White Spot on Tetra

[juniorskeptical]

I just got a group of 5 black phantom tetras 8 days ago, and now one of them has a good sized white spot on its back. I'm not sure if it's just a scratch of some sort or a fungal infection. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Abaddon]

To my unprofessional eye it looks a bit like Columnaris. It's a bacterial infection so antibiotic dips could help (and of course regular water changes). If it is C. then you should isolate the fish asap, as it's contagious.
I'm no expert though.

 

[FishGuest5123]

It looks like fungus to me. I just read an article by Aquarium Cop that may help. I have a fish that hasn’t responded to fungus med so I’m going to try this. Good luck!

If the fungus is located on the fish’s body, use a combination of Maracyn and Ich-X. Ich-X contains formaldehyde, methanol, and malachite green chloride, which are effective against fungal infections. Before treatment, clean the aquarium and remove any chemical filtration. If the fungal infection is minor, dose 1 packet of Maracyn and 1 tsp of Ich-X per 10 gallons of water at the same time. Let it soak for one full week, and make sure the symptoms completely disappear. If the symptoms still remain or if the fungal infection is severe to begin with, use 1 packet of Maracyn and 1 tsp of Ich-X per 10 gallons of water, and repeat the dose every 24 hours for 5 days in a row.

 

[juniorskeptical]

To my unprofessional eye it looks a bit like Columnaris. It's a bacterial infection so antibiotic dips could help (and of course regular water changes). If it is C. then you should isolate the fish asap, as it's contagious.
I'm no expert though.

It seems like the adipose fin is missing, could a bacterial infection do that? They do seem to get aggressive with each other at times, so that’s why I think it’s possible it could have just gotten attacked by one of the other fish.

If it is an infection though, and I have no way to isolate the fish, what’s the best course of action? Would something like Tetra Lifeguard work?

 

[FishGuest5123]

Lifeguard may work. It’s pretty good. Sometimes a fungal infection will occur after an injury.

 

[juniorskeptical]

It looks like fungus to me. I just read an article by Aquarium Cop that may help. I have a fish that hasn’t responded to fungus med so I’m going to try this. Good luck!

If the fungus is located on the fish’s body, use a combination of Maracyn and Ich-X. Ich-X contains formaldehyde, methanol, and malachite green chloride, which are effective against fungal infections. Before treatment, clean the aquarium and remove any chemical filtration. If the fungal infection is minor, dose 1 packet of Maracyn and 1 tsp of Ich-X per 10 gallons of water at the same time. Let it soak for one full week, and make sure the symptoms completely disappear. If the symptoms still remain or if the fungal infection is severe to begin with, use 1 packet of Maracyn and 1 tsp of Ich-X per 10 gallons of water, and repeat the dose every 24 hours for 5 days in a row.

Would this be okay without isolating the fish?

 

[Colin_T]

If the fungus is located on the fish’s body, use a combination of Maracyn and Ich-X. Ich-X contains formaldehyde, methanol, and malachite green chloride, which are effective against fungal infections.

The fish has a type fungus.

Maracyn is an anti-biotic and won't do anything to treat fungus.

Fungus and bacteria are completely different organisms so you need a fungal treatment or salt.

Salt, use 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres of water. Keep salt in tank for 2 weeks or at least one week after the fungus has gone.

 

[Abaddon]

It seems like the adipose fin is missing, could a bacterial infection do that? They do seem to get aggressive with each other at times, so that’s why I think it’s possible it could have just gotten attacked by one of the other fish.

It is possible for columnaris to cause fin erosion. Or the fin could've been nipped off by another fish and then a secondary bacterial or fungal infection could've developed at the site of the wound. If the white patch looks fluffy or cottony then it's more likely a fungus, if it's smoother (more like a sheen) then it's probably columnaris. A fungus would certainly be better news, since like I said c. is contagious and often fatal.
Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Colin_T]

it's not Columnaris