Hi. My tank has been runningfor about a month with good water stats. The tank was fishlessly cycled (160UK gallons) but following this only 7 Mbuna and 8 Synodontis Petricola Catfish were added. Nitrates are about 20.
About a week after adding them I noticed them flicking and rubbing against objects, but could not see any white spots. With the Mbuna they were leaning sideways and flicking the area of their gills. Thinking it must be white spot, and to nip it in the bud, I chose to start treatment with an Ich medication, UK's protozin, for 6 days. It was strange in that someone I would see white grain like spots, but next minute they weren't there. My Rena aquarium lighting is very very poor at showing up signs of disease.
I now believe that this may be tiny grains of coral sand attached to the fish from swimming around the substrate. I can literally look one minute and see a few spots, and the next they are gone in the same lighting in the same place on the fish. All very confusing. I also noticed that one of my fish had haemorragic septicemia, with a bloodied/red area at the base of his dorsal fin. A sure sign of that and I am 100% sure that is the case. This fish is isolated and being treated with an anti bacterial medication.
It also seems apparant that the underside/belly of my Synodontis Petricola is a strange cloudly white/grey colour. However not having paid attention to this area of the fish I don't know if that is normal or not. Some of their black spots are obscured and clouded out so you can only just about see them.
Anyhow last night I seperated another Mbuna, and in the hospital tank lighting I saw clear as day a greyish/white film on the under side of his 'chin/right gill. This is a cloudly area in direct contrast to his colour. This also appears to run alongside his entire underside to the tail.
Will this be excess mucus or could it perhaps be columnaris. Given Colmnaris is a bacterial infection and my fish has Septicemia, could this be the case?
It's all very confusing. I had been treating the tank for whitespot for around 15 days and the flicking just hasn't stopped.
I've been doing 25% water changes daily for the past week. I hear this halts progress of columnaris so could I have a less deadly strain which I am merely 'holding off'?+
Any ideas?
About a week after adding them I noticed them flicking and rubbing against objects, but could not see any white spots. With the Mbuna they were leaning sideways and flicking the area of their gills. Thinking it must be white spot, and to nip it in the bud, I chose to start treatment with an Ich medication, UK's protozin, for 6 days. It was strange in that someone I would see white grain like spots, but next minute they weren't there. My Rena aquarium lighting is very very poor at showing up signs of disease.
I now believe that this may be tiny grains of coral sand attached to the fish from swimming around the substrate. I can literally look one minute and see a few spots, and the next they are gone in the same lighting in the same place on the fish. All very confusing. I also noticed that one of my fish had haemorragic septicemia, with a bloodied/red area at the base of his dorsal fin. A sure sign of that and I am 100% sure that is the case. This fish is isolated and being treated with an anti bacterial medication.
It also seems apparant that the underside/belly of my Synodontis Petricola is a strange cloudly white/grey colour. However not having paid attention to this area of the fish I don't know if that is normal or not. Some of their black spots are obscured and clouded out so you can only just about see them.
Anyhow last night I seperated another Mbuna, and in the hospital tank lighting I saw clear as day a greyish/white film on the under side of his 'chin/right gill. This is a cloudly area in direct contrast to his colour. This also appears to run alongside his entire underside to the tail.
Will this be excess mucus or could it perhaps be columnaris. Given Colmnaris is a bacterial infection and my fish has Septicemia, could this be the case?
It's all very confusing. I had been treating the tank for whitespot for around 15 days and the flicking just hasn't stopped.
I've been doing 25% water changes daily for the past week. I hear this halts progress of columnaris so could I have a less deadly strain which I am merely 'holding off'?+
Any ideas?
I'm bargaining on this just being an illusion - kind of because you expected to see spots 
