I bought 5 glass bloodfins last week. A few days later I got a few cardinals. Last night one of the cardinals had some body fungus on its tail, so I took it out immediately. Just today I noticed that 2 of my bloodfins' mouth was missing. It looked like something bit a hunk of of their face. Is it mouth rot, and how contagious is it? Also, how did I get it--the tank water is clean. It is a 55 gallon tank with about 9 tetras total.
2007-07-12 14:03:57 · 2 answers · asked by Ryan N 3 in Pets ➔ Fish
Its so strange though. This morning I checked on this fish and they all seemed fine, even ate. I left and when I came home (about 4-5 hours later) I added 2 discus in (about 2 inches). Within 1 hour I noticed the 2 bloodfins had it. Is it possible the discus bit them? I just don;t see how it could have happened in less than 7-8 hours.
2007-07-12 15:20:25 · update #1
If the area around the fishes mouth looks fuzzy or cottony then it's a fungus or the bacterial infection commonly called mouth fungus. If it is not cottony looking, then odds are it's damage from some unknown source.
If you see fuzzy looking spots on the fish, I would suggest you use Jungle Labs Fungus Eliminator. it will effectively treat both possible problems.
ADDITION: It's quite possible the Discus damaged your other fish. If that's the case you should notice additional attacks in the next day or two. That would most likely be the unknown source of damage I mentioned earlier.
Do continue to watch carefully for any indications of a fuzzy appearance, that will indicate a fungus or bacterial infection and it really can spread as quickly as you mention. It's very possible to go from no signed to serious signs in 7-8 hours.
MM
2007-07-12 14:12:26 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mouth Rot is a tough one to get rid of. Poor water quality is the main cause, after that, secondary infection. Did you know that your water is filled with parasites...9 out of 10 are deadly to fish. But, when their immune systems are running well, these parasites don't affect them. It's stress from poor water quailty or other environmental factors that lower their immune systems which causes the parasites to attack.
In your case, I think you bought them with the disease without recognizing the symptoms. Mouth rot can be very hard to identify and in most stages it is already too late.
Treat with a drug for bacterial infections like Tetracycline or even Maracyn-Two.
2007-07-12 21:19:18 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