columnaris disease?

Question

Hello,

I have a 29 gallon tank that is currently inhabited by

1? snail
1 plecostamus
4 whitecloud minnow
2 corydorus
1 neon tetra
5 Rummy nosed Tetra
2 Hatchet Fish
2 Endlers Livebearers

In the past week, I have had 5 penguin Tetra's, 3 Neons and 1 endler die.

On the last Penguin, and the endler there was a little bit of white fuzz on the side of the fish. The colour of the fish almost had a metallic greenish cast.

Water conditions are good, I have an Eclipse filtration system, and live plants. My tank does have a little cyanobacterial growth. I have added salt and reduced the temperature. Is there anything else that I should do?

I am afraid to medicate in case I have made an incorrect diagnosis.

Answer 1

The first question I would ask is if the white fuzz was on the fish before it died or after. A greenish cast wouldn't be unexpected on a Endler or even to some extent a Penguin tetra, so be careful not to read too much into that. Even so, Columnaris rarely shows any discoloration away from the site of external infection so I would be more inclined to say it's velvet rather than columnaris.

The best way to diagnose columnaris is the shape of the wound or infection site. Columnaris always grows in a perfect circle radiating from one central point. Once larger enough, you can tell that the inside of the circle is red. Columnaris often starts around the mouth or gills of the fish, but that's certainly not a reliable diagnostic tool as columnaris can occur anywhere on the fish and in fact can be an internal infection as well as external.

Velvet on the other hand is a parasite which causes a discoloration on the fishes skin as it infests more and more of the fish. Typically this discloration is yellowish to gold in color, but rusty red to greenish colors have also been associated with velvet infestations. Use a flashlight to look at your remaining fish very closely for any fuzzy growths or discolorations. If you see discolorations but no wound or growths, I would say it's velvet. If you see wounds and / or fuzzy growths look carefully to see if it's round or not. If not, it's fungus, if round it's most likely columnaris.

The best treatment for velvet is a good ich medication containing copper or malchite green. Treat the same as if you were treating for ich. Yes, you will need to remove your snail and treat at a reduced level for the corys. This treatment can also be very hard on plants so you may wish to remove them as well.

If you need to treat for fungus, use an over the counter fungus medication. Most are pretty good. The above mentioned ich medication will also treat most fungus infections.

Columnaris is best treated with an antibiotic called Furanace ( generic name Nifurpirinol). It is currently the best available for external columnaris and the only antibiotic so far proven to treat internal columnaris. (it will also clean up the cyanobacteria for you) This treatment will also kill your bacteria that you want in the tank and will require you to recycle the tank.

If you need any additional help with diagnosis or treatment, please feel free to email me at [e-mail]

Best of luck with it

MM

Answer 2

Unless you noticed the white fuzz on the fish well before their deaths, I wouldn't say that was the cause.

The white fuzz you are seeing is more likely to be Saprolegnia or Achlya - two things that used to be called body fungus, until it was found out they aren't fungi at all. These are usually a secondary infection - if they attack a living organism, it because the organism is already weakened or has a wound where the infection can take hold. It will infect dead tissue as well and can be seen on leftover food in the tank in about one day. Here's a photo of what these look like (growing on a dead bug) for you to compare with the fuzzy you're seeing: http://www.visualsunlimited.com/images/watermarked/227/227311.jpg These are in most water supplies and aquaria, so it's impossible to get rid of - and it doesn't really become a problem by itself - only when another problem already exists.

Here's a photo of columnaris: http://www.fishjunkies.com/images/Columnaris2.jpg This will be present on the fish well before death.

The metallic cast you mention is interesting - have you noticed a powery white coating on any of your fish? Velvet appears like small white dots that have a gold-amber iridescence under bright lighting.

I'm also curious about what you're doing for the cyano problem - this is a bacteria, despite the common name for it of "blue-green algae". If you're using an algae remedy, it won't help the problem. But for it to grow at all can be an indication of high phosphates or odd pH in the tank which could have affected your fish. I'll post this answer and collect a few websites with more info on these subjects.

see the diseases conditions I mentioned for symptoms & treatments: http://www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm

photos of velvet & columnaris: http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/stressdisease.shtml

cyanobacteria info: http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/algae/cyano.shtml

Feel free to email me if you have other questions regarding this problem.

