HELP! Swollen lips/mouth!

[duanes]

Because the bacteria seems to proliferate in detritus, lots of water changes and vacuuming is a good idea for the tank, the fish was living in, in order to prevent other fish in the tank from being infected. Also keeping the tank in the low 70sF.
I have had success keeping Flexibacter from returning by dosing the tank with the mild oxidizer from the drug or grocery store Hydrogen peroxide, I used a liter per 50 gallons.
I figured all the fish in the tank were doomed whether I dosed or not, and luckily all fish survived after the HP was added.

 

[DMD123]

I just obtained a regani that had it. I caught it early and began treatment. Turning off the heater during the treatment is a must. Instead of straight Metro I use the Tetra Parasite guard. It is a good cocktail mix of parasite meds. Make sure to do all three allotted treatments. I also added salt at one Tablespoon per Five gallons water.

My treatment differs a bit because I go hands on. I force feed a medicine food mix into the fish. I use Seachem Kanplex and Focus along with food and then use a baby medicine syringe with a bit of silicone tubing. You will need to force feed the meds every two days and make sure to administer at least three doses of this. On days where I was not giving meds, I used a vitamin enriched food mix with just a little bit of Epsom salt. It is hardcore extreme but I have brought back a few fish from the brink with this treatment.

This was the fish I got, you can just see the mouth starting to have issues:


My treatment 'tools':


I have had great success with this treatment because the meds actually get inside the fish where it will do good. I like the Seachem because it gives proper mixing amounts for putting into a food mix.

 

[RD.]

FYI - Kanamycin (Kanaplex) is readily absorbed via the water column by fish, so it's quite effective for this ailment even when simply added to the tank water. Beautiful regani!

 

[Modest_Man]

Looks like my old regani. Sold it to a lloyd guy in Washington over the winter.

 

[DMD123]

Looks like my old regani. Sold it to a lloyd guy in Washington over the winter.

It is