Possible Columnaris

[jonnyf84]

My old lass is sick, shes a common plec, one of my favorites but she is getting old and to be honest i think she might be on her last legs. She has never been the darkest or most striking fish but lately I have noticed she has been getting paler and paler, I've been racking my brains and have decided the most likely source is Columnaris, i can't be sure though so i will keep a eye on her for further developments over the next 24 hours but last night i did notice some odd colouring on a male plecs skin as well, it was yellowish but not the typical fluffy, stacked, cottton wool like stuff that people associate with Columnaris, the problem is he is very shy so i can't keep an eye on him - i think it was the first time i've seen him in close to a month!

But this did prompt me into looking at treatments, i was tempted by melafix-the main ingredient been cajuput which is a natural essential oil, more of a stimulant really but might give them a boost to combat whatever is wrong. The other option and the reason for this post is Interpets No.8 - the main ingredient been phenoxyethanol - now this stuff sounds scary, primerally used in cosmetic products and for preservation it can have negative effects on human skin and can cause nausea, diarreah and all sorts of nasties, it is used in the animal trade as a anasthetic but rarely as a treatment. Has anybody got any experience with it?

Of coarse she could just be losing her colouring due to old age but the discolouring of the male did make me worry, none of the other fish in the community tank look sick.

Many thanks,
Jonny

 

[WILDER]

Size of tank in gallons or litres.
How many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.

The yellow on the fish does it glow up a golden colour.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing.
Columnaris can be yellow aswell.


http/www.nippyfish.net/flexibacter.html

Anti finrot and fungus med by interpet not very good on columnaris.

 

[jonnyf84]

what would you recommend to treat Columnaris then?

 

[WILDER]

Myxazin by waterlife and pimafix.

 

[jonnyf84]

Myxazin by waterlife and pimafix.

mmm i did wonder, i dosed myxazin a few weeks ago for a little bit of fin rot.

So use the stated dose on the bottles and dose both meds at the same time?

 

[WILDER]

Yes both meds at the same time and stated dose.
Don't forget to increase aeration as meds reduce 02 in the water.
Good Luck.

 

[jonnyf84]

yup, cheers.

 

[millym]

hi imo youre wise to steer clear of interpet 8 ( phenoxyethanol) we had a nasty experience with the stuff years ago it knocked out our tiger barbs for about 4 days & when i say knocked out i mean they were unconscious- they spent 4 days nose down asleep, we were horrified & mystified until i looked on the net & found out phenoxyethanol sued to be used as a fish anaesthetic, our barbs recovered with no ill effects but it gave us a scare! i would also use myaxin. good luck

 

[WILDER]

Poor things. Never heard of that before. Never rated the med anyway.

 

[jonnyf84]

Thanks for that. I had read that it is used as a aneasthetic which prompted me to get some opinions before i subject my fish to this torture. Honestly, some of the stuff that go into some of these medicines are just lethal - i dont know how these companies get away with it!

 

[WILDER]

How are the fish doing jonny.

 

[black angel]

how old is the fish?

jumping to conclusions isnt a good way to diagnose any fish..test the water...and post a pic.

 

[jonnyf84]

how old is the fish?

jumping to conclusions isnt a good way to diagnose any fish..test the water...and post a pic.

i wouldn't call doing research and asking questions jumping to conclusions, that is one thing i don't do when it comes to my fish.

I'm not exactly sure how old she is as she was fully grown when i got her, she must be pushing on 10, maybe older. I test water parametres regularly - no abnormalities. My original question was more about the chemical Phenoxyethanol than a diagnosis.

 

[jonnyf84]

How are the fish doing jonny.

Not to bad thanks wilder, they certainy haven't deteriated. I have not medicated yet as i found a clutch of eggs that the male was tending to in his cave which is a rare occasion for these particular fish, i do breed bristlenose plecs but not via this setup in question, the male and female were bought as adults and bought seperately, the old lass has layed eggs many times but the male has never fathered them - this is very encouraging as far as the fishes health goes.

 

[WILDER]

Ok.
Good Luck.