Fungus on CPD?

**Zep** · 15th Mar 2016, 20:46

Hi guys, I just noticed today that one of my CPD's has this small white stuff on its mouth.

Wondering if this is fungus and whether I should remove him from the main tank. He seems to be acting sluggish and not eating.

I was thinking that if I take him out and or him in a quarantine container it will probably make the fish feel more stressed.

Any shifu can advise?

Rgds
Z

**Urban Aquaria** · 15th Mar 2016, 21:46

Fungus growth on fishes usually tend to be secondary symptoms of other illness or ailment... so it'll be better to just transfer it to another temporary small hospital tank to treat with some general fish meds (ie. Seachem Paraguard).

At least that will help to prevent any further spread of possible illness/parasites, and also give the fish space alone to recover and heal (weaker fishes tend to get bullied by other fishes). Do make sure to run an air stone or sponge filter in the hospital tank for the duration of the treatment.

**Zep** · 15th Mar 2016, 22:11

Thanks for the advice UA. I have some API fungus cure. Is that too strong ? Tried it once sometime ago on some other fishes and they didn't make it.

**Urban Aquaria** · 15th Mar 2016, 22:53

Yeah, the success of med treatments do depend alot on the severity of the ailment and the overall health of the fishes, some could be too weak to recover, so its quite often a 50-50 chance of recovery or death, even in the best conditions. Just have to try and see.

I have not used API fungus cure before so can't share any experience with it. Perhaps you could try using a quarter or half the dosage of treatment first, observe the fish, and then increase dosage slowly over a period of time. That might help reduce the stress on the fish.

**Laura Lee Van Tassell** · 17th Mar 2016, 08:14

Humm from the pictures it doesn't look like fungus it looks like a hook worm.
Just my opinion from photos

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**happydanio123** · 17th Mar 2016, 22:06

Hi there Zep! I suggest using Seachem Paraguard on your aquarium since Paraguard effectively "kills" most ailments and the chemical cocktail of Paraguard is less stressful to your fishes in the aquarium. I find API Products (especially medication) a little to harsh on the aquarium (not saying it doesn't work) but I would rather you go for something a little less painful on your fishes. I have been using Seachem paraguard from quarantine to treating white spot and fin rot ever since someone recommended me this product on the forum.

**Zep** · 18th Mar 2016, 13:15

Thanks for the suggestion. The fish is still in my main tank. The fungus or worm thing looks less pronounced but it's still sluggish and not really eating. My experience so far is that whenever I isolate any fish for treatment outside the main tank they will not make it. So I thought it may be better if I let him stay in the main tank and see if he will get better. I may go get a bottle of paraguard just in case.

**happydanio123** · 18th Mar 2016, 14:13

Hi there Zep! It's better if you just dose the whole tank for about 1-2 weeks with a 30% water change in between. Just follow the instructions on the bottle and you should be fine.

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**Zep** · 18th Mar 2016, 16:30

I have snails and shrimps in the tank plus lots of plants. Will it be harmful to them? Will it also affect the beneficial bacteria that's already built up in the filter?

**Urban Aquaria** · 18th Mar 2016, 16:47

Seachem Paraguard is generally safe with most livestock. I have used it to quarantine livestock and successfully treat tanks with fishes, shrimps and snails, all without issues. It also doesn't affect the beneficial bacteria in the filter too. If you are not sure, just do a quarter daily dose first, then increase to half dosage and then full dose over a course of a few days, at each stage observe if the livestock are okay with it.

As with most chemical treatments, its best to increase surface agitation and oxygenation during the treatment period to ensure ample oxygen in the water column. Extra oxygenation usually helps to improve the livestock health and recovery rate too.

The only thing you may have to watch out for is if you use it in tanks with thick silicone clear seams and/or clear pipe hoses, the malachite green component of Paraguard may stain them green if used for extended periods of time. Thats one of the reasons why its better to do such treatments in a separate hospital tank instead if possible.