What is the cause of white cottony fuzz on pet fish?

Question

We've bought quite a few batches of fish and they all seem to die within a few weeks always and they all get this white stuff on them that looks like cottony fuzz on their fins and their bodies...anyone had this happen or know what to do about it?

Answer 1

It is one of two things, Columnaris or fungus.

The best way to tell them apart is that columnaris always grows in a very round circular spot while fungus rarely does. Columnaris is also pearly or opalescent white while fungus is a flatter, grayish white.

Columnaris: it can occur anywhere on the fishes body and there have been documented lab cases of it being a systemic, or body wide infection. It's not real easy to treat as it only responds well to a very limited number of antibiotics. The best treatment for columnaris is Furanace. It is the only known antibiotic that will treat both the surface and internal parts of the infection and the only one that will treat it if it becomes systemic. Other treatments are usually very harsh and include copper sulfate, potassium permanganate and Oxolinix acid. Treat with Furanace for 2 weeks to be sure you are rid of the disease.

Fungus - Hopefully this is what you have and odds are good it is. Fungus is easy to treat and responds well to common Malachite green ick medications. There are several fungus medications that also contain Malachite Green and work very well. Treat until you have seen no signs of the disease for 5 days.

Warning: Malachite Green is a known carcinigen so be very careful to keep it off your skin!

Hope this helps

MM

Answer 2

you can get a yeast infection not only from being pregnant(ive had 3 kids so i know lol) but you can definatly by getting fingered even if his fingernails are clean hunny there might be invisable germs on there ya know, alsooooo....you can get a yeast infection from certain foods you eat, yes its true, i didnt belive it at first but my midwives told me that and i was like...yea right, so i asked 3 other doctors and they say it is tru, i think its if you eat one certain thing lots which you tend to do while your pregnant, ;) but hell i do it now too lol, anyways yeast infections are fairly easy to get rid of just go to wal-mart or some supermarket and you can find all kinds of creams to cure yeast infections ok, you will be fine, oh and also wear cotton underwear that helps and also yeast infections are hereditary so ask ya mama if she gets them or got them alot when she was younger ok, there hereditary in my family soo that sucks but at least there curable easily and to all those ignorant bitches who wanna post and say ignorant ****, they probably sitting at there computer with a yeast infection AND more and just mad, so just ignore the ignorance dear ok, there low and always will be, this is a helping site not a judging one, well i hope i helped and good luck to you, bye ;)

Answer 3

good luck treating it. sincerely.

the meds from the pet store will suck ***. expect very little from them.
if i were you i would stop buying fish from whereever you are gettng them from. i'd also give the tank itself a deep scrubbing since maybe the problem is that your tank is now "seeded" with the disease and keeps infecting the new fish you put in.

also, fish that are stressed have weakened immune systems. it seems logical to expect your new fish, the ones lacking their own territory, would be the ones showing symptoms of the disease.

Answer 4

A common fungus called "Ick" and can be treated if caught in time and treat then entire tank with "Rid-Ick" which can be bought at any pet store. Good luck. Make sure you quarantine any new fish, also be sure to pick healthy fish.

Answer 5

A fungus infection. Any local pet store has medication for it.

Answer 6

It is fungus. It's contagious if you wanna use the same tank for a new fish please clean it throughly. You can get the meds the ones that work good is the jungle brand you can get it from Walmart or Petco I prefer Walmart it's cheaper.

Answer 7

Its a fungal infection. Treat with fungus medication.

Answer 8

It could be one of three possiable things, Columnaris, fungus or a form of ich.
Since MM gave you a good bead on the First two, here is more about ich.

It is a form of ich. Ich Parasites are in our water sources. When a fish becomes stressed or injured the parasite attaches itself to the fish.

