Cardinal tetras fuzzy growth on scales

mrtom

The 180 L planted tank is established for 6 months and I noticed this growth on the scales some weeks ago.
I have 9 Cardinals with 2 affected by this growth on their scales.

Water perameters are stable / good: pH 7.5 and zero for N02,N03, NH4.

http://youtu.be/yD2XpYUqh48

thoughts or advice appriciated

WIZE

they have a fungal infection. it will spead to other fish if you dont act soon

Alo vera may help with it

Haribo1358

if aleo vera doesnt work what would do is go to seahorse aquariums and ask for john then tell him what happening and if you get the stuff you need trust me have a look at their fish they might temp you a bit haha

Tropheus

It could be a wound that has got infected. If you can get to a pet shop try and get a broad spectrum treatment like eSHa 2000. Sometimes the fungus can be a sign of an underlying problem, not the actual problem itself. eSHa 2000 sorts many problems so would be your best bet.

Have you checked your water parameters? Problems like this can also be caused by water issues.

mrtom

I showed Jon from Seahorse the video this morning. He recognised the condition and recomended a Quarantine tank with rock salt to bath the infected Cardinals in. As I don't have this set up this option doesn't apply.

He saw the condition as advanced and he never had sucess treating it with eSHa 2000. So looks like I'll Euthanize the two.

Despite my Water perameters being stable / good: pH 7.5 and zero for N02,N03, NH4/NH3, he recomended more aggressive water changes to help protect the rest of the community.

thanks all for the advice.

Tropheus

I think it's worth trying to treat. I have treated successfully both in aquariums and ponds.

Sleepy

I'm pretty sure I lost a shoal of 14 tetras, 4 dwarf gourami, 6 guppies,a bristlenose pleco and 2 clown loach because I failed to euthanise the first two tetras that had the same growth as in your video.

Even when I eventually managed to setup a quarantine tank and move the tetras into it, I never managed to figure out exactly what it was but neither Protozin nor eSHa 2000 had any effect. Never got the tank healthy again and ended up having to do a total tear-down and disinfectant on the tank.

mrtom

Well, invariably one gets attached to the fish as you watch them grow from juveniles to adults.
Both infected Cardinals exhibited no change in their behaviour ,interacting with the other Cardinals, and were feeding well despite their appearance.
I have had a change of mind.

I have set up a small 20 L quarantine tank with light, mechanical filter and heater. So with Aquarium salt and a treatment by "King British" Original Formulae WS3, I might yet salvage the situation. Both infected Cardinals are getting used to their new bare Q tank environment.
So with 2 weeks of water changes, replenishing salt and medication in the Q tank I’ll see what happens and hopefully avoid the disaster that Sleepy had.

I understand that with water changes for the main tank, like most beginners, I thought water quality was measured by the key values of ph N02,N03, NH4/NH3/NH4. Today I learnt about fungal spores in suspension, so Ksimpson more aggressive water changes on the way!

CruelCoin

mrtom wrote: »

The 180 L planted tank is established for 6 months and I noticed this growth on the scales some weeks ago.
I have 9 Cardinals with 2 affected by this growth on their scales.

Water perameters are stable / good: pH 7.5 and zero for N02,N03, NH4.

http://youtu.be/yD2XpYUqh48

thoughts or advice appriciated

The only thing i would have to add to this is if your fish are kept in water parameters not suited to them, this can open them up to disease.

E.g: Your cardinals originally came from soft water with a ph of 6-6.5. The water you keep them in is a bit too hard for them to thrive.

Maybe try some reverse osmosis water?