Bacterial "mouth Fungus" And How To Make Tank Healthy Again

[danstoner]

I have a fluval edge (6 gallon).

After a few months of being perfectly healthy, my swortails have been getting sick and dying. They go from being perfectly healthy and active but decline very quickly once they start to show "mouth fungus".

Quick Cure (formalin, malachite green) and Aquari-Sol (copper sulfate) have had no effect on the infection.

I believe it is actually bacterial so I plan to start treatment with antibiotics. The outbreak is probably due to rising temperatures (we started setting the house thermostat higher to save energy costs).

http/badmanstropicalfish.com/fish_palace/tropicalfish_disease_identification.html#External

http/www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm


My pH was a little low, I have started frequent water changes to bring this up (tapwater is pH 7.6 and I gradually brought the tank up to the same). All other test parameters looked (and now look) great using API Master test kit.

pH 7.6
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 0 ppm

I have 4 neon tetras who have been unaffected by the whole thing.

So my question is whether I can ever make the tank healthy again and free of this bacteria without completely scrubbing the whole tank and starting from scratch.

How long should I let the tank go before trying to introduce any new fish?

Thanks!

 

[danstoner]

So I went to my local pet store to buy the fish antibiotics and the store no longer sells them! They sold them last week but not today!

Apparently customers have been buying the fish treatments and giving them to their snakes, dogs, and other pets to avoid having to go to the Vet for a prescription.

I walked out with Melafix (Melaleuca) and an airstone.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Melafix will not help. You need an antibiotic. Because I am too lazy to write it all out I took the following from Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Fish Disease and Treatment

Mouth Fungus
Symptoms: White cottony patches around the mouth. Mouth Fungus is so called because it looks like a fungus attack of the mouth. It is actually caused from the bacterium Chondrococcus columnaris. It shows up first as a gray or white line around the lips and later as short tufts sprouting from the mouth like fungus. The toxins produced and the inability to eat will be fatal unless treated at an early stage. This bacteria is often accompanied by a second infection of an Aeromonas bacteria.
Penicillin at 10,000 units per liter is a very effective treatment. Treat with a second dose in two days. Or use chloromycetin, 10 to 20 mg per liter, with a second dose in two days. Other antibiotics can also be effective. Kanacyn (kanamycin) will treat both bacteria at once. Maracyn (erythromycin) is effective against C. columnaris, and using Maracyn 2 (minocycline) in conjuntion with it will treat the Aeromonas bacteria as well.

 

[danstoner]

Melafix will not help. You need an antibiotic. Because I am too lazy to write it all out I took the following from Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Fish Disease and Treatment

I called around town and the specialty LFS is still selling antibiotics, I bought some today (they recommended Maracyn).

My one remaining sword is in a hospital tank for treatment.


Still wondering about the main tank health and how long I should wait before re-introducing new fish. As I said, the neon tetras seem to be completely oblivious to the whole thing.

 

[fluttermoth]

I think you should wait for at least a month before you think about getting any more fish (if you have room in the tank).

The Edge is a very small tank; too small for swordtails, IMO; they can grow to a good 3 or 4 inches long. What fish do you have in there, in total?

 

[danstoner]

I think you should wait for at least a month before you think about getting any more fish (if you have room in the tank).

The Edge is a very small tank; too small for swordtails, IMO; they can grow to a good 3 or 4 inches long. What fish do you have in there, in total?

Now I only have these in the Edge:

4 neon tetras


In hospital tank:

1 female sword, I'm not sure she's gonna make it.


I also have 2 baby swords in a small separate tank.


Maybe I can trade the baby swords (the LFS gives store credit). I was thinking about the Celestial Pearl Danio since they are so small, although they seem kind of expensive.

 

[fluttermoth]

I think you'd be better off with just a couple more neons; shoaling fish look better and act more naturally in larger groups.

If you want to add something else, think about freshwater shrimps; they are very interesting and don't add hardly anything to the bioload of the tank; they do very well in an Edge. Or some snails maybe?