Lemon Tetras With White Noses

[BBrain]

Hi, me again, unfortunately. In addition to my pleco with the split fin, I also have some other fish with apparent problems: 2 of my new Lemon Tetras.... See below.....

What has caused this, and what should I do to fix it, please?

Tank size: 27 US gal.
pH: 7.8 (usually 7.5)
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH: about 5.5 dH (100 ppm)
gH: about 5 dH (80 ppm)
tank temp: 25 C

Fish Symptoms:
The day after I bought six Lemon Tetras (bought 7 days ago), I noticed that two of them have white upper lips, as if the skin is worn off. It looks clean. There is no fuzzy stuff (fungus). Behaviour and feeding seems okay.

Volume and Frequency of water changes: about 3 US gals. about twice per week.

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Just planted "Flourish Tabs" in gravel yesterday, plus 2ml "Flourish" liquid. Have been adding "Stress Coat" with each water change, for the new fishes. "Cycle" is added weekly, into filter (Aquaclear 50)

Tank inhabitants: One young Sailfin Pleco was the only fish for over a month, until 7 days ago, when I added these 6 Lemon Tetras plus 3 small Peppered Corys, and 2 days later added 7 small Glowlight Tetras.
AND.......I've found 6 tiny snails in the tank, over the past week! Hitched in on some plants?

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): Java moss and Java fern (attached to wood and rock with nylon fishing line and/or cotton thread. One new rock is slate with sharp edges.

Exposure to chemicals: No meds in the last month

Digital photo....see the one on the left with the white lip, and a normal fish on the right:

Thanks again, kind people!

 

[WILDER]

Mouth fungus (columnaris).
http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/hdcolumn.htm

 

[BBrain]

Thanks once again, Wilder!
I'll treat them for that.

Okay, can you believe this.....another health problem, in the same tank!
One other Lemon Tetra now seems to have gill flukes:
Flared gills, occasionally gasping, occasionally flashing his gill covers on rocks.
I don't like the idea of adding several medications into the tank at once.
I guess I'll have to do a tank treatment for the white noses (columnaris), but I'd like to just do a dip treatment for this one fish wiht the gill flukes, if that's possible.

 

[WILDER]

The whole tank will be affected by the gill flukes, but as you say you are treating the coloumnaris.
You could try the baths but don't no the procedure sorry.
If you have no scaless fish in the tank maybe add some salt.

 

[millym]

hi
as wilder says definitely sounds like the start of columnaris infection. treat quickly & they should be fine. the only other time ive seen a 'white nose' is with one of our otos who when diving up to the surface for a gulp of o2 ( as otos do) hit his little nose on the tank divider as i had the water level up a bit too high.
good luck

 

[BBrain]

Thanks people. It now looks like the gill flukes are spreading fast, since one of my Glowlight Tetras now appears to have a slight gill problem today.

So, I have no choice but to promptly treat the entire tank for both columnaris and gill flukes. I have scaleless fish (3 small Peppered Cories), so I can't use salt as well....right?

For the columnaris, I have Mardel's Maracyn (erythromycin). For the flukes, I have Aquarium Products' APPLUS Anti-Fluke (0,0-dimethyl 1-hydroxy 2-trichloromethyl phosphate ... which I believe is also called trichlorfon). Does this sound like a good treatment?

Thanks again!

EDITED to say: I just read that Anti-Fluke is not to be used on scaleless fish or bottom feeders (I have cories and a pleco). Any other suggestions?

 

[BBrain]

By the way, I didn't want to use an antibiotic, since they are also kill the good biofilter bacteria, but I did try an antibiotic food first, without success. This was Aquarium Products' Gel-Tek Ultra Cure BX. The fish had a sniff at it, but refused to eat it.

 

[WILDER]

Maracyn one and two are not meant to alter the bacteria colony in the filter, but i don't know how reliable that information is as we can't get the meds over here.
As for the flukes if you can't use with scaless fish is there anywhere you can move them, or try and find a med that you can use at half dose with scaless fish.

 

[BBrain]

Maracyn one and two are not meant to alter the bacteria colony in the filter, but i don't know how reliable that information is as we can't get the meds over here.

I believe that's true, from my daughter's experience with them.

As for the flukes if you can't use with scaless fish is there anywhere you can move them, or try and find a med that you can use at half dose with scaless fish.

No place to move them, but I just realized that Jungle Parasite Clear was safely used at full strength with cory cats (my daughter, again!), so I think I'll dose the tank with that (as per my new topic on parasite meds).
http/www.junglelabs.com/pages/details.asp?item=TB636