Help please!

[hello kitty]

lol mmmm! i have to fix my hoover! ive been sat here panicking for past hour! thanks for all your help. if its been attacked that would explain the fact that its pretty still and hiding wouldnt it?

 

[glolite]

Now hubby's hairdressers turned up so the plates of grub are in the oven Ahhh 10 mins to myself. I reckon your red T shark has given the bala a hefty shove and your right his hiding. If your tank is fairly big they may find their own territories, especially as they are still growing. The only thing that bothers me is that you said the spot is woolly. Difficult without seeing the fish in the flesh if you see what I mean. I'd keep an eye on them especially at feeding time as that's when fish seem to get most aggressive. Hope you get on ok.

 

[hello kitty]

yeah i think thats maybe whats happened as he was fine yesterday. cant understand the woolyness though! the red t seems to ignore all the other fish. i hope the bala will be ok!

 

[glolite]

I hope the bala is ok too. Let us know how you get on. If it helps, whitespot looks like bits of cottonwool attached to the body.

 

[hello kitty]

yeah thats what it looks like like a whispy cloud! i might try get some stuff for it tomorrow. how do i treat it just put some stuff in the tank?

 

[pica_nuttalli]

not ich... fungal infection, probably. most descriptions of it are exactly "white wooly patch". from the pinned topics:

Fungus:: Common disease that effects all kinds tropical fish. Fungus mostly infects in poor water conditions in which there are unacceptable levels of ammonia or nitrites. Fin nippers will damage the fins of other fish making them more susceptible to fungal infections and external bacterial infections such as fin and tail rot.

Symptoms A white cottony fluff will appear on fish. Can be around body or in mouth. Fin rot appears as white on ends of fins.

Treatment: Relatively easy. Add appropriate medication (Available for all fungal infections). If fish are salt tolerant add salt. Raise the temp to 30 deg C or 80deg F.

for future reference, ich appears in little dots all over the body. it's generally described as looking like "grains of sugar or salt".

once you cure your bala, there are two big issues you should be aware of: (1) red-tailed sharks will attack any other shark-shaped fish and such an attack is probably what brought on this infection, (2) balas will quickly grow to 12" in length whether your tank is big enough or not. you should seriously reconsider owning balas, unless you have a 90+ gallon tank. if you do have a 90+ gallon tank, then you should purchase additional silver sharks; they are a skittish schooling fish and do much better in groups of 6 or more.