Is this ich? [pic]

[BChen7106]

I've had 6 neon tetras for 4-5 months now and they're find, but I noticed the other day that one of them has this whitish thing growing from his/her mouth.

It's really hard to get a good picture of those buggers, but I did my best. Is this ich? The only other thing I could come up with on my google search is Chondrococcus columnaris, but it doesn't really look like the pictures.

[BChen7106]

By the way, the red gills have been like that forever.

The fish itself seems to be behaving normally and is eating well.

[Tolley]

doesnt look like ich could be cottonmouth. ich usually grows on the fins.

[shockshockshad]

And red gills is usually nitrite poisoning.

[jbeining75]

I cant see ich on any of the fins, its hard to tell though from the picture....

[Pr0eve]

ick will look like salt on the fin.

look at this and see if it help any..

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[BChen7106]

I don't think the red gills are nitrate poisoning (unless it got it before I bought him). He came with them red and all the other neon tetras are normal looking. All the other fish in the tank are also without red gills. Plus I do 25% water changes in a heavily planted tank weekly.

So do people agree that it's cotton mouth?

[shockshockshad]

I agree that it is.

[NickFish]

Looks like cottonmouth to me.
Even in a heavily planted tank I'd step up to doing at least 40% weekly. Or 20% twice a week.

[BChen7106]

Anyone know any way to treat cottonmouth without buying an expensive product? I hate to treat the whole 55g tank if I don't have to and I don' thave any other aquariums to quarantine him.

[Pr0eve]

picking up a 10G tank will pay off in the long run.. and there cheap.. on the meds, none are cheap..

[Pr0eve]

you may need to treat the whole tank so the others do not get it. if he as been like this for some time.. in that tank..

[NickFish]

The meds aren't that expensive. It would be a good idea to treat the whole tank though, it looks fairly far along, I wouldn't be surprised if most of the fish in the tank have it, just less progressed.

[BChen7106]

So I guess since this is a fungus, it wont disrupt my nitrogen cycle? I do have a 10 gallon tank that I have broken down, but it'll be kind of a pain to dig it out from under all the clutter.

I have no problems with treating the whole tank unless you think it'll have any adverse affect on the other fish.

Can anyone recommend any good medications/brands? I may go to Petco on my way home from work to pick some up.

[Tooch]

API makes a med called Primafix, that is supposed to be their fungus medication I believe. I think it's about $7 for a decent sized bottle. Maybe $14... Can't remember, sorry.

[NickFish]

Primafix works great, and is only $10 here for a good sized bottle.
You can also use methylene blue, although it doesn't work as well sometimes. There are many homemade remedies for fungus, but they could be harmful and stressful, I find what works best is good old API Pimafix.

Although I have heard many cases of people that hate the stuff. It seems to work great for some and terrible for others. I'm assuming that the people that do not like primafix used it incorrectly, make sure you read the instructions carefully, and remove the carbon from your filter if you haven't already.

If you have any scaless fish like plecos, and corydoras, use less than recommended. A 3/4 or even a half dose if you want.

[muffin]

I would pick up some melaix and some prima fix. Both have worked wonders in my tank.
I got a fish from PetSmart. Had a ton of stuff going on, and it ended up wit fin rot and cotton mouth.. It cleared up within a few days and haven't had a problem since.

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Not too expensive either.

[Tooch]

Primafix works great, and is only $10 here for a good sized bottle.
You can also use methylene blue, although it doesn't work as well sometimes. There are many homemade remedies for fungus, but they could be harmful and stressful, I find what works best is good old API Primafix.

If you have any scaless fish like plecos, and corydoras, use less than recommended. A 3/4 or even a half dose if you want.


This is a great point! Pleco's and scaless fish are delicate when it comes to alot of meds. I'm actually med'ing my tank right now for some cuts my ID shark got when they broke a thermometer when I was at work. I only use 1/2 the dose they request. Also, it's a good idea to keep treating the tank for a week or 2 after it appears the disease goes away, to ensure it's completly gone.

[BChen7106]

So what's the deal with this ruining my nitrogen cycle? Will I have to cycle again? I've been reading that cotton mouth is actually a bacteria and not a fungus, so I'm worried that I might kill the benefiical bacteria. Maybe I should pull out my 10g tank afterall?

B

[Pr0eve]

To make melafix all you need to do is buy distilled water and tea tree oil. In melafix there is 1% tea tree oil to 99% distilled water. So simply add 1ml of tea tree oil to every 100ml of distilled water. "Melaleuca alternifolia oil"

Thats it cheap and easy melafix.

Using the same process you can also create Pimafix by adding West Indian bay oil instead of tea tree oil. Pimafix is particularly good at treating fungal and bacterial infections and wont harm your biological filtration. "Pimenta racemosa oil"

it is a 1 to 99 mix.