Black Molly may have fish fungus

[downesdn]

I have 3 mollies. The affected molly is the biggest at about 3 inches. The other 2 are only about 2 inches long. I have a platy, a pleco, and a newly acquired albino clawed frog in a 10 gal tank. I just changed the entire tank water less than a month ago. Had to get a new tank because the other one broke.

One of my mollies appears to have some sort of fish fungus. I noticed it about a week ago. The scales on her back turned white so I isolated her in a net breeder in the same tank because I had originally thought that the other fish were beating her up or something.

Anyway, after I isolated Molly into the net breeder, the white/gray scales turned cottony and started to get worse. She didn't seem to be acting any differently than normal, but I went to the store to find out what types of treatments were out there that could cure it.

I bought some fish fungus tablets. They turn the tank water bright green, and you have to turn the filter off to use them. So I dropped a tablet in. After 24 hours I had to turn the filter back on because the water got unbelievably cloudy. I watched Molly after I had put the tablet in the water but the cottony patches just got worse. They're still on the same spot on her body, so they haven't spread, but it just looks like she's wearing a fuzzy coat now. I isolated her in a separate bowl after 2 days in the water and I added part of a treatment tablet to the water. I tested the levels of the water in the new bowl that I put her in, and the conditions were significantly better than that of the 10 gal tank. I put her in and she's been in the "hospital bowl" for a little less than 24 hours. After watching her this morning, she still has a coat of cotton on her back and she seems to not want to do anything. She also keeps swimming around the bowl and jerking wildly from time to time.

I don't know what to do!!!

 

[kimbowee]

Sorry to hear your fish are sick. I am new here too so I can't really answer your questions but wanted to let you know someone should be here soon who can help.

Can you tell us what your water stats are though because thats always the first question. What are your ammonia, nitrite & nitrate levels at? How often you clean the tank, how much of a water change & what do you feed?

 

[sharky&george]

my guppy has too, i have treated with anti fungus and finrot so i gotta wait and see what happens But i can say that i have used it before with good results but get some advice of some one a bit more experianced if i were you. Good luck

 

[downesdn]

I don't know the exact stats of the water levels. I just started this hobby in the past year and just started checking the water daily in the past few weeks. I know pH levels, alkalinity, and water hardness are all listed as ideal on the test strips. Nitrate and nitrite levels are too high. (They always have been though. Can't get rid of it for some reason). Water temp is consistently between 70 and 80 degrees F. For the past few days it's been closer to 74-76 because I took the thermometer out to have room for my automatic fish feeder. I just did a total tank change within the past month. Had to buy a new tank because the other broke as I was cleaning it. That's pretty much all I can think of.

There aren't any other stats on the water that I know of. I've never had problems with fish getting sick before. I had some tetras die a few weeks ago when I changed the tank water over. Perhaps they were stressed from the move. And the only other problems I have with fish are them jumping out of the tank. I have a full-range hood now, so that's no longer an issue.

 

[kimbowee]

Your Nitrites should be at 0 always. Did you use any of the old filter media in your new tank? It could have caused it to start cycling again. You should definitely do an immediate water change of about 30% to try & lower your Nitirites & nitrates if they are too high. Did you also test for ammonia? If so what are your stats?
Also, is it possible that your automatic feeder is releasing too much food? Have you tested your tap water at all? You may have high levels of nitrates in your tap. What type of plec do you have & how big is it? It is probably also too big for the tank & produces alot of waste which can contribute to high ammonia & nitrite levels. (I just returned a plec to the store for the same prob)


EDIT:
http/www.fishpalace.org/Disease.html#Lernea
This site has pictures that may be able to help identify what kind of fungus or disease your fish may have.

