Columnaris Treatment

[jct77082]

I'm having serious problems with Columnaris in my 65 gallon tank. It is stocked with misc. live-bearers, and is heavily planted. The problem seems to be isolated to Guppies. I've researched this topic quite a bit, and I am sure of the diagnosis. The spots show the "saddle back" raised white patch near the tail and dorsal fins. In every case it has been fatal.

Water changes are 25% every other week. Nitrates 20, Ammonia and Nitrates are negative. pH 7.2. The temp runs about 80 due to the compact fluorescents. The tank has CO2 injection, a Fluval 450, and a Turbotwist UV sterilizer that runs off of an Ehiem classic. I was sure that UV was the answer! I plan to install a fan to bring the temperature down. Most references say that temp should be reduced to <77.

Melafix, primafix, and Jungle medicated food have been ineffective. I suspect the food doesn't work because they refuse to eat it. I

My question: Is there an effective antibiotic water treatment that will not be toxic to the plants.

[Wild Turkey]

In your situation the best treatment imo would be to double your WC schedule to weekly, or perhaps even temporarily twice weekly until the problems subside, then back to weekly.

If that doesnt work, then fall back on meds. The meds are treating the problem but not the cause.

[tanks4thememories]

I am dealing with Columnaris in a 55 gallon right now. As you likely already know from your research Columnaris is most dangerous on the gills and also gets internal leading to septicemia. For these reasons it is my personal favorite to treat this bacterial infection from within the fish as opposed to from the outside. There are several different strains of Bacteria responsible for presenting the symptoms we diagnose as "Columnaris" they each respond slightly differently to different methods of treatment but the good point is they all seem to respond rapidly when you find the proper treatment.

I did and continue massive water changes to get and keep the concentrations of the pathogen out of the water column. I am feeding my own mix of their favorite flake food soaked in antibiotics then dried then fed to fish. I also dose the water with b complex vitamins to help boost their immune system. I chose this method of treatment because I have some experience in mixing my own meds and I am cheap...lol It was my first choice in treatment with plan B being to treat the water itself.

If internal is not working for you however then I have had success with Maracyn Plus which is a Broad spectrum antibiotic cocktail made up of 2 different antibiotics. I would recommend that you quarantine the fish for tank treatment or that you move the filtration off of the main tank and keep it running on a bucket or other tank then medicate the main tank (If you remove the filtration from the main tank make sure you keep the filtration supplied with a source of ammonia during treatment period). In any case with frequent WC as mentioned earlier and Maracyn Plus, you should have it under control fairly quickly. There are several different strains of Bacteria responsible for presenting the symptoms we diagnose as Columnaris"slightly differently to different methods of treatment but the good point is they all seem to respond rapidly when you find the proper treatment.

The UV is effective in killing the pathogen in the water column but the problem I find with UV for this pathogen is that it is highly contagious and often spread by contact between fish in which case the UV never gets to kill the pathogen before it gets onto a new host.

GL to us both!!! Hope this helps ya. Feel free to PM me if you need any details on anything I've mentioned.