Treating Columnaris

[threecharacters]

I have 6 Bumblebee gobies (sold as Brachygobius xanthomelas, but they are not) I received about a week ago. I bought them off aquatic arts and they were shipped to me (first time I've done this). Today I noticed a cottony growth on one fish's eye while doing a water change. Another might be developing some cloudy eyes (very faint). I think this might be columnaris.

The water tests out to NH3 0 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, and NO3 ~5 ppm (before water change). However, I noticed a bit of protein foam on top of the water before the water change which would indicate sub-optimal water quality (or at least a lot of organics). This is a new tank, but it is well-cycled and planted (was processing >2 ppm NH3 in a day).

The package of fish was pretty cold when I got it (the weather's getting quite cold around here). I did not drop acclimate but I did slowly acclimate the fish over about 30 mins to 1 hr following aquatic arts directions. I imagine the fish experienced some shock from shipping, low temperatures, and the relatively fast acclimation period. I think this could have triggered an infection in some of the fish.

The Bumblebee gobies are proving picky eaters, they are taking baby brine shrimp and frozen blood worms, but that's it. I'm looking to get a grindal worm culture soon. The infected fish are still eating.

Bumblebee gobies can be quarrelsome, but I haven't noticed much aggression while I've had them. I did notice that they arrived already with some fin damage.

My question is, can I hope for the infection to pass if I continue to maintain good water conditions and feeding live foods or should I get some medicine?

The tank is planted and it has bladder snails, will the medications harm the plants and/or snails?

I've attached photos of the tank and the infected fish.

 

[Colin_T]

I can't tell what the stuff on the eye is due to blurry picture but it is either excess mucous or fungus.

Fish have a mucous coating on their body and when they are stressed, they produce more of it and it appears as a cream or white film over their body and fins. The most common cause of excess mucous is poor water quality or something in the water (chemicals, plant fertiliser, medications) irritating the fish.

General treatment includes big daily water changes and cleaning the gravel and filter.

You can add some salt, see directions below.


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Bumblebee gobies like a bit of salt in the water and also do best in water with a pH above 7.0 and a GH above 250ppm. If the water is too soft or too acidic, it will cause problems. Maybe check the GH of the water.

The GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).


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SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), sea salt or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

If you only have livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), goldfish or rainbowfish in the tank you can double that dose rate, so you would add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres and if there is no improvement after 48 hours, then increase it so there is a total of 4 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria but the higher dose rate (4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will affect some plants and some snails. The lower dose rate (1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will not affect fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

 

[threecharacters]

I can't tell what the stuff on the eye is due to blurry picture but it is either excess mucous or fungus.

Fish have a mucous coating on their body and when they are stressed, they produce more of it and it appears as a cream or white film over their body and fins. The most common cause of excess mucous is poor water quality or something in the water (chemicals, plant fertiliser, medications) irritating the fish.

General treatment includes big daily water changes and cleaning the gravel and filter.

You can add some salt, see directions below.


-------------------
Bumblebee gobies like a bit of salt in the water and also do best in water with a pH above 7.0 and a GH above 250ppm. If the water is too soft or too acidic, it will cause problems. Maybe check the GH of the water.

The GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).


-------------------
SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), sea salt or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

If you only have livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), goldfish or rainbowfish in the tank you can double that dose rate, so you would add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres and if there is no improvement after 48 hours, then increase it so there is a total of 4 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria but the higher dose rate (4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will affect some plants and some snails. The lower dose rate (1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will not affect fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

Thanks for the reply, Colin.

The tank has soft water KH is 1-2 deg and GH is 3 deg, and pH is 6.6-6.8. I've been led to believe that this is OK for Brachygobius species. I think the old school belief was that these were brackish fish, but it sounds like many of the species have now also been found in blackwater habitats. For example, the seriously fish profile for Brachygobius sabanus mentions that they are found in salty brackish habitats and peat swamps where the hardness can be negligible. This sounded like Brachygobius are tolerant of a very wide range of water hardnesses.

The species I got is advertised as true freshwater Brachygobius xanthomelas, but this ID was not correct. I believe I have an unidentified species of Brachygobius. I was told that the gobies I have were collected in freshwater and maintained in freshwater.

I really don't want to add salt because of the plants. I'll consider doing a tablespoon per 20 liters.

The only additive to the tank besides Prime is NilocG plant fertilizer.

 

[Colin_T]

I don't know anything about newer species that have been found in pure fresh water but excess mucous is caused by something in the water irritating the fish. A big water change and some salt might help.

