White Fluffy Growth Near Mouth

[WILDER]

No i very much doubt the pellets are to blame, and you need tto turn the temp down as bacteria multiplies in warmer water, i would do a water change and start treating the fish.

http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/hdcolumn.htm


Columnaris Treatment

Columnaris can be extremely difficult to treat, so it is recommended that medication be started as soon as the disease is properly diagnosed. As suggested above, remove the fish to a hospital/quarantine tank if it is normally kept with other fish. High temperatures will accelerate the course of the disease, so it is best to keep the affected fish at around 75-76 degrees F to slow the progression of the bacteria.

Columnaris is a gram-negative rod bacterium, and should be treated with an antibiotic that is effective against gram-negative bacteria or a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Kanacyn (Kanamycin sulfate), Spectrogram (Kanamycin sulfate and Nitrofurazone), Tetracycline, or Furan 2 (Nitrofurazone) are all good choices. I have also heard of people getting good results with medicated foods containing oxytetracycline, but if your fish is having problems with its mouth due to the infection, this may not be an option.

Not he writer of this information below.

 

[tttnjfttt]

I have also heard to turn the temp down with columnaris, as this disease thrives in warm water. Turning it down slows the bacterial growth.

 

[steelhealr]

Tetracycline is an antibiotic that functions by binding to the 30S ribosomal unit in the cells of bacteria...that stops 'translation' of RNA. The antibiotic will be incorporated more quickly and act effectively if the ribosome is active. Raising the temp will do this. In humans, this is another way how we fight infections, by getting a fever. For slightly similar reasons, it is why we raise the tank temp. with Ich. Although bacteria can be found in and grow faster in warmer temps, this cannot be compared with active infection and treating with antibioitcs.When it occurs in our fish, it is usually a sign of poor water quality and/or diminished immunity in the fish from stress,etc.

Quote from my source:

Temperature: During all treatment it is advisable to raise the temperature to 30 degrees, if the fish can stand it.

A higher tank temp will not change the severity of this illness for the fish, but, may make the antibiotic function more effectively.

SH

 

[WILDER]

Well when you cycle a tank they tell you sometimes to raise the temp to speed up the bacteria colony, so if you have a bacteria infection you turn it down or the bacteria grows faster.

 

[steelhealr]

No..not in all cases. In one case you are talking about culturing a bacteria. When we cycle our tanks, we are trying to culture two bacteria, nitrobacter and nitrosamonas...NOT KILL THEM. We want them to grow to perform a function.

In infection, we want the bacteria to become VULNERABLE to a treatment modality. With ich, we raise the temp to increase it's rate of metabolism and shorten the time to reach the free swimming state at which time it is susceptible to malechite green or another treatment.

If you are treating with an antibiotic that binds to a ribosome, warmer temps will make that bacteria more susceptible to 'death'. You may actually improve concentrations of the antibiotic in the fish by improving absorption and diffusion.

Another example: in humans, when a patient presents to the ER with an infection to an extremity, or, 'cellulitis', you immediately apply heat and start antibiotics. Warmth increases metabolism, increases blood flow, increases delivery of medicine to the infected area and perfusion of the antibiotic. Fish are not that different. SH

 

[tttnjfttt]

I will agree that it makes sense to make the bacteria vulnerable to the antibiotic.

If you are treating with an antibiotic that binds to a ribosome, warmer temps will make that bacteria more susceptible to 'death'. You may actually improve concentrations of the antibiotic in the fish by improving absorption and diffusion. SH

Do the majority of antibiotics that people use in tanks work by binding to a ribosome? The example you gave used tetracycline as an example, but i also know that many bacteria have become resistant to tetracycline.

 

[WILDER]

Ok, but that the first i've heard of it.
Were not brain surgeons, just go on articles.lol

 

[steelhealr]

Indeed..but..that is why we have forums....see the last added line to my post above. ANY antibiotic can cause resistance in bacteria. One way tetracycline can be made ineffective is by a change in an 'effluxor' gene. A mutation occurs where a 'pump' on the outside cell membrane can pump out the tetracycline as soon as it penetrates the cell. SH

 

[WILDER]

Lost me along time ago, just try to help.

 

[tttnjfttt]

I"m having flashbacks to freshman biology in college...

Its just interesting how it isn't widely know that raising the temperature makes antibiotics work better. Now i'm wishing I had a science lab to mess around wiht this in....

Are all antibioitcs heat activated? In your celluitis argument, (i'm playing devil's advocate here) I could see heat being added to increase the circulation to increase the meds getting to the infection.

 

[steelhealr]

Many antibiotics have different areas where they function. Antibiotics can be 'bactericidal' or 'bacteriostatic', ie, kill a bacteria or, well, just stop it from growing and then defense mechanisms get to it.

Penicillin functions by blocking the formation of the cell wall on bacteria.
Tetracycline functions as above.
Erythromycin works like tetra, but, on the other unit of the ribosome (50S). SH

 

[WILDER]

I know they are trying to shield cancer cells, that it need a lay down.

 

[steelhealr]

I wouldn't call it 'heat activated'....I would say that 'warmth' may improve healing for all the reasons above. Related....why we put an airstone in hospital tanks..improves oxygenation, good for fish and also bad for anaerobic bacteria. SH

 

[tttnjfttt]

What about the antibacterial meds they have in the UK? I know on here ther are lots of people from there who don't have the option to use meds like eythromyicin or tetramyacin? How do those meds work?

 

[steelhealr]

Well..I think Mariposa can see at least A FEW thing we agree on...that antibiotics are treatment of choice....that this appears to be bacterial....that bacterial (columnaris) infections can be difficult to treat....it can be contagious to other tankmates.

If it were MY tank, I'd slowly raise temp and add aquarium salt. Off to bed for me. SH