There goes another serpae

[mitche8359]

I lost another serpae tetra today. It had a large white spot on it which made me think ich. The spot was hairy. I treated the large tank with ich medication since I lost a serpae a few weeks ago to ich. The white spot dissipated to some degree but never really went away. I tried treating the tank a second time and at the end of the second treatment, the tetra died. A smaller serpae was nipping at it the night before. I suspect it is the same culprit that's been nipping at the neons and angels. Anyone have another idea of what the infliction might have been? I've been looking around for symptoms but haven't seen large white spot mentioned.

 

[loganj]

Well, off the top of my head @ 5 am (what...huh...yawn... ), it sounds like a fungus. The white fuzzy appearance is the trademark of a fungal infection. Metheylene blue is a good general antifungal. Best to use it in a quarantine/hospital tank though as it will stain some things...makes your airlines the coolest shade of blue. Also, if I remember (and boy is that EVER questionable) correctly, tetras are sensitive to it and require a reduced dose. It may be malachite green that I'm thinking of...too early in the morning and haven't had any vitamin C (read coffee) yet.
Logan J

 

[mitche8359]

You're right that malachite green has a reduced dosage for tetras. I'll find out about the metheylene blue when I pick some up.

Anything I can do to treat the main tank? I'll have to read about fungal outbreaks, but I lost two corries the other week on the same day with no outward sign of a cause. Could a fungal infection behave in that manner?

 

[targaboy78]

Hi mitche8359,

Saprolegniasis is mainly a secondary infection seen after damage to the fish integument (skin and gills) caused by parasites, viruses, bacterial infections and other skin damage. Other predisposing factors include water pollution and overcrowding. Less commonly, Saprolegnia can act as a primary pathogen infecting fish that haven’t shown signs of previous damage. It is believed that such attacks are temperature-dependant, usually occurring at low temperatures, possibly as a consequence of a reduced immune response. I have seen two separate cases recently involving orfe that were severely infected without any other signs of damage.

http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/disease/fungus.htm

Just wanted to mention my recent experience in dealing with a fungal outbreak. I purchased FUNGUS ELIMINATOR by Jungle Laboratories and it cleared up within 1 day.

My Kribensis still has the open sores and now I am trying to treat the bacterial infection that possibly caused the fungus.

I hope this helps.

 

[mitche8359]

Thanks for the info, targaboy. So far the other fish in the tank are looking ok. Not sure if I should treat the tank for fungus or not right now.

I did see the last remaining serpae do something strange. I glanced over at the tank and saw him coughing up what looked like floss with eggs in it. I don't know if he picked this up off the bottom and had it in his mouth and I just saw him letting go but it toko him several tries to get rid of it. I'm keeping my eye on both the floss substance and the fish to see what develops.