White Spot ?

[seanmcn]

Hi folks, kinda new to this game, so a little nervous about asking your help, however

I got a 24" tank at Christmas & have been getting on fine since then.

Started off with 10 neons (have 7 left) added 2 Guppy's, 2 swordtail, 2 black widows, 2 black mollies & one siamese fighter.

Have been doing water changes every 2nd day, getting my water checked once a week and adding fish accordingly, all on the adive of my local supplier.

I bought the 2 black mollies on Saturday & immediately noticed small white spots on one, after phoning my supplier they confirmed that it may be whitespot & suggested I treat the tank with 'Protozin' ( a 4 day course, treated on day 1,2,3 & 6)

However when I came home tonight one of the Molly's had developed a large white mark, almost like a bite, most of the white spots seem to have gone & been replaced with that she was also lying under a little bridge I have in my tank & looked dead, however after a little stimulation, she swam away freely & is still moving OK just now.

Just a little concerned for her & also my other fish, who all seem fine & have NOT yet developed any spots.

Any advice please ?

Thanks.

 

[WILDER]

Welcome to the board, and don't be nervous about asking question thats what the board is for, right the molly the white mark where is it on the fish and does it look fluffy in appearance, does it have any red circling on the outside or a red spot in the middle of it.

http/www.badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article2.html

 

[seanmcn]

Welcome to the board, and don't be nervous about asking question thats what the board is for, right the molly the white mark where is it on the fish and does it look fluffy in appearance, does it have any red circling on the outside or a red spot in the middle of it.

http/www.badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article2.html

Thanks !

Its on it's right hand side, just behind the fin, no other markings of any noticable colour, but yeah it does look kinda fluffy.

 

[WILDER]

Sadly you are dealing with columnaris can you issolate the sick fish.
http/article.discusnews.com/cat-02/columnaries.shtml

 

[seanmcn]

Sadly you are dealing with columnaris can you issolate the sick fish.
http/article.discusnews.com/cat-02/columnaries.shtml

Unfortunately, as it is a relatively new tank, I don't yet have a seperate quarentine (hospital) area.

 

[WILDER]

Don't like mixing meds in a main tank, have you increased aeration, you could try anti internal bacteria med by interpet, but be warned some fish just cant tolerate two meds, plus columnaris can be hard to cure, so the ball is in your court, good luck.

 

[seanmcn]

Don't like mixing meds in a main tank, have you increased aeration, you could try anti internal bacteria med by interpet, but be warned some fish just cant tolerate two meds, plus columnaris can be hard to cure, so the ball is in your court, good luck.

Well the black molly in question did indeed develop red markings around the wound, then started to list to one side & has now sadly died.

Is there any precautions or good practices I should be undertaking now ?

I am still doing an aprox 2" water change every 2nd day & adding 'Protozin to treat the tank.

 

[WILDER]

Sorry for your loss, R.I.P. Just carry on with the whitespot med, good luck.

 

[seanmcn]

Sorry for your loss, R.I.P. Just carry on with the whitespot med, good luck.

2 final questions (promise)

Should I just continue with the Protozin until it's finished ? (cos the bottle says use on the 1,2,3, & 6th day, I take it they mean on a continual basis)

I'm due to get my water tested tomorrow, what impact are recent events likely to have on my Ph/nitrate levels etc ?

Thanks again

 

[tttnjfttt]

You should definately continue medicating for the recomended time. Ich have 4 life cycles, only one is the white spots on the fish. To complicate this even more, the ich parasite is only sensitive to meds in one of the four stages.

As for your water stats, it should have no impact. However, some meds can send your tank into a mini-cycle by killing off some of the beneficial bacteria. I have never used the med you are (as i am in the US and it isn't sold here) so I can't help you there.

 

[WILDER]

Do a thirty percent water change, then add the med again, good luck.