Black Moor Help!

[Darling_Mudlark]

Hello everyone. I am new to the forum (and fish care in general) and worried about my darling Black Moor, Mudlark.

The photo above shows Mudlark before I left. I brought him home in early July and he's been thriving ever since. I've been away on business for two weeks and I returned today to find poor Mudlark with a strange whitish mouth. I've had another fish lover feeding him daily and doing weekly water changes while I was away. He otherwise appears to be fine, he's eating and not acting lethargic. The only cause for concern is his white mouth. It looks strange. No spots anywhere else on his body, no sign of distress otherwise, but I am very worried. It looks as if the skin on his mouth is dead or something terrible

Any ideas of a possible problem causing this? I am hoping if it is a disease it's early enough to treat successfully.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

A.L.

 

[Sunny_Bee]

Is it like fungus growing on his mouth, or is the skin slothing off rapidly?

Also, could you tell us as much as possible about your tank? (size, filter, water perameters)

 

[Darling_Mudlark]

Sunny_Bee:

Thank you for your speedy reply!

I have a 5 gallon tank with a whisper power filter, tank light, and bubble maker. I do partial water changes (1/3) weekly and add "start right" to tap water before adding it to the tank. I recently put in a few bulbs that are now growing into green plants. I change the carbon filter once a month or sooner if it seems clogged. I feed him fish flakes once daily. He is the only fish in the tank.

I know he will need a larger tank soon, he is about 2 inches from head to tail-tip at the moment. I have plans to upgrade to a 10-20 gallon in the next few months.

The white area on/around his mouth reminds me of how human skin looks when it has been soaking in a bathtub or pool for several hours. I don't see any signs of peeling or fungal growth, but it is hard to tell because he moves so fast!

I do notice that he likes to pick at the gravel at the bottom of his tank with his mouth quite often.

 

[WILDER]

Your tanks way to small for a goldfish glad you are up grading.
Is the mouth rotting away.
White mouths are columnaris false name mouth fungus.
Uk myxazin and pimafix for columnaris.