Please Help,1st Fish Illness Ive Had! Fungus Maybe?

[Colin_T]

If it's the white bit on the fin on the left hand side of the picture, then it is just fungus (Saprolegnia).

Fungus lives in the water all the time but only infects a fish when the fish gets damaged. This damage can be caused by an injury (scratch or bite) or from poor water quality damaging the fish's mucous coating and skin. Then the damaged area allows the fungus to get in and infect the fish. Cool water temperatures can also encourage fungal infections.

If none of the other fish are injured they probably won't develop it. But if the water isn't good, or they are breeding or fighting, then others might develop the same problem. Basically it can spread to everyone in the tank but is unlikely to do so unless the other fish are sick or injured as well.

Make sure the tank is clean, (regular water changes and gravel cleans), also clean the filter if it hasn’t been done in the last few weeks. Make sure the temperature is 24C or above. Then use a broad spectrum anti-bacterial/ anti-fungal medication. There are heaps of them around so you shouldn't have trouble finding one. You want a medication that treats bacteria as well as fungus because the fungal infection often allows bacteria into the wound as well.
Generally any medication containing Methylene Blue or Malachite Green should get rid of it.
Methylene Blue will make the silicon (glue holding the glass together) go blue and it will probably wipe out the filter bacteria so you should monitor the water quality for several weeks after you have treated them.

To work out the volume of water in the tank
measure Length x Width x Height in cm
divide by 1000
equals volume in litres

When measuring the height, measure from the top of the gravel to the top of the water level. If you have big rocks or driftwood in the tank, remove them before measuring the height.

Remove carbon from the filter before treating otherwise it will absorb the medication out of the water.

 

[mark1979]

thanks for the replys guys

colin i have used interpet no8 anti fungus and finrot,which contains phenoxyethanol,is this going to help?

my water quality has been as good as i could get,i had a few days of high nitrites,but i 50% water changed all of them!!

 

[Colin_T]

the high nitrites were probably what caused the initial problem.

No idea about the Interpet #8 and Phenoxyethanol but if it is meant to treat fungus, then it should work.

 

[WILDER]

It might work on fungus the interpet med but its crap on columnaris.

 

[mark1979]

i had 1 chance to get another close piccy,so here it is,its not great but better!!

atleast the poor chap is coming out!!

can i add another med now or not?

 

[WILDER]

Litte cutie. I have one panda cory left had him over 4 years. Lost his mates last year, Both were females.

If no improvement in a few days you might need to change meds.

 

[mark1979]

Litte cutie. I have one panda cory left had him over 4 years. Lost his mates last year, Both were females.

If no improvement in a few days you might need to change meds.

what would you advise then as an alternative med for him?

i will go out and buy it 2moz,as monday is bank holiday and the lfs near me is closed!!

would i need to use the carbon to take this interpet med out of the water,and if so how long leave it in there for?

is it wise taking him out and isolating him? i didnt wanna stress him out more,so left him in main tank

 

[pippoodle]

is the tank fully cycled just wondering cos of the nitrites spiking?

this could be the cause of the fungus thats all

 

[mark1979]

is the tank fully cycled just wondering cos of the nitrites spiking?

this could be the cause of the fungus thats all

yes it is cycled,i had them spikes a while back,and they havent returned.

i did a 50% water change on my then 260L every day until it dropped to 0

is that piccy i added any clearer to what the problem is?

 

[WILDER]

Myxazin by waterlife has Malachite green as an ingredient.

You would have to do a water change and run some black carbon to get the other med out of the tank.

 

[mark1979]

Myxazin by waterlife has Malachite green in it.

can i add that straight to the tank,or to the cory on its own in a hospital tank?

and how long would i need the carbon in to remove the med from the tank,its a 125L

 

[WILDER]

Sorry myxazin dosn't have m green in it.

Waterlife Myxazin
contains formalin


Fungal Infections
Info taken from here.
http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm


Symptoms:

Fungal infections can be differentiated from other infestations because white, gray or brown cotton-like growths can be seen on the fish.



Cause:

Healthy fish are not affected by fungi, but succumb following an injury to the skin. Fungal infections are caused by various species of Fungi, such as Saprolegnia and Achlya.



Treatment:

The most important thing to do is return water quality to optimal levels. Since fungal infections are not contagious to otherwise healthy fish, treating only the infected fish is recommended. Treatment should include dabbing the affected area with a cotton swab dipped in Methylene Blue. Use caution in the fish’s eye area because Methylene Blue can cause permanent damage if applied directly. If the eye is infected, or the fish is small, a dip is preferable. Prepare a bucket using fresh, dechlorinated water of the same temperature and pH as the water in the aquarium. Add one drop of Methylene Blue for each gallon of water and place the fish in it for ten to twenty minutes. Dips may be repeated up to two times a day until symptoms have subsided. If several fish are affected, treat the entire tank with Methylene Blue, Fungus Eliminator, Fungus Guard, or Fungus Cure.

 

[mark1979]

####,i doubt i could swab my little cory,he is tiny!!

i may go for the dip then,that sounds alot less stressfull

would you suggest the myxazin 1st,then try the meth blue?

 

[WILDER]

I would do the methylene blue dips. It's quite rare to see fungal deseases so I don't know much about them.
Colin t might be more help.

 

[mark1979]

this fungus or whatever it is,seems to be getting bigger!!

not spreading over the body,but larger within itself