Nervous about possible myco

[StrangelyNormal]

I don't know, man. I took photos today and I'm wondering if the darkness is just my eyes playing tricks on me.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/...8-ae18-4727-8c34-55de2653e057_zps7ktu8wj7.jpg

Ugh..
At the very least, apparently most catfish are immune to myco if it is myco. The very least I'd have to euthanize all the rainbows and tetras and douse the tank with scalding hot water (with the syno and the pictus in another tank) and completely destroy my bacterial filter beds.

Never getting rainbowfish again, that's for sure.

At this point in time I am strongly considering euthanasia and performing a necropsy by myself or asking my vet to cut him open so I can see if there are granules. My vet doesn't know much about fish but knows me extremely well and is extremely skilled. It would be more of a joint operation.

If he didn't want to I have some friends who might be willing to cut him open in the building of death at my school. If not those there is a vet or two where I live who has apparently performed surgical procedures on fish in vet school. The practice in question also has an in house laboratory however I worry about money.

The other thought I had was severe if not systemic aeronoma. Aeronomas are difficult as it is so if it was systemic it'd be near impossible to cure.

The only hope is that the mucous layer seems to be overtaking the ulcer, but I am not sure what that means exactly

 

[Matt68005]

The other thought I had was severe if not systemic aeronoma. Aeronomas are difficult as it is so if it was systemic it'd be near impossible to cure.

Actually, Oxytetracycline will easily cure aeromonas. And in the PM you stated that mycrobacteria are present in all declorinated water, i did some more research, and found that according to my source, this is not true. That it is present in many fish stores and contests, places with lots of fish traffic, but should not just be hanging out in any old aquarium.

 

[StrangelyNormal]

Well assuming you buy fish from fish stores odds are you will come across a myco carrier. But this is a debate for another time.



I'm starting to give up honestly. Not better with oxytetracycline. I'm thinking the best thing is to cut him open if not for my sanity sake.

 

[Matt68005]

I agree with you, im not debating, as i dont know that much about it. But its more rare that it actually makes a fish sick,than weseem to think. Weve both lost fish to it lately, so everything we read is gonna lead to a Fish TB diagnosis. Yet others and fish farms have no problems with it.....
Have your friend cut them open and look for "nodules"

 

[StrangelyNormal]

I agree with you, im not debating, as i dont know that much about it. But its more rare that it actually makes a fish sick,than weseem to think. Weve both lost fish to it lately, so everything we read is gonna lead to a Fish TB diagnosis. Yet others and fish farms have no problems with it.....
Have your friend cut them open and look for "nodules"

I've read that it can be due to the natural environment they're from. Boesemanis may not come in contact with it, but bottom feeders quite literally swim amongst the filth and that could be why they don't get it. I've read that laboratories even have issue with this in pristine conditions.

But in general there seems to be very little reliable information on this.

That's what I'm thinking at the moment. I feel like I'm going absolutely insane.

 

[StrangelyNormal]

Found something interesting in my searches:

Rainbowfish Ulcer Disease
Something like Goldfish Ulcer Disease but it affects rainbowfish instead of goldfish. Generally brought about by a flesh eating bacteria getting into the skin of a weakened or unwell fish. A small white spot is followed quickly by a red inflammation around the area. Within a few days the spot disappears as does the skin. A few days after that and the fish has huge open sores where the flesh is being eaten away by nasty little microscopic creatures, whose only reason to be is to eat and breed and produce more nasties. Within a short space of time the fish has succumbed to secondary bacterial or fungal infection and or organ failure depending on which comes first and exactly where the ulcer is.

Treatment is with extremely strong antibiotics available from a veterinarian. Medication is sometimes effective but usually only if started within a few days of the ulcer first appearing.

I am starting to think it's this and I'll tell you why. Whatever it is, it's only affecting rainbowfish. If it were tb, I should be seeing curved spines and I'm not, lethargy, erratic behavior etc, and TB affects any species. My betta tanks have been inevitably cross contaminated at some point - they're currently fine, knock wood, and Bettas and generally fish that breathe air are susceptible. No less the bottom feeders.

