Mouth Ich?

[cookiemistress]

I noticed earlier one of our mollies has what looks like white fluffy bits on her bottom lip, she's being very lethargic but does sometimes swim around normally, she also sorts of wiggles her whole body where the other female just moves her fins when swimming in the same spot. We have isolated her so the others can't chase her and stress her out too much, pics don't really show it up either i'm afraid. 
My partner says it looks like white spot/ich, nothing on any other fish and they all perfectly normal.
 
Is it likely to be ich? if so would anti-fungal meds help?

 

[fluttermoth]

Ich is never fluffy; it's always clearly defined spots, and it would be all over the fish, not just on it's mouth. If it was ich, you'd need an ich medication; the ich parasite isn't a fungus
 
It could be so-called 'mouth fungus', which is really a bacterial infection. If it is that, then anti fungal meds won't work, and you'll need an anti bacterial med.

 

[cookiemistress]

Oh right thanks, only though it could be mouth ich as we looked online and found quite a few sources describing exactly what she has, but will look for anti bac med

 

[fluttermoth]

When I Googled 'mouth ich', looking for what you might have found, I just got this thread and a load of stuff about Rammstein, lol! There, honestly is no such thing as ich that makes fish's mouth's fluffy
 
Go with the anti bacterial, but I feel I ought to warn you that mouth fungus (which is caused by a bacteria called Flexibacter columnaris) can be the very devil to treat
 
It's also very contagious, so isolate the sick fish totally, if you can.
 
Sorry I can't sound more positive; best of luck, and let us know how she gets on.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

 There is no such thing as mouth ich.
 

Mouth Fungus is so called because it looks like a fungus attack of the mouth. It is actually caused from the bacterium Chondrococcus columnaris. It shows up first as a gray or white line around the lips and later as short tufts sprouting from the mouth like fungus. The toxins produced and the inability to eat will be fatal unless treated at an early stage. This bacteria is often accompanied by a second infection of an Aeromonas bacteria.
     Penicillin at 10,000 units per liter is a very effective treatment. Treat with a second dose in two days. Or use chloromycetin, 10 to 20 mg per liter, with a second dose in two days. Other antibiotics can also be effective. Kanacyn (kanamycin) will treat both bacteria at once. Maracyn (erythromycin) is effective against C. columnaris, and using Maracyn 2 (minocycline) in conjuntion with it will treat the Aeromonas bacteria as well.

from http/animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/Diseases.htm#Mouth%20Fungus
 
This stuff is all available in the states. I don't know what is available in the UK. I have treated this successfully in the past.

 

[cookiemistress]

When I Googled 'mouth ich', looking for what you might have found, I just got this thread and a load of stuff about Rammstein, lol! There, honestly is no such thing as ich that makes fish's mouth's fluffy

 
Go with the anti bacterial, but I feel I ought to warn you that mouth fungus (which is caused by a bacteria called Flexibacter columnaris) can be the very devil to treat

 
It's also very contagious, so isolate the sick fish totally, if you can.
 
Sorry I can't sound more positive; best of luck, and let us know how she gets on.

 
When you say isolate do you mean in a seperate tank?

 

[fluttermoth]

If that's possible, yes.

 

[cookiemistress]

Just gone to put treatment in and noticed that she wasn't moving, on closer inspection she'd died recently as she was moving when i went out
Still going to treat tank as i don't want the others to get ill

 

[fluttermoth]

Sorry to hear that, cookiemistress

 

[cookiemistress]

Sorry to hear that, cookiemistress

(

 
She was pretty fingers crossed the others are fine.
How long do you think i should treat the tank for? and as for water changes how often to do them now i'm treating?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Follow the directions on the medication for both dosing and duration of treatment.