Small white dandelion fluff like stuff everywhere!

[Ghostriderphoto]

Brought home some new fish and the next day the entire aquarium was covered with small dandelion fluff like things. One of the fish died and others are looking rough. Fins are torn/tattered and the fish that died had scales lifting away and falling off. I am totally lost at this point. Anyone know what is going on? Tank has been cycled and running for 2 months. 55g with a fluval canister filter. Ammo 0 nitrites 0 nitrates 20 ph 8.0 temp 80

[librarygirl]

Can you post a pic? Sounds like a fungus maybe. Are the fish bloated? Any other symptoms?

[Ghostriderphoto]

Originally Posted by librarygirl

Can you post a pic? Sounds like a fungus maybe. Are the fish bloated? Any other symptoms?

I can't get a pic of it... Wish I could. It is a translucent white color that bloomed overnight. It took over every inch of the aquarium and nearly clogged my canister filter... Reduced the water flow. The more effected fish seem to be very lethargic, not eating, fins fraying and scales just fall off. I will post a pic of the fish that died. I had to take pictures of him for the guy I just purchased him from... They are also getting red areas as you can see in the pic. I have no clue what is going on. The one that died came from a pond and my others were in holding tanks, but the whole system is connected.

[Ghostriderphoto]

To describe the "fluff"... Imagine hydra with a little stouter base, translucent white and much shorter tentacles. Almost like a 3/32" translucent white piece of soft broccoli waving in the current affixed to surfaces....

[smileyface9]

Originally Posted by Ghostriderphoto

I can't get a pic of it... Wish I could. It is a translucent white color that bloomed overnight. It took over every inch of the aquarium and nearly clogged my canister filter... Reduced the water flow. The more effected fish seem to be very lethargic, not eating, fins fraying and scales just fall off. I will post a pic of the fish that died. I had to take pictures of him for the guy I just purchased him from... They are also getting red areas as you can see in the pic. I have no clue what is going on. The one that died came from a pond and my others were in holding tanks, but the whole system is connected.

Maybe the white fungus stuff is poisonous..idk what it could be

[Ghostriderphoto]

When I noticed the first one very lethargic... I moved him to a small qt. less than 12 hours later he was dead and these translucent white things were already growing on the glass in the qt. I have read where other people have had this, but they are all unfinished topics with little information and no answers....

[bigbanker]

Maybe columnaris?

[Ghostriderphoto]

I'm not seeing any white patches on the fish. When the one died he had some extra mucous over where the scales had fallen off. I didn't find him dead until I got home from work so he spent a few hours in the tank lifeless I'm sure... Can just the stress of moving older and larger fish cause any of this?

[Ghostriderphoto]

Are there always ulcers with scale loss and columnaris? when he came in his fins were nice. The next day he wasn't eating and his pectoral fins were ragged. The day after that he died.

[Ghostriderphoto]

So... I figured out part of the problem. The death was caused by this guy getting beat up really bad by a VERY aggressive female. After separating her with another semi aggressive female I studied her behavior to see if there was any deterrents I could use to help correct this behavior. She trained this other female to stay high in a corner which was not a normal behavior for a female... I pulled the aggressive one out and turned her over to find that she is a HE!!! No wonder the other male was beat up so badly... Two boy fighting over four girls!

I now have him by himself and the four girls are healing their fins... How long does it take for fins to grow back?!