 guppies from an online shop.

Stats:

Tank size: 160ltrs
PH7.8
Temp 26/27
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10

Other fish are as in my sig, a few guppies, mollies & corydora

I received an order I placed online this morning, one fish DOA but the others looked fine, I admit to being harrassed by three kids so didnt check them thoroughly, I acclimatised them over an hour, then added them to the tank before I headed out.

Back from the school run & watching fishies, I noticed one of the swordtails has a white streak over the back of her head, it looks like fluffy bits of cotton wool, the sailfin mollie is laying on the gravel & I can see a kind of saddle shape of a similar fluffy type fungus. Also on closer inspection all the new fish but one have fins which appear to be rotting away they are pale in colour towards the end & look like they have zigzag edges.

Medicines I have in the cupboard: Melafix, Pimafix, Protozin Whitespot & Fungus.

The cory's in the tank I can move in with my female Betta's so could add some Marine salt if it would help?

Any advice appreciated.

Molly:

Female swordtail

 

[twohuskies]

The saddleback design is usually associated with Columnaris, unfortunately. If it is columnaris, you'll need to reduce the temp of your tank (gradually) to about 72. Treat with Maracyn AND Maracyn II together. This is a nasty infection that can kill your fish pretty quickly. Unfortunately, none of the meds you have on hand will work.

It can be treated, but it needs BOTH meds and quickly. Make sure you increase your aeration in the tank as well, and remove all carbon from your filters.

Columnaris often "appears" to be a fungus, but it is a bacterial infection. I really think that's what you have, and treatment is warranted quickly with both meds.

Good luck, and sorry you have sick fish!

 

[karigupi]

The saddleback design is usually associated with Columnaris, unfortunately. If it is columnaris, you'll need to reduce the temp of your tank (gradually) to about 72. Treat with Maracyn AND Maracyn II together. This is a nasty infection that can kill your fish pretty quickly. Unfortunately, none of the meds you have on hand will work.

It can be treated, but it needs BOTH meds and quickly. Make sure you increase your aeration in the tank as well, and remove all carbon from your filters.

Columnaris often "appears" to be a fungus, but it is a bacterial infection. I really think that's what you have, and treatment is warranted quickly with both meds.

Good luck, and sorry you have sick fish!

Thank you so much for your reply, I will be gutted if it is columnaris, she was in my community tank with my other fish, does it spread fast? I'll go do a google search about it.

The meds you mentioned dont seem to be available in the UK, hopefully someone will be able to suggest something I can use.

 

[karigupi]

female molly has now died 2 female guppies look in bad states, their tails seem to be disappearing. All new fish are now in the hospital tank, but if there was any damage to be done to my current stocks I guess it would already have happened in the short time they were in there.

Have treated both tanks with Melafix, I guess all I can do now is watch & wait.

If anyone else has suggestions for medications to treat Columnaris (if people think thats what it is) please shout.

 

[WILDER]

Melafix is not good on a bad case of columnaris.
UK Myxazin by waterlife and pimafix.
US Maracyn one and two.

 

[karigupi]

Melafix is not good on a bad case of columnaris.
UK Myxazin by waterlife and pimafix.
US Maracyn one and two.

Do you agree that it is columnaris?? I will try to find it tonight, I will treat all the fish in the hospital tank, should I treat my community tank too, they werent in there for long, maybe a couple of hours, but I guess its probably better to be safe?

 

[WILDER]

If its saddle shaped it called saddle back columnaris like another member said.
[URL="http/www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm"]http/www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm[/URL]

A bad strain of columnaris can wipe a whole tank full of fish out in aday.

 

[karigupi]

If its saddle shaped it called saddle back columnaris like another member said.
<a href="http/www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm" target="_blank">http/www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm</a>

A bad strain of columnaris can wipe a whole tank full of fish out in aday.

thank you

 

[minxfishy]

Kari, if you can, remove the effected fish as you only added them this morning, you may help contain the infection.

 

[karigupi]

Kari, if you can, remove the effected fish as you only added them this morning, you may help contain the infection.

Thank you Minx, I already have but I think it may be too late, just found two of my gorgeous 2mth old guppy fry dead

 

[WILDER]

Bless Them.
R.I.P.
Lower temp aswell. Get you some info.

COLUMNARIS
The hospital tank should be heated to approx. 74 degrees. 76 and above is the ideal breeding temperature for columnaris. Though there is some dispute over lowering the temperature, my experience has been that 72 is too low for the medication to work rapidly, 76+ causes the disease to breed more rapidly than the anti-biotic can kill, and 74 is "just right." Remember to keep this temperature stable!

 

[indigoj]

I've just had this brought on by stress with my Oscars, one died in less than 48hrs.

I was going to treat with Esha 2000 but am now treating the rest of the tank with myxazin and they are improving even after just 1 dose. Have also reduced temp from 26.5 to 24 degrees.

If you have med-sensitive fish at all I would isolate the worst affected in a hospital tank and treat them seperately while half dosing the main tank.

Hope you get through this.

 

[fca1963]

This infection is realy deadly .......I had like 50 guppies and columnaris killed 25 of them and one of my favorite breeders was among the dead ones ..........here it's a photo of it when it was alive

 

[WILDER]

He's a little stunner.
Columnaris can be an absolute nightmare if its a bad strain.

 

[twohuskies]

Bless Them.
R.I.P.
Lower temp aswell. Get you some info.

COLUMNARIS
The hospital tank should be heated to approx. 74 degrees. 76 and above is the ideal breeding temperature for columnaris. Though there is some dispute over lowering the temperature, my experience has been that 72 is too low for the medication to work rapidly, 76+ causes the disease to breed more rapidly than the anti-biotic can kill, and 74 is "just right." Remember to keep this temperature stable!

Wilder is right about the temp. It has been awhile since I had this deadly disease, so I forgot the exact temp number.

But, to give you some hope...

I "inherited" this disease on some fish that came with a used tank I bought. Honestly, they were in such bad shape, I considered euthanizing them. The worst was a Red Bay Snook - he had BIG saddlebag areas that were missing ALL scales. It really was horrible.

But, I did not give up. Treated everyday with the Maracyn & Maracyn II, lowered the temp, and slowly, he started to improve. And, after 10 days of treatment, he was columnaris free! Took a little while for the scales to regenerate, but this fish was at death's door, and made a complete recovery.

Sorry I didn't realize you were in the UK, so I only gave the US medication names. Hopefully, you can get the UK version and have a happy story like mine.

I'm sorry you've lost some fish.... Please let us know how things are going...