HELP please, fish gill has fungus

[traco]

My female guppy who has been in my discus tank for almost a year, I have just noticed today that one of her gills totally looking fuzzy, stayed at the top of the tank and was easy to catch. She has been euthanized. All I can think of that has been different was she got bunged up with babies, as I saw two tails sticking out of her yesterday? Could stress or ill health cause this fungus?

One of the angels' long flowing fins has a small fuzzy spot at the very tip.

What do I do, please??? Add salt? Melafix? Or should I treat more aggressively before others start showing symptoms?

This is my 90 gallon with 6 full grown discus, 1 six month old angel, 3 cories, 1 BN pleco, 1 guppy, apple snails. I see no symptoms on any of the discus yet.

Water changes done every second day with aged water of 50%.

For meds I have:

Quick Cure
Maroxy
Formalin 3
Melafix

[pcsb23]

Barb,

Is this tank planted? If so don't add salt to it, it will kill the plants. If you can I would net the angel and give it a 20 min salt bath, 2 tablespoons per gallon. If it rolls over before the 20 mins get it out and back in the main tank straight away.

Other than keep up with the water changes, which you could up if possible for a few days daily, I would not do anything else at this time, other than watch them closely.

hth,

[traco]

Paul, thank you. I will do the salt bath with the one angel and watch everyone else. Forgot to add that there is anubias attached to a piece of driftwood and one crypt in the corner for plants.

I am worried that this might be that stuff that those blue rams I purchased had. Mat said it was lymphocytosis and I ended putting the whole tank down.

I used nothing from the ram tank on any of my other tanks. It was in a closed room upstairs, I washed my hands, etc.... after handling that tank. Please, please, please let it not be that.:(

[AmberC]

Barb... I hope the salt bath works and its not the same disease. If it is.. Can they get this from something in the water? Because I'm sure you would have been very careful not to mix anything that was in that ram tank! Hopefully its just regular fungus and the salt bath will help. Sorry about the guppy :(

Amber

[traco]

I hope so too. I'm feeling pretty sick and hoping it is not the same thing.

[pcsb23]

Paul, thank you. I will do the salt bath with the one angel and watch everyone else. Forgot to add that there is anubias attached to a piece of driftwood and one crypt in the corner for plants.

I am worried that this might be that stuff that those blue rams I purchased had. Mat said it was lymphocytosis and I ended putting the whole tank down.

I used nothing from the ram tank on any of my other tanks. It was in a closed room upstairs, I washed my hands, etc.... after handling that tank. Please, please, please let it not be that.:(

Barb,

The thought had crossed my mind too but I didn't want to raise it in case it caused too much stress. Hopefully your good practice has protected your remaining stock.

If you need to treat the tank at least its easy enough to pull the plants, I'd still just do the salt bath and see how it goes. I usually see a pretty quick improvement if its fungus.

Watch them closely, in your first post you said it was fuzzy, this is a little different to the rams so I'm hoping its nothing more serious than a bit of fungus.

Take care,

[traco]

Yah, I thought it too so I'm sure others are thinking that also. This is definately fuzzy like mold fuzzy. The ram tank was not fuzzy in the least, definately chunky rock salt looking.

I threw away the net, airline tubing and powerhead from that sick tank. I bleached the tank and heaters that were used in it.

I'm just cleaning a container to do the salt bath in. Just cleaning with hot, hot water, nothing else.

[pcsb23]

Barb,

If you can add an airstone to the container, not essential jsut helps a little. Cleaning it with very hot water will be fine.

[traco]

Okay, I've done the salt bath and he was fine in it for the 20 minutes. Back in the tank now, swimming with the others.

Now it is just a waiting game to see how things go. Thank you Paul and Amber for your replies. It is so nice to know there are always good friends here who help me out.:D

[traco]

3 days later after the salt bath. The one ventral fin had the small bit of fungus on it which was still there after the salt bath. I notice today that that same ventral fin has eroded a bit and still has the fungus on it. I see no other fish with fungus on them.

Another salt bath? I have added nothing to the tank yet, no salt or meds.

[pcsb23]

Barb,

I would do another and repeat it every other day. It important to keep the tank and water as clean as possible too. If in 4 or 5 days no improvement you will need to use meds. If you do decide to medicate a qt tank would be best.

Fungus and fin rot are usually secondary infections. If the salt baths don't work Furan II is a good choice if you can get it, if not the maroxy could work.

Keep the temps in the mid 80's for now.

hth,

[traco]

Can I up the salt ratio? Last one I did was 2 tablespoons to one gallon. Could I go 3 tablespoons to one gallon?

And I should up my water changes to every day for now to get things as clean as possible? One ventral is shorter than the other now so maybe a combo of fin rot and fungus could cause this? Hopefully it will grow back.

Thanks Paul.:)

[AmberC]

If there is some fin rot there a little melafix would help. I think uping the water changes is a good idea, it certainly couldn't hurt!

Amber

[pcsb23]

Can I up the salt ratio? Last one I did was 2 tablespoons to one gallon. Could I go 3 tablespoons to one gallon?

And I should up my water changes to every day for now to get things as clean as possible? One ventral is shorter than the other now so maybe a combo of fin rot and fungus could cause this? Hopefully it will grow back.

Thanks Paul.:)

Yes you can go as high as 5 tablespoons per 1 gallon for a bath,but watch them closely and all the time. If you can go to daily w/c then yes its a good idea to. You can bath every day too, but I prefer days about.

I would normally expect the fin to grow back.

[traco]

Okay, thanks you two.:) I'll try the 3 tablespoons salt and I do sit and watch the whole time while the angel is in it. And, (sigh....:o ), I'll go to daily water changes to help everything.

I'll keep the salt baths to every second day for this one and the next and see how things are going.

[Spices]

Okay, thanks you two.:) I'll try the 3 tablespoons salt and I do sit and watch the whole time while the angel is in it. And, (sigh....:o ), I'll go to daily water changes to help everything.

I'll keep the salt baths to every second day for this one and the next and see how things are going.

Hi Barb,
Keep us posted. I had this occurrence raised with the koi angels I had last year. First one had it and then it seemed to spread to the other koi angels. It seems like a fungal infection (cottony-fungus).

Keep up with the daily water change and salt. But I agree that Melafix should aide in this area.