Columnaris - Just For Anyone Who Has Got New Fish

[blackbat]

I just wanted to post about columnaris as it might be of use to someone who has fish dying and they don't know why.

I finally got my tank cycled and put my fish in and then i went out and got to lovely siver sharks from a shiney new fish shop.
low and behold two days later one of them looked like he had finrot.
I treated him but he died then other fish started to get fungus and died and other fish died with no obvious symptoms at all. It nearly wiped my tank out and i only had 1 silver shark and some tetra and 1 gourami and my pleco left.
I was baffled all fungus treatments failed
my fish were still dying
then i read about this horrid tank killer coloumnaris. I after many calls got a vet to give me antibiotics to mix with food (so i could treat plec and other fish) and I only lost 2 more fish after this. one scissortail and the other shark
I lost both sharks 2 tetra and 5 scissortails before i could save the rest.

this thing mimics other illnesses like fin rot and fungus and sometimes it just attacks internally and the fish seem to have died from nothing.

So I just wanted to post here about it incase it helps anyone as I hear a lot from ppl that they got new fish and all their fish died and they stopped keeping fish as they become disheartened.
I am stubbon and refused to give up. I love my pleco and gourami too much.

All the best to anyone having problems like this in finding a vet to help in the uk.

 

[WILDER]

Columnaris can show it's self in many disguises, like spots, different colours, cotton wool appearance, even pale bleached out patches, saddleback columnaris, to mouth fungus columnaris.
Brought on by stress, bad water quality, temp, overstocking.
This is the best site I've found on it.
http/article.discusnews.com/cat-02/columnaries.shtml

 

[QuotheRaven]

In my scepticism of my LFS diagnosis on my fish I believe what I have is Columnaris...as my fish seem to have fungus and finrot sometimes and nothing happens...Wilder does columnaris stay in a tank at all or if the fish show no signs of it is it gone?? sorry for asking this question in this thread Im just wondering

 

[blackbat]

http/www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/d...columnaris.html
this helped me

 

[WILDER]

Yes according to some columnaris does live in your tank water and that why it only takes a stressed fish to kick in.

 

[blackbat]

i brought it in the tank when i got the new fish, the med food and turning the temp down worked. I also salted up the tank and used melafix to heal the fish

 

[QuotheRaven]

I think I have columnaris but some symptoms don't seem right and my LFS diagnosed velvet which some symptoms aren't right either....mystery deadly disease

 

[WILDER]

Its hard at times as columnaris can show like a parasite as it comes in colours of brown, yellow, white, pink i think, plus they can heavy brreath with it and flick and rub.

 

[blackbat]

I think I have columnaris but some symptoms don't seem right and my LFS diagnosed velvet which some symptoms aren't right either....mystery deadly disease

I missed your post what are the symptoms?

 

[QuotheRaven]

well it started as a greyish film on the back which then progressed to the tail, dorsal and side fins being eaten away... the fish are lethargic and in the bad cases the fish's skin is falling away... the majority of the fish are not eating either...and they have rapid breathing

 

[WILDER]

It sounds like a parasite with a bacterial infection on top, sorry deleted that thought you said a green colour.


I would look into a parasite as that can make the skin fall away.
Chilodonella- This disease has a habit of showing up when a fish has been injured. The parasite attacks the fish, but can spread to healthy fish in crowded conditions. The disease is very debilitating and in severe cases can cause long-term damage to the gills. Symptoms: The fish might have clamped fins, they may be gasping at the surface or swimming around with labored breathing. They may be lethargic and spend more time hiding. Affected fish might rub against hard objects and hold in their fins. A whitish blue opaqueness might cover the skin, particularly between the head and the dorsal fin. If the gills are affected, the respiration rate increases noticeably. The later stages of the infection will give the skin a swollen appearance then fall away. Treatment: If the fish is fairly strong, a good treatment is to try a 3% salt dip. (this is a great cure to this) Keep the fish in the salt solution until they roll over, then put them back in the tank. For alternative treatment, and less stress for your fish, try a salt solution of 1% and let the fish swim in it for 10-15 minutes, then replace the fish back in the tank. Their are medications available at the pet stores. Look there and follow the directions accordingly. The parasites will die off if in the tank with no fish if they are left that way for 5 days. You must still treat your fish! Quick Cure works good for this issue. Quick Cure Directions: 3% salt dip, then administer Quick Cure for 3 days, doing 30% water changes each day before adding more medication.

 

[WILDER]

http/network.bestfriends.org/friends_of_.../news/5401.html

 

[blackbat]

just to add to this the symptoms where present I had from columnaris. not all of the symptoms were present when fish died and the symptoms varied between fish some having more than one and some having none.

shimmying flicking and darting
white fluffy cotton wool
finrot (red bloody patches and fungus and broken/torn shabby fins)
white/grey patches on body
mouth rot
a dome like white patch on mouth
laboured breathing and swimming or resting at top of tank
fish sitting at the bottom of tank and being listless
some fish had nothing
and dulling of colours and palid colourings

I was at a total loss for days what was causing the fish to die as I was treating each symptom at no avail
I dreaded waking up to find another fish dead
this attacks internally and externally so each fish can present with differing symptoms.

 

[QuotheRaven]

I added aquarium salt last night for my fish and they have gotten MUCH better my barbs danios rasbora's angels and severum are all eating with my rendahls catfish and giant pencil fish still hiding...

 

[QuotheRaven]

woohoo 500 Posts

thanks for the help wilder and blackbat