In addition many of the tb I see in rainbows in my Google's seem to be a large gash type wound. Not a nice round ulcer.

 

[Matt68005]

Terramycin, aka oxytetracycline has been in the fish, farmed fish, and animal feed industry, as well as human antibiotic industry, for the last 65 years.
It will inhibit any fish pathogenitic bacteria, except mycro
if it truely is aeromonas or pseudomoas, terramycin will work for you!
Do alot of them have it?
Could it be cancer, lymphocistits?
Were running out of diseases to label this plauge you seem to have with..

 

[Delapool]

Lol - the challenges of fish keeping and disease identification Bit like a locked room mystery.

My only extra thought has been that sometimes I find it useful to imagine the same size wound / infection on a person and then look at healing time (bearing in mind we don't have access to as many meds).

 

[StrangelyNormal]

I think the tetra deaths are a separate entity. but I did have an old tetra erratically swimming before death with ragged fins in the middle of this ulcer saga. He didn't have the chance to die and release pathogens as he waas euthanized. other than that tetra, I cannot even think of a fish that possibly died or even introduced myco. I have not added fish over a year and actually quarantined fish I did add for two years (pictus). So we would have to assume boesemanis just carry it.
He would float o the top, tail facing down, and just whirl around. Going on YouTube and searching fish tuberculosis results in fish whirling around erratically, which makes me rather nervous. Mind you I was also doing water changes every other day and it's an old tetra - so I'm wondering if he just couldn't take the stress.

The tetras get brown growths on their abdomens that are not treatable. I can post a photo, however let me tell you it's rather graphic. They have no other symptoms. They get large until the growths probably just overtake their abdominal area and just disrupt organs.

 

[Delapool]

Would be interest in the pics if you do post for sure.

 

[StrangelyNormal]

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u83/wolflover91/Mobile Uploads/IMAG0005_zpsfk68tnri.jpg


I didn't take a death photo, but it was 2x the amount of graphic. The growth you see essentially split his skin. It wasn't as nearly as translucent as it appears.

In death it was even larger and he had another growth coming again on that fin, in the middle of the fin.

When he died he literally looked like a science experiment. he did not die in the show tank.

This photo doesn't do it justice.

I cannot find anything on this anywhere on the internet. The tetra showing the starts of it is going to be euthanized because it's nauseating.

I've accepted this rainbow isn't going to get better. It's more a matter of figuring out what the hell's going on. Did not think of lympho - that's a possibility.

Considering a UV sterilizer.

 

[StrangelyNormal]

Oh my god I looked in the tank and a female rainbow looks like she's getting a fungus/white spot and I've been doing water changes every 2 to 4 days WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

I feel like I need a drink at this point. People who own rainbow fish should be eligible for sainthood because I'm ready to crack.

Anyone considering rainbows - do species only. They get infected at the drop of a hat.

 

[Matt68005]

I just dont know what to say.
Go get that drink, (buy vodka, to euthanize the fish when your good and tipsy?)
lol

 

[StrangelyNormal]

You and me bot. I hate these fish. I absolutely hate them oh my god.

Nothing like this has ever happened to me and I've been doing this for over ten years

Everyone except the catfishes - their days are numbered. It's them or me at this point

I will be happy with a 90 with three fish in it. Truly I will be overjoyed if everyone lives happily ever after

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[StrangelyNormal]

No ideas about the tetra either? Another two just got it.

Killing all three probably unfortunately.

 

[StrangelyNormal]

Well I have what I consider to be the only good news out of this whole saga. My water heater makes water goes up to 130 or 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

If it myco, it's not in the filter anymore.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Delapool]

Hi, yes I think you are into triage now and looking after the tank. Sadly I do feel when meds have been given a decent shot, then time to put infected fish down.