Anybody have advice re: fungus in a new tank?

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jerifish

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
4
Location
Vancouver, WA
Hey all!

Does anyone have advice on what to do with a "white cottony mouth" fungal issue in a new ten gallon f/w tank?

I set my tank up on 2/14/11. Added (at the advice of the "aquarist specialist" at the PetCo close to my home) 3 bleeding heart tetras to cycle it - two are fairly mature and at least 3/4 inch long, one is a "baby". A week later things were going good according to my "Petco guy" and he suggested I buy a couple of platys so I did. One of the platys obviously had tail rot and died within 2 days of purchase - not of tail rot i think but because of poor (cycling) water contitions. Petco replaced the dead platy with a healthy one. I then noticed a white cottony patch on the "chin" of one of my bigger tetras. Went back to Petco and was told to treat for seven days with Melafix & Pimafix (take out filter, etc.) I was reluctant to take out the filter and medicate as this was a new tank and still cycling but did "as told" by those who are supposed to know more than me. After seven days the fungus had not only not went away but had increased on his chin. I then tried "Tetragaurd with Halo Shield". Dosed the tank for the required 5 days and saw a decrease in the white spot on the originally infected tetra, but saw that my smaller tetra now had a "spot" starting on his chin. Getting pretty frustrated at this point I went to a PetSmart near my home and was advised to use API Funguscure. Have been using it for 3 days now - 2 doses at 48 hour intervals - and the white spot on my older tetras chin has almost diminished - looks like I could pull it off with tweasers if that makes sense (but of course i won't try to!). Smaller tetra's spot hasn't grown or gotten smaller. Yesterday was the 2nd dose of API Funguscure. My question is: If the white spots haven't compeltely gone away should I do another dose of Funguscure or should I concentrate on getting my water conditions perfect? Everything but nitrtites test good. Nitrites are extremely high. If I stop medicating and get my water good will the problem resolve itself? I've read a lot of advice that says "don't medicate a new tank" but haven't seen any alternatives. Do you just work on water quality and let the fish's own immune system resolve the problem? Let them die? Do you take them back to the store? If so, what do they do with them? Please, any advice will help!!!!!!! It's been almost six weeks now and I've only lost one fish. Would like to keep it that way if possible. I do use aquarium salt and feed Aquion Flakes, dehydrated bloodworms, and frozen bloodworms (yuk!) when I can stomach it -

Thanks! Jerifish
 
sounds like you got off to a rough start. i also had simular problems with my first 14g tank. i bought too many platys and mollies had fungas on the mouth of one which spread like crazy to other fish, ich creeped on some, so it was bad and i lost a couple while i tried to medicate. anyway, you might as well medicate for a few days try to put a polyester fiber or carbonless filter pad in your filter while you do this. then just feed sparingly and let your tank cycle. once or twice a week take a sample of your water to petco and make sure your ammonia doesnt get over20ppm, do a small 10%nwater change if it gets over this level. in the second week or so you should start getting nitrites.good.... keep an eye on ammonia still... dont let it get ovet 20ppm, ever, do a small water change if it gets over this amount. do not vacuum your gravel, until you cycle your tank, completley.week 3 ish, your nitrite(again should get very high, and hopefully you start to get noticable nitrAte, now. watch ammonia- small water change if needed... when you test your water and ammonia and nitrItes are ZERO and you have nitrAtes of 10-40ppm, you have cycled your tank, do a small water change and vacuum a little gravel(25-50%) at this time and or now i would medicate( if you didnt follow thru, now is a better time to do it, but i understand the want to help your fish)or get new shrimp/fish, because they died during medicating and cycling. if you cant quarentine them for a month b4 you put them in your tank, choose your fish wisely, look closely at them, make sure fins are good, they eat, no black, white, or red spots on gills and body. hit me up anytime... get your water tested! good luck.... -doogle
 
I talked to a Petsmart employee who seemed pretty experienced with fish and decided to go with her advice -which was also my gut feeling-and just stop medicating until the tank is cycled. Hopefully the fungus won't have killed anybody before then. Any thoughts on this action would be appreciated.
 
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