Cryptocaryoniasis, White Spot Disease or Marine Ich is caused by an infestation of the ciliated protozoan Cryptocaryon irritans. Although Cryptocaryon becomes a parasitic organism at one stage in its life cycle like Oodinium and Brooklynella do, and it progesses less rapidly than these other ich diseases, in a closed aquarium system it can reach overwhelming and disasterous numbers just the same if it is not diagnosed and treated upon recognition.

Unlike Oodinium and Brooklynella that typically attack the gills first, which allows these ich diseases to advance into life-threatening levels quickly as they go unnoticed, Cryptocaryon usually appears at the onset as salt-sized white spots visible on the body and fins of a host fish, and when the organisms become parasitic, it is then that they move inwards to the gills. Because crypto is more easily recognized in its beginning stage, this makes it much easier to treat and cure before it gets out of control.

Aside from the appearance of the white spots, fish will scratch against objects in an attempt to dislodge the parasites, and rapid respiration develops as tomonts, mucus, and tissue debris clogs the gills. Fish become listless, refuse to eat, loss of color occurs in patches or blotches as the trophonts destroy the pigment cells, and secondary bacterial infections invade the lesions caused by the trophonts.

Although copper is very effective on Oodinium, and it works well to eliminate crypto organisms in their free-swimming tomite stage, it is not as effective on the Cryptocaryon trophonts that burrow deeply into the tissues of fish. A combination of freshwater and formalin treatments adminstered by means of dips, baths, and prolonged treatment over a period of time in a QT is recommended

Reinfection will occur no matter how effectively the fish have been treated if Cryptocaryon is not eradicated from the main aquarium, which can be accomplished by keeping the tank devoid of any fish for at least 4 weeks. For fish-only aquariums hyposalinity can be applied, and to speed up the life cycle of the organisms, elevate the tank temperature to 85 degrees for 10 days to 12 days. For treating reef tanks, FishVet No-Ich Marine, Ruby Reef Kick-Ich, and Chem-Marin Stop Parasites are Cryptocaryon specific remedies that are said to be "reef safe". Several days prior to returning fish to the main aquarium, clean all filtering equipment, change any filtering materials, and do a water change.

Remember to remove all filters media and turn off protein skimmers when treating for any types of Ich.

Although many over-the-counter remedies contain the general name Ich or Ick, carefully read the product information to be sure it is designed to specifically target and treat "Cryptocaryon"

Brooklynella hostilis - these protozoa reproduce asexually by means of simple binary fission through conjugation, which is why they are able to multiply so much more rapidly than Cryptocaryon (White Spot), and Oodinium (Velvet Ich), and why it can kill fish within a few days and even hours upon recognition

Most similar symptomatically to Oodinium, this too is a parasite that primarily attacks the gills first. At the onset fish may scrap up against objects, rapid respiration develops, and fish often gasp for air at the surface as the gills become clogged with mucus. Fish become lethargic, refuse to eat, and colors fade, but the most noticeable difference that sets Brooklynella apart from Oodinium is the heavy amount of slime that is produced. As the disease progresses a thick whitish mucus covers the body, usually starting at the head and spreading outward, skin lesions appear, and it is not uncommon for signs of secondary bacterial infections to arise.

Suggestions range from copper, malachite green and other remedies, with some recommended being used in conjunction with formaldehyde. However the general consensus is these types of medications are either largely ineffective or do not work at all, and that the best and most effective treatment for Brooklynella is formaldehyde alone. Typically a standard 37% formalin solution (shop & compare prices) is mixed with either fresh or saltwater in a separate treatment container, initially all fish are given a quick dip or a prolonged bath, followed by continued treatment and care in a QT. Of course the longer fish are exposed to the formalin treatment, the more effective it will be at eliminating this "disease". Whether to administer a dip or a bath to start with is something you will have to determine yourself, but there's a very simple way to do this.

Since these are Free swimming parasites which are in watersources, come attached to our fish etc. The only way to ensure NO ICH is to get a UV Sterilizer and addit to the tank. The UV Sterilizer kills the free swimming forms of various ich and other parasites.

Hope this help