stillnzcookie Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 ...you can't catch a sick fish to treat it? One of our ember tetras has a fungal infection/growth around its mouth, but it's been there for about 6 weeks now and I still can't catch the little critter! Am I better to just leave it and let nature take its course, or should I treat the whole tank? As far as I can tell, all the other fish are fine, and all our water parameters are good. The sick fish still seems to be able to eat and is otherwise acting normally, but it's a big, cotton-wool-like growth (relative to such a tiny fish - it's about half the size of the fish. It looks like the fish has a beard) and it has changed colour from white to brown/black. I don't want to risk making the other fish sick by treating the whole tank, but I feel awful about leaving it - what do you think I'm best to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 Empty the tank 50 - 75% (make it a great water change) and remove everything you can take out. Then use two nets. If the other fish are fine its not worth the expense of treating the whole tank but with other fish in there, you do run the risk of infecting them if it is a bacterial infection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 11, 2014 Report Share Posted November 11, 2014 You sometimes find these growths eventually get knocked off and the fish has healed perfectly underneath. If it is eating and acting normally I would be inclined to leave it be. I suspect it injured itself at some point and the injury then developed the fungal growth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted November 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2014 Thanks for the replies, even if the advice is conflicting! As it is still swimming and eating normally, and still has good colour, I think I'll take Caryl's advice and leave it be for now. I'm hoping to pull the tank down over Christmas and set up a slightly bigger one, so I'll be able to catch it and deal with it then anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 12, 2014 Report Share Posted November 12, 2014 Watch it carefully. It is not always easy to tell the difference between a true fungus around the mouth and "mouth fungus" which is bacterial and could infect other fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 12, 2014 Report Share Posted November 12, 2014 Good to know Alan. I have never had a fish with the infectious version (fins crossed), just an old wound that healed over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted November 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2014 Watch it carefully. It is not always easy to tell the difference between a true fungus around the mouth and "mouth fungus" which is bacterial and could infect other fish. How do I tell the difference? Obviously I'll watch to see none of the other fish gets it, but apart from that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 13, 2014 Report Share Posted November 13, 2014 Do a google search for columnaris or saddleback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted November 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2014 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted December 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Well, I finally managed to catch it today, and have put it in a little (2L) container dosed with acriflavine. Unfortunately I suspect it may be too late - I was only able to catch it because it was so sick It has become really skinny over the last couple of weeks so I think it may not be able to eat anything anymore - if this is the case, I doubt there is anything I can do to help it, sadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted December 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 ...although, I dropped a bit of food soaked in garlic in there 5 minutes ago, and it was busily picking at the food on the bottom when I looked just now - I won't give up hope quite yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted December 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 Desperate times call for desperate measures... Fishy was looking pretty grim again today, soooo, I took it out of the water and carefully removed all the growth (as carefully as I could with such a tiny fish - I used tweezers and nail scissors). I decided that it would definitely die if I did nothing, so it was worth a last-ditch effort. I know some people will think I should have just put it out of its misery, and perhaps they're right - I don't know whether or not I made the right call. But it's currently swimming around in its wee hospital container, so we'll see what happens over the next few days. If, by some miracle, it recovers and survives, I'm going to give it a name - suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjansss Posted December 8, 2014 Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 Fuzzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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