Little white bump just above the lip on neon tetra

[Britty]

I'm very new at all this

Yesterday I saw this for the first time. It's like a little white bump. Bit bigger than a grain of sand. Took a couple of photographs.

My water parameters as of tested today. Tank water is very clear.

Tank size and stock is in my profile

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10ppm
KH: 3
GH: 5
PH: 7.4
Water temp: 24'C (75'F)
Water change: Weekly, 15-20%

Not sure what this is. I have 7 tetra. Could this be from an injury? All the tetra (including the one in the photo) are extremely active and always having mock fights for pecking order maybe. They all have very healthy appetites.

The affected one still seems happy and doesn't sit off alone in the dark and is not being bullied by all the rest. All the tetras are darting about doing their thing and interacting with each of the others.

Thanks for any advice

 

[Delapool]

That looks awfully like the cotton mouth I had with mine.

I would QT straight away, try a fungal and tri-sulpha treatment and hopefully that cures.

 

[Britty]

I have moved her away from the rest. Reading up on cotton mouth in the meantime, which is known as columnaris?

From what I read by googling it, it can have various visible symptoms other than a white bump. Checking the others now also.

Thanks for putting a name to it.

 

[Delapool]

I have moved her away from the rest. Reading up on cotton mouth in the meantime, which is known as columnaris?

From what I read by googling it, it can have various visible symptoms other than a white bump. Checking the others now also.

Thanks for putting a name to it.

Yes, columnaris or saddleback.

The fungal meds is really just in case it is true fungus. The tri-sulpha I've used for cotton mouth (sometimes works).

Will post some links later on other meds and sites on the disease. One below - does it seem to fit?

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Columnaris.html

 

[Delapool]

I've included another link on meds fyi. Kanaplex and furan 2 I have recently picked up through fishpond.com but it took a long time to arrive and haven't tried them.

Keeping the temp below 25C and a teaspoon to table spoon of salt per 5 gals can also help. The plants won't like the salt so only for QT.

Aquarium Medications and Treatments | How they work & Use

furan 2

 

[Britty]

Thanks. I've already reduced the temp to 23'C and have prepared a salted bucket of water that I left sit overnight which I'm going to dose this morning.

As it sounds like you've already been through this with cotton mouth, were the medications you tried ultimately successful? Was it the tri sulpha? I'm heading to an LFS today so going to see if I can pick some up.

 

[Delapool]

Meds are pretty limited in Perth so the kanaplex and furan 2 I know can be used together but have never tried.

I had this over summer and eventually lost 15 neons and 10 rasboras to it. Entire schools wiped out but the QT was around 28C which was too hot.

Any fish that shows a hint of it then QT.

In QT lots of water changes and salt are a good tonic. There have been a few posts where just that has cured. Which makes me think it wasn't columnaris as it is hard to get rid of. I tried fungal meds for a week on the first lot just in case but no luck. imo fungal meds are worth trying just in case for a few days. I found it slowed it down. In the end I could beat it back but never totally get rid of it. It was eating into the neons so I put them down.

Tetracycline made no difference. However it is more for gram positive bacteria infections not gram negative. Also waterlife myxazin was not successful.

The tri sulpha cured a bn catfish although the infection showed more like saddleback than cottonmouth. The catfish was 4 inches and I think that helped a lot as well.

Edit - the max. salt dose I tried was 3 or 4 tablespoons per 5 gal with the rasbora's. That actually knocked off a decent bit of it. Just in case Australia tablespoons are higher than US tablespoons.

 

[Britty]

Wow. Sorry to hear you lost so many to this Over what time frame did you notice the first sign until they started dying? Was it days, weeks, months?

I'm hoping I've caught this early and its just the one with obvious symptom. Still keeping an eye on the main tank in case more show any signs.

Many thanks for your advice so far.

 

[Delapool]

Apparently there is one form where fish are lost almost overnight and a chronic form which I had. The fish were about 18 months old.

It was probably over 6 weeks to lose the neons before Christmas and then about a month to lose the rasbora's after Christmas. The tank was like a ticking time bomb and I was hanging out for winter.

It was interesting that I had one cardinal tetra in with the neons and that was the only one to survive.

Edit - the rasbora's didn't show this but the neons got lesions near the tail fin plus some had fin rot. 2 or 3 would get sick at a time whereas fungal I usually only get the odd one here or there.

 

[Britty]

So it's been a bit less than 4 weeks since I spotted this and separated the neon from the rest. All I have done is keep her in a 22'C hospital tank and salt dosed it and fed her quality flakes and frozen brine. I didn't start on meds. I figured I caught it really early so hoped the cooler water and salt would do the job.

In the first few days the spot looked like it grew a small amount but since then its been getting smaller over the last 3 weeks and she has been responding really well and doesn't display any other symptoms. Shes pretty bored by herself and tends to spend time staring or wandering aimlessly, but still looks healthy and eats well every evening.

At the current rate the spot is going away I estimate another 2 weeks and it will no longer be on her face. I expect I would still leave her QT'd for another week after just to make sure but don't know if this is enough or should it be longer?

 

[Delapool]

I'd give it two weeks just to be on the safe side and let everything heal. Fantastic news too

 

[Britty]

I'd give it two weeks just to be on the safe side and let everything heal. Fantastic news too

Yeah it is good news I'll leave her in QT for another two weeks after the spot is gone just to be safe. Thanks for all your advice.