The lower dose rates of salt 1 or 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres of water) will not affect plants. Try a water change and add 1 heaped tablespoon of salt and see if it helps.

 

[itiwhetu]

Your water parameters don't suit this fish. The water needs to be hard and with a pH above 7

 

[threecharacters]

Your water parameters don't suit this fish. The water needs to be hard and with a pH above 7

That's incorrect and based on outdated information. We now know that Bumblebee gobies occur in two distinct habitats. The first are coastal brackish habitats (e.g. estuaries, mangrove, etc.), and the second is ancient peat swamp. Often the same species can be found in both these habitats. In the first habitat, the water is hard with a high pH and non-negligible salinity. In the second habitat, the water is very soft and acidic with almost no dissolved solids. While many bumblebee gobies are found in both habitats some are found exclusively in freshwater. The species I have was collected from freshwater. It likely came from a blackwater habitat, and my soft, acidic water is ideal.

 

[itiwhetu]

That's incorrect and based on outdated information. We now know that Bumblebee gobies occur in two distinct habitats. The first are coastal brackish habitats (e.g. estuaries, mangrove, etc.), and the second is ancient peat swamp. Often the same species can be found in both these habitats. In the first habitat, the water is hard with a high pH and non-negligible salinity. In the second habitat, the water is very soft and acidic with almost no dissolved solids. While many bumblebee gobies are found in both habitats some are found exclusively in freshwater. The species I have was collected from freshwater. It likely came from a blackwater habitat, and my soft, acidic water is ideal.

Just maybe you have the ones that like hard/alkaline water, so therefore they are not being kept in the correct conditions.

 

[threecharacters]

Just maybe you have the ones that like hard/alkaline water, so therefore they are not being kept in the correct conditions.

This is possible. However, the retailer that sold me the fish told me they came from freshwater, therefore I assume they came from a blackwater-like habitat. I've decided to dose kanaplex. I've also been doing water changes. Hopefully that will solve it. The BB goby I showed a photo of will surely lose that eye. It's looking worse these days, a size-able white growth on its head. He does seem to be eating still, and he is swimming normally if a bit listlessly. I think he can make it if the treatment goes well.

I believe the original cause of the illness is damage from territorial squabbles getting infected due to stress and bad water conditions.

 

[Colin_T]

Don't use Kanaplex because it is an anti-biotic and this is not a bacterial infection. Bacterial infections normally cause red patches on the fish. The fish is covered in excess mucous and possible fungus around the eye. Anti-biotics do not treat fungus and do not treat excess mucous. Anti-biotics only work on bacteria and there are different types of bacteria (gram positive & gram negative) that need different types of anti-biotics.

Anti-biotics should only be used on known bacterial infections that have not responded to normal treatments. Improper use and mis-use of anti-biotics has lead to drug resistant bacteria that kill people, birds, animals, reptiles and fish.

 

[threecharacters]

Don't use Kanaplex because it is an anti-biotic and this is not a bacterial infection. Bacterial infections normally cause red patches on the fish. The fish is covered in excess mucous and possible fungus around the eye. Anti-biotics do not treat fungus and do not treat excess mucous. Anti-biotics only work on bacteria and there are different types of bacteria (gram positive & gram negative) that need different types of anti-biotics.

Anti-biotics should only be used on known bacterial infections that have not responded to normal treatments. Improper use and mis-use of anti-biotics has lead to drug resistant bacteria that kill people, birds, animals, reptiles and fish.

Kanaplex is marketed as an anti-fungal as well? It looks much more like fungus these days than excess mucous. I could take another photo.

 

[Colin_T]

Kanaplex is Kanamycin, an anti-biotic and does nothing to fungus.

Salt treats fungus and minor bacterial infections.

 

[threecharacters]

Kanaplex is Kanamycin, an anti-biotic and does nothing to fungus.

Salt treats fungus and minor bacterial infections.

Dang, it definitely says "anti-fungal" on the Kanaplex package.

 

[threecharacters]

Unfortunately, I just found one of the gobies dead. It wasn't the one with the bad eye, it was the other one that I mentioned was looking a little bad. I don't think it had been dead long, but it was entirely pecked clean. Perhaps there is more aggression in this tank than I had originally thought. The dead fish was smack dab in the middle of the dominant males territory.

 

[Colin_T]

Dang, it definitely says "anti-fungal" on the Kanaplex package.

Google Kanaplex ingredients and find out what Kanamycin was designed for.

 

[itiwhetu]

Google Kanaplex ingredients and find out what Kanamycin was designed for.

I did that, I didn't like the side effects, yuck.