Cotton looking stuff in mouth?

[nemokeeper]

I got some guppies for my 15 gallon tank yesterday. Two of the guppies have, what looks like white fuzz or cotton in there mouth. Any suggestions?

 

[Allivymar]

Columnaris. Check out this article, it will explain what to do more thoroughly then I could. The only thing I'd add is use Kanacyn instead of tetracycline if you can't find/order medicated food (you can buy some here: http://www.flguppiesplus.com/_wsn/page3.html

 

[nemokeeper]

Thanks again Alli, do you ever get the feeling some people just shouldn't even try. Thought I might have better luck with this tank. Anyway one of the guppies tonight sat on bottom most of the night and then slowly died. I noticed a couple of red blood spots on its side that formed the last hour of so of his death.
Now a couple other ones are doing the same, does Columnaris work this fast? They also look like their faces are becoming fleshy looking, skin eroding around the mouth area. The tank was setup last night and I had soaked some rock and clay ornaments from a old tank in Javex. I rinsed it real good, but who knows? Would javex do this?

 

[grimlock3000]

Columnaris can kill fish in a matter of hours if the conditions are right and the fish are vulnerable.

When you are having trouble, remove everything from your tank unless you are 100% certain it is aquarium safe. Period.

Is the new tank cycled?

As Alli said, don't use Tetracycline. Kanacyn is the way to go for Columnaris.

 

[nemokeeper]

No the tank is not cycled yet. I was using guppies to cycle and keep. Thought I would use guppies because they are suppose to be so hardy. Last night I took out the ornaments and did a 12 Gallon water change. (15 Gallon Tank)(Water was cloudy looking)(Water still a little cloudy). Down to 3 guppies now. ammonia is a 0. The water being cloudy this soon is a real puzzler to me.

 

[Sati]

Have you thought about cycling your tank without using fish?

 

[Allivymar]

Columnaris, in its acute form, sucks. I lost 6 rams to it, 4 of them in a week. The first one to show signs had a swollen mouth that showed up in the morning; was dead by sundown. I treated with in the tank antibiotics, then tried medicated food with the survivors. Nope. Lost em all within the month.

And its not you. Its your source, just as it was with mine. I bought 4 rams a month later (after leaving the tank fallow in terms of fish for that month); they are fat healthy pigs who breed regularly.

 

[nemokeeper]

Talked to the LFS where I got the fish.. They admitted to having a bad batch of fish in this one shipment. Refunded my money. I moved my last guppy to a bucket and put fresh water in the tank. Thought I would start fresh with the other fish dead or showing signs of infection gone. Next I will try the Kanacyn if the last one shows any signs.
Tonight the last guppy is a proud mother of 17 fry. Mother is not showing any signs of illness yet.
Sati, I use "Cycle" product to cycle my first tank. I only had trace amounts of ammonia or nitrate in the tank during the process. So I don't have a problem using fish to cycle. My fish didn't seem to suffer. Now Ich on the other hand...don't get me started. I thought about doing the "no fish way" and purchasing ammonia to put in the tank, to start the cycle. But I could not find any in the local hardware stores.

 

[Allivymar]

I kinda figured. Good for you on contacting the store and checking! I did the same; they owe me still *grin* I plan on picking up some of the keyhole cichlids in return.

Oh, and if you decide to fishless cycle again, look for pure ammonia in the supermarket; tis where I got mine.