Acei Cichlid Fungus

[alyxandria]

So my trio of acei's in my 55G cichlid tank decided that they were going to go from best friends swimming side by side to beating up one of the three amigos. I isolated him in a breeder box for now as I do not have a hospital tank set up right now, I usually do that when needed.

I am assuming that this is a fungus that has grown where the damaged/dead tissue was present on the fish.

I am sure it is not ich because it is also fuzzy. He is also eating a little bit every other time I feed him. He is a little wobbly but he seems like he is fighting.

I just want to make sure I'm doing my part in helping him recover and then he will be moved to a less aggressive tank.

So I'm thinking of dosing the tank with melafix, pimafix and doing some smaller more frequent water changes? Any other ideas?

 

[Jessy2363]

Well to me it looks like columnaris. The nasty as bacterial infection that can target in warm temps. He is dark as hell and looks really down which tells me its more severe than fungus. Start by putting some salt in the water to slow the bacteria down. 1 Tablespoon per gallon. Then go and buy furan 2 and Kanaplex and combine them and treat for the duration it says on the instructions. Once he's better, treat with metronidazole as cichlids are very prone to hexamita, especially after sickness.

If you're treating in quarantine especially make sure you test your water daily for ammonia as the meds can hinder the bacteria cycle. You'll be amazed at how quickly it can build up with a tiny bit of uneaten food or any dirty residue. If he's sick then ammonia will finish him off.