Answer 3

Sorry don't mean to doubt you but how do you know that your water condition is good. I hope you use test kit for that, namely Ammonia, Nitrate and pH.

How long have your tank be running ? If it's new it could be New Tank Syndrome. If it's true and your testing of your water condition shows it's fine, you would have to check your test kit.

Reason I suspect that there is a problem with your water condition is because your pleco, white cloud and cory are fine. These fishes IMO are more tolerant of poor water condition compare to the rest.

But to be honest, that still a wild guess. Best advise I would suggest is for you to do more water change and observe your fishes more. Hopefully once things stabilise, you will stop losing fishes. Good Luck.

Answer 4

Yes it sounds like columnaris. You need to do a 25% water change including vacuuming the gravel (don't add salt) Treat with copper sulfate or antibiotic and don't forget to discontinue carbon filtration during treatment. He should start showing signs of improvement fairly quickly.

Answer 5

They had a white fuzz on what part of their body? You made a good choice knowing what it is before treating.

this white fuzz could as well just be a fungus. Below is what columnaris is and how to diganose it. Feel free to email me if you need more assistance.

Here is more on columnaris
Often mistaken for a fungal infection because of its mold-like lesions, Columnaris is a common bacterial infection in cultured fish, particularly livebearing fish and catfish. Its name is derived from columnar shaped bacteria, which are present in virtually all aquarium environments.
The bacteria are most likely to infect fish that have been stressed by such conditions as poor water quality, inadequate diet, or handling and shipping. Columnaris can enter the fish through the gills, mouth, or via small wounds on the skin. The disease is highly contagious and may be spread through contaminated nets, specimen containers, and even food.
Columnaris can be external or internal and may follow a chronic or acute course. Lesions in chronic cases progress slowly, taking many days before culminating in fish death. In acute cases the lesions spread quickly, often wiping out entire populations of fish within hours. High water temperatures accelerate the progression of the disease; however lowering the water temp will not affect the outcome of the disease.
Symptoms:
White spots on mouth, edges of scales, and fins

Cottony growth that eats away at the mouth

Fins disintegrate beginning at the edges

'Saddleback' lesion near the dorsal fin

Fungus often invades the affected skin

Rapid gilling in cases where gills are infected
Most Columnaris infections are external, and present first as white or grayish white spots on the head, and around the fins or gills. The lesions may first be seen only as a paler area that lacks the normal shiny appearance. As the lesion progresses it may become yellowish or brownish in color and the area around it may be tinged red.

Lesions on the back often extend down the sides, giving the appearance of a saddle. On the mouth the lesions may look moldy or cottony, and the mouth will become eaten away. Fins will erode and have a frayed appearance as the infection progresses. The gills filaments will disintegrate as the bacteria invade them, and the fish will begin breathing rapidly due to lack of oxygen. Less commonly, the infection will be internal, and display no external symptoms.
Treatment:
Change water

Vacuum gravel

Add aquarium salt

Treat with copper sulfate or antibiotic

Discontinue carbon filtration during treatment

External infections should be treated with antibiotics or chemicals in the water. Copper sulfate, Acriflavine, Furan, and Terramycin may all be used externally to treat Columnaris. Terramycin has proven to be quite effective both as a bath, and when used to treat foods for internal infections. Salt may be added to the water to enhance gill function. Livebearers in particular will benefit from the addition of salt, however use caution when treating catfish, as many are sensitive to salt.
Prevention:
Quarantine new fish for two weeks

Maintain high water quality

Provide fish with a nutritionally balanced diet

Medicate fish prophylactically before moving them

Disinfect nets and other equipment before using

Because the bacteria thrive on organic wastes, it can be controlled by regular water changes and vacuuming of the gravel. Proper diet and maintaining good water quality in general will keep the fish from being stressed and therefore susceptible to infection. To avoid spreading the bacterium, nets, specimen containers, and other aquarium equipment should be disinfected before each use. Small quantities of aquarium salt can be used to prevent disease in livebearer aquariums. When fish are being shipped or moved, they may be treated prophylactically with antibiotics or by feeding them medicated food.


freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/columnaris.htm

Answer 6

It doesn't sound like ich. I would treat for columnaris.