Mysterious white cyst by mouth in Tiger Barbs

[Fencer164]

Sorry this is long but I want to be as detailed as possible. So I recently cycled a new 75 gallon tank with plants in it for a month (I liquid fertilize once a week with water changes) . During the process I used Tetra Safe Start by week 4 and before that I used Aquavitro seed. All parameters of the water were safe before I added my fish using an API master test and then tested again at the local mom and pop aquarium store (they will not sell fish to you unless your water is safe). I already had a stocked 20 gallon aquarium for year and a few months. We recently bought a house and that's why I set up the new aquarium. The week before I added the fish to the 75 gallon aquarium I had to grab the fish from the old tank, transport the tank across town, and set them back up as the new tank matured. about 6 days later my new 75 was ready to go and transferred the fish from the old 20. About a week later I noticed one of my tiger barbs had a bulb like white cyst dot on its lower lip. At first I thought it may be ich so I raised my temperature over two days to 82 degrees and added api salt. Nothing happened for a week. Then I noticed another fish began to get the same thing on its lip (tiger barb as well). I had done a 50 percent water change the day before I noticed it. The only fish effected by this strange virus are the tiger barbs. Before I went to the LFS store for advice I checked my water. Ammonia: 0.25, Nitrites 0.25, Nitrates 10. Obviously there was a spike because I transitioned the fish into the new cycled tank... My LFS said what I have explained it seems like that it might be a fungus in the fish so they sold me API Fungus Cure. I am half way into the treatment and noticed a third tiger barb is getting it on a lip. Now it might have effected the third fish already and now I am seeing it.... I am going to complete my fungus treatment and then do the water change. I am just worried because I don't see an improvement. All the other fish in the tank (3 glo tetras, 2 cory cats, 1 dwarf frog, 1 kuhli loach, 1 baby clown loach, and 1 medium size common pleco) are not effected by any of what is going on. On a side not I was noticing one of my female tiger barbs is getting quite large, as in dropsy large. I am beginning to see a scale or two protrude... No other kind of fish has gotten any dots or discoloration. The tiger barbs effected only have it on their lip. Everyone is still eating well, not gasping at the surface, or continued to get multiple spots from when I first saw one. No scratching against the plants or rocks as well

I apologize for anything I've done wrong. Pretty new fishkeeper and have done as much research and prepared as much as possible. Sidenote, I do plan on getting friends for the cory cats, the kuhli loach, and clown loach once this disease is delt with. When I first got into the hobby I was not advised by a big box pet store to keep the appropriate amount for schooling/shoaling.

Other info: I keep the tank at 78.5, I am running a Fluval 406 and a Rena Filstar XP - XL with a sponge to dampen the return out of my lily glass. I have a Current USA LOOP system running with a pump pointed towards the surface for aeration (set at 30 percent power). Substrate is Seachem flourish and supernaturals sand.

 

[Autumnsky]

Hello.

Often issues of stress induced illness occur during tank changes and or just moving fish across town or more.

Building a cycled tank/filter is a process which usually is done with an ammonia either pure ammonia or a piece of raw shrimp or fish food. I am not totally sure about the other products you mentioned.

But you may already know about the beneficial bacteria, they grow and reproduce from feeding on the ammonia and converting it to ammonium which then turns to Nitrite and then eventually to Nitrate and until it is not a danger to fish and aqua creatures.

So perhaps the new water was looking good as it was new. After feeding and adding fish it could have experienced an insufficient amount of BB to convert the resulting ammonia.

A second issue could have been the differences in the Total Dissolved Solids /aka TDS from the old tanks to the new tanks levels.

And the travel stress, possible temp changes, rolls up a bunch of possibilities causing illness.

This can happen to anyone. Don't beat yourself up over it.

Two things make me think Columnaris. The Columnaris is said to stay dormant in the mucky substrate and also can be caught from other fish which active infection. It could have been kicked up when breaking down your tank to move the fish. Stress / water conditions reduces the fish ability to fight off infection. And the fuzzy white growth at the mouth.

If you have a pic it might help to tell better. I am not an expert for illness treatment. It is a learning process. Still learning.

You can try Furan 2 paired with Kanemyacin.

 

[Fencer164]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I did actually take some good photos over the weekend with my DSLR that I took down to my LFS. They said most likely basically it may have been all those things, and with all that stress they lose their slime coat. Unfortunately I had to put down one of the barbs who had advanced symptoms dropsy... it was a female that was on the larger side in the original tank but was getting too large. Definitely organ failure . A lot of the fish have actually responded well to the API fungus cure. On a lot of fish it has receded, but my original problem fish has a cyst but it hasn't grown. Uppon furth inspection. I noticed one of the other barbs has some transparent film around its eye (not on). My LFS thinks it may be fungus but recommend ed a second treatment just to knock it out. I have already started another API Fungus cure. I will attach images to this thread tomorrow and would love to get your opinion. Again, it seems to have effected just the tiger barbs.

Also, in all of my snooping around fish forums the last year and a hald, this is the first time hearing about TDS. What exactly is that?

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Autumnsky]

TDS Total Dissolved Solids - (I'm not the scientific one) combined mineral content, magnesium, calcium, salts, other stuff! Dissolved and circulating in the water.

Often with minimal or infrequent water changes and then evaporation and top off the solids content in the water builds as evaporation leaves the solids in the tank. Tank would likely to have a high GH - General Hardness.

Then when a fish from water like that is removed and put into new water, fresh and a MUCH lower TDS it can cause a problem with the fish osmotic regulation where it equalizes the salt and water in the fish body. Fish get used to being in a certain environment and a quick change can set things downhill fast.

 

[Fencer164]

So I am finishing my second treatment of API fungus cure today and I noticed like in the last two days one of my barbs is showing injury to the base of its tail. Any idea what this is?

 

[Autumnsky]

Looks like fin rot. Furan-2 could be an appropriate treatment. Maybe their would be another with good advice. But with that tail it looks like possible loss of the fish could be coming.