White Fungus On Tips Of Fins...

[PaulEbs]

Hi,

Just realised today that our black moor has white fluffy edges on his fins,

Any help with how to treat and what it is would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks.

 

[tttnjfttt]

It looks like the beginning of fin rot, which is a bacterial infection. I would add an antibacterial med, and also a little bit of salt can also help.

Have you checked your water stats?

 

[PaulEbs]

salt? does that help coldwater species?

I thought fin rot was just when the fins started to split and lose bits. This stuffs like cotton, like a fungus or something.

I'm afraid I don't have any water testing equipment.

Thanks 4 the help.

 

[tttnjfttt]

I know goldfish can easily tollerate salt, they can actually have a higher dose than many other tropical fish. The standard dose is 1 tablespoon for every 5 gallons.

Since you are saying it looks like cotton, then it is a bacteria called columnaris. There are different strains of this, some extremely lethal. I would begin treating ASAP, especially sicne you are in the UK and your antibacterial meds aren't very strong.

 

[PaulEbs]

thanks for the help,

but he only has these slight white tips, allthe diagnosis I have read on columnaris say there are many symptoms, including skin ulcers, and white spots on gills etc.

All pet shops are closed as it's a Sunday evening, so won't be able to buy any treatments yet, but what can I do to help the 'fungus' or whatever it is for now?

 

[tttnjfttt]

There are many different ways columnaris can show up. Usually you don't see all of them together. Any time someone says their fish has "fungus" it does mean the fish has columnaris (except in very very rare cases where it is a true fungal infection).

At any rate, even if it is not columnaris and is just fin rot, the treatment is still the same, an antibacterial medicine.

For tonight, since everything is colsed, the one thing you can do is add salt into your tank. I personally am a fan of aquarium salt, because table salt has iodine and anti-caking agents in it. However, I know wilder, another member who helps in the emergency section alot, uses just plain table salt and has never had problems from this.

 

[PaulEbs]

ok cheers, so can i just mix a couple of tablespoons of salt up and pour into the tank?

[it's a 10 gallon]

 

[tttnjfttt]

Yup. Before you do, how long has this tank been running for? What other fish are in it?

 

[PaulEbs]

It's been running for 2 weeks..

A week cycling, and then we added a calico fantail, plus a black moor and a hillstream loach.

although stupidly we havn't got any ph, ammonia or nitrate/nitrite testing kits so I can't tell u the water condition

 

[tttnjfttt]

How did you cycle the tank?

These answers are actually giving me a pretty good idea of what the water quality results will be.

 

[PaulEbs]

I slowly added the materials [rocks, gravel, java moss and fern] over the course of the week, 10% water changes everyday, with 2 small guppies to make sure the water wasn't going to kill the goldfish straight away.

[this tank and the contents were a present for my girlfriend]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=144324

 

[tttnjfttt]

Ok, here is my best guess on what is all going on in there. When you slowly added the materials, it did nothing. Cycling the tank is when you build up the beneficial bacteria needed to break down the fish's waste. This is only done by the presence of ammonia in the tank. The guppies that were in the tank started producing the ammonia that is necessary, but weren't in there long enough to fully cycle the tank.

Now, ammonia and nitrite are building up in the tank, weakening the fish's immune system. This is why you are now seeing the columnaris.

Before you add any salt, do a water change, about 30%. Over the next few days you will need to do partial water chagnes. Also, take a sample of your water to the LFS and they should test it for free. I would recomend purchasing a good master test kit. Ideally, you want one that is liquid based, not the dip stick type.

Also, your tank is very over stocked. Goldies need 20 gallons for the FIRST fish, and ten gallons for each fish after. The reason why is goldies are very messy fish, and will also grow very large. Even though you just have babies right now, they will need a much larger tank in the future. I would recomend looking at ebay, since there are many good deals avaliable on there.

 

[PaulEbs]

Thanks for the advice, I realise my version of cycling isn't exactly the way forward, but innocently I just wanted it to be ready in time for my girlfriend.

I have a 30 Gallon which were going to use in September when we move out of this place, I realise goldies need space, but we're prepared for that, and at the moment they have sufficient filtration, plus we do 10% changes a day along with the gravel vacs.

I'm going to buy a kit as soon as it's a priority over bills, petrol etc. Money is tight at the moment, and they seem really expensive.

A bit of ignorance on my part though, as I've kept tropical fish in a large 40 Gallon tank for years now and never did a water test, but they all thrive. So I never bothered with testing.

How lethal is columnaris? Does the fish suffer?

Cheers 4 helping.

 

[WILDER]

http/article.discusnews.com/cat-02/columnaries.shtml

 

[tttnjfttt]

Ok, sounds like you are prepared. i'm not sure when the test kits came out, but they are very useful for helping to get tanks up and running. Once they are running, it really isn't useful unless you have a sick fish.

Columnaris can very in how lethal it is, some strains can kill a fish in under 24 hours, others take several days. It really just depends. Your case seems to be pretty mild at the moment, so go ahead and begin treating as soon as you can. Good luck!