HELP HELP , my Aphyosemion australe 'Orange' - Sick

[green plant]

Help needed. One of my male killies can't eat even thought he is hungry. Observed it's there is some whitish colour / infection on it's mouth.

Please advise what should I do?

Koh Heng.

[stormhawk]

I believe your australe has just gotten a mouth fungus infection. If the mouth has a cotton-like infection then it most probably is mouth fungus.

[green plant]

Jianyang,

Have closer look, it is a bit whitish on the mouth or seems can't open it's mouth. What medication to use?

Can I use Desa-Mor? Got this name from one of the post by Ronnie.
Not sure if I can get it from LFS.

Koh Heng.

I believe your australe has just gotten a mouth fungus infection. If the mouth has a cotton-like infection then it most probably is mouth fungus.

[RonWill]

Koh Heng, I've seen some Aquarium Münster products at Eco-Culture but not sure if they have what you're looking for. I've only used Odi Mor for velvet & bacterial. Works ok.

[stormhawk]

Hi Koh Heng, if the whitish region around the mouth does not develop cotton-like growth then your fish has not been infected with mouth fungus. The problem is, I'm not quite sure whether its a bacterial or protozoan infection. Isolate the fish by itself and treat with known anti-bacterial medications. I have never been hit by such a problem and usually euthanize fish that are very sick.

Latest successful treatment with fungus-like growths and fin rot with some Corydoras of mine was done with a mild concentration of methylene blue combined with aquarium salt in rock form (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals). Had a 100% success rate in treating the sickness with only 1 fish lost to secondary internal infections. The other 3 survived the treatment and are now swimming happily in my main tank.

My only suggestion now is to isolate the male australe by itself in a hospital tank using just a sponge filter for filtration. Place a small PVC pipe or some hideaway and reduce any possible stress to the fish. Observe for any changes in the whitish patch. On occasions a dose of salt combined with a water change may help to cure certain sicknesses though not recommended for all situations.

Note: I have not had any experience with Desa-Mor though.

[green plant]

Thanks for the input and advise



Koh Heng

[whuntley]

A whitish material around the mouth is usually "Cottonmouth Disease."

It often is the Flexibacter columnaris bacterium, and can be followed by fungus feeding on the necrotic tissue. It may spread to other parts of the fish as a thin whitish cotton-like growth. Fin rot is one manifestation of it.

The usual treatment for the chronic form is some combination of acriflavin and salt (e.g., Jungle's "Fungus Cure"). Chloramphenicol o/e should be added for the acute (fast spreading) form, as prompt action may needed to avoid losing a lot of fish.

Fish never seem to get it unless exposed to bad water or injury. Common factors that seem to lead to it are poor water, ammonia, low oxygen, and mechanical injury. Change 25% of the water daily for a few days to be sure those are under control. Pay extra attention to neutralizing chloramine. [Old dechlor products often cause it by the burst of ammonia they create.]

Wright

PS. keep water as cool as possible, as it grows faster and spreads worse at higher temperatures.

[hobbit6003]

Hi Kok Heng,

From your description, it fits the bill of the clinical presentation of the cotton mouth disease, as suggested by Wright. It is not the true fungal infection, by its of a bacterial origin and yes, it is most likely due to thise flexibacter.

Treatment of choice would be acriflavin, those yellow-greenish solution that you may find as anti-bacterial sold in most LFS. The one medication that I saw containing acriflavin, is the Sera Bactopur. Acriflavin can be toxic to your plants, so you may have to treat your fish separately in another tank.

Chloramphenicol, unfortunately, is not commercially available to you here, as it is a prescription drug, and in some contries, it is banned for use in treatment of animals, fish included. Even in us human, it is seldom use now.

Such pathogenic infection can only come about when there's a contaminated source, and when the water condition is not ideal. Thus, you may need to review your tank hygiene and husbandry regime to find out what went wrong. Of course, having an idea of the various water parameters such as pH, water temp and the nitrogenous waste level would be helpful.

Given an ideal condition (high waste buidlup, poor oxygenation of the water, high temp.), this bacteria can proliferate real fast, and can become an epidemic in your tank, so please monitor closely.

Cheers,

Kenny