 

[downesdn]

When I changed the water a few weeks ago, I changed everything, filter and all. The plec is about 5-6 inches long. I am planning on changing a good portion of the water as soon as possible. I have water conditioner that is supposed to eliminate nitrate and nitrite but it doesn't seem to be working. I'm not sure if ammonia is covered on the test strips that I have or not. I may be overfeeding them which is causing too much waste. (The pleco almost always has a good few inches of waste trail following him) The fish just act like they've never eaten before every time I come to the tank. I just got the automatic fish feeder a week ago so that it could feed them while I'm away. Last weekend I wasn't home so I had dropped into the tank an automatic fish feeder shell which is supposed to feed 10 -12 fish in a 10 gallon tank. I only had 3 or 4 at the time and when I came back one of the fish had died less than 24 hours later. The water levels and temp were all the same over the weekend, so he may have died of starvation? I really don't know what I'm doing wrong. I've spent over a hundred dollars trying to treat my tank and make a good environment for the fish just in the past few weeks. And the problems keep on coming.

 

[kimbowee]

If you changed everything in your tank you removed all of the good bacteria. This means the tank is cycling again. Do you know anyone who has a tank that has already been established that maybe you can borrow some gravel or filter media from. Sometimes your LFS may also sell you some. This will help you restore the beneficial bacteria that eliminates ammonia & nitrites. Nitrites & Ammonia our toxic to fish. At first it may make them stressed and more easily get diseases even if they were healthy before. If the levels stay high it can kill all of your fish.

The best thing to do is to do daily water changes of 25%-30% and check your ammonia, nitrite & nitrate levels everyday until your ammonia & nitrite levels reach 0. Make sure you are adding something every water change to remove chlorine from your water. From what I have read in a small tank changing too much water can send your fish into shock. Also, make sure the water you are adding is the same temp as the water you remove.

I would also say to remove the automatic feeder as this could be helping to pollute the tank right now. Only feed your fish once a day what the will eat in 3 minutes & try not to let food sink to the bottom.

Do you have any aquarium salt? You could try giving your Molly a salt bath & see if this helps also. Salt baths are beneficial in helping a lot of diseases and stress. Make sure you do not add it directly to your tank tho as the plec can not handle salt.

 

[downesdn]

I take it LFS means local fish store? As I said I'm pretty new to this so I don't know a whole lot about taking care of fish. I do have salt and I add it directly to my water. I've had 2 plecos before and neither have been affected by the salt (I don't know of any other way to add the salt to the water except for putting it directly in). As for the automatic fish feeder, if I don't have one, the fish won't get fed. I can remove it during the week, as I am home in the morning and evening to feed the fish. But during the weekends, I go home or often don't see my fish for well over 48 hours. I feed them twice a day because that's what I was directed to do.

I do not know anyone that has an already established tank. I don't know what you mean by obtaining already established gravel or filter media. Does that mean I should go to a fish store and ask for a pre-used filter and some gravel?

I'll change some of the water this evening and hopefully that will reduce some of the problem. I can add some salt to Molly's bowl. I put in about half a teaspoonful last nite. She's in one of those goldfish bowls. How much salt should I add?

 

[Fiori]

Is there any way that you can quarantine your sick fish? Separating and having good clean water ( regular water changes) with a little salt and appropriate meds can do wonders. Using salt all the time in your main tank will not be good for your plecs in the long run, although they can stand small doses for a limited period. It's also not ideal to keep on medicating continuously.

As to the fish feeders, I would'nt bother if you're away for only 48 hours. They can contaminate the water, which further stresses an already sick fish - your fish should survive quite happily without food for two days. I do think it is unlikely that you fish died from starvation, but high nitrates and especially nitrites are very toxic to fish. Kimbowee has given good advice about daily water changes etc. I had a very sick molly with columnaris and it took months to properly cure, but by carrying out water changes etc. I got there eventually and she is a 3 inch monster now. But it takes a lot of time and effort - I actually went and bought a QT tank especially for her. I would recommend a QT tank as an essential item and worth the expenditure in the long term.

 

[kimbowee]

Where are you located at? There is a product called Bio-Spira that is available in some fish stores in the US that will help cycle your tank with the fish in it. Otherwise, yes some fish stores will sell you used filters or gravel that you add directly to your filter to help cycle your tank quicker. Just make sure its from a disease free tank. If the fish don't look healthy you don't want it. You don't need to add any more diseases to your tank.

In that small of a tank you should probably be doing weekly water changes of about 10-20% once your water quality has cleared up. To start you will need to be doing water changes of about 25-30% daily to bring down the nitrites.

I don't know how salt will affect your frog as I have never owned one. Salt can burn plecs. The salt you have should have directions on how much to use per gallon. If its table salt make sure its Non-iodized. For example I use Doc Wellington's Aquarium salt and the directions state to use 1 Tablespoon per 5 gal of water as a tropical fish treatment or with a remedy. I was told to add this slowly to get the fish used to it.

I had a Molly with Columnaris once that is similar to what you are describing with the white fuzz covering the body but there are different types of fungus & bacterias. I used Melafix & Primafix to cure it for 7 days in the tank. If you are medicating the tank make sure you remove the carbon from your filter or it will just clean the medications right out of the water.

As for your fish, it seems to me that your tank is overstocked, especially with the plec. They really only need to be fed once a day and can fast 1 day a week if that will help with your weekend situation. Overfeeding can also cause your tank to become polluted with too much ammonia, nitrites & fish waste.


This is the best advice I can give, not sure if anyone else is around that can help me out a little more. Have you had a chance to look at the website I gave you earlier to see if you could identify what exactly your fish have? The site also gives some advice on treatments.

 

[downesdn]

Overstocked? Really. There are only 4 fish, a frog and a pleco in a 10 gallon tank. I really don't like the idea of not feeding them over the weekend. I'll be gone for 4 days this weekend b/c of a family reunion coming up. I've gone before without feeding them for a weekend and I'll come back to a dead fish. Is it really just pure coincidence that they die whenever I'm not home for an extended amount of time? I'll go to a local fish store this evening and see what I can conjure up for Molly. She's in a medicated bowl right now and has been for the past 24 hours. I'll start changing the water in the tank. Don't know about daily as I really don't have that amount of time to spare. I did go to several websites and it looks like Molly just has the fish fungus saphro....whatever it is. But I'll check with some other people. I just hope she's still alive once I get back home. She didn't look too happy or active when I left her this morning.

 

[kimbowee]

Columnaris (Black Molly Disease) appears as a grayish white "fungus-like" appearance on the body surface of the fish. This is also sometimes referred to as "body fungus." However, this infection is caused by a bacterial infection, red spots, open wounds, or ulcers may appear on the fish. Usually before the area infected becomes an open wound, there is a visible discoloration on the body of the fish in the immediate area. Gill bacterial infections can show symptoms of heavy or rapid breathing and swollen eyes. All suspected bacterial infections should be treated immediately.

Columnaris usually presents near the head & sides of the body and is often mistaken for a fungus: it is charactistically white and patchy. This is one of the most commin skin infections of pet fish especially livebearers. Frequesnt water changes a must to improve water quality. Test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.


These I copied from another site for you. I can not find any info on a fish fungus disease saphro anywhere. If it is indeed Columnaris you treating with an anti-fungal will not help the fish.

Yes, I do personally think your tank is overstocked. The general rule is 1" of a full grown fish per gal of water depending on the type of fish. Right now you have 8" of fish with just the Mollies. Mollies can get up to 4" each. Not to mention the plec, who is a huge waste producer and depending on the type of plec can grow upto 20" long. It should really be in a minimum of at least 55 gal but some require 125 gal tank.

If you will be gone for more than 2 days then a automatic feeder might be ok, but for a regular weekend feed Saturday morning & again when you get home Sunday evening and your fish will be fine.

If you have a gravel syphon changing water should take you about 15 minutes a day. You can get one at Petsmart or any other LFS for about $1.50 - $2.00 for that small of a tank. Once your tank is back to good water conditions once a week is all it will need.

While treating your tank you will also want to add an airstone to help oxygen circulation.


Good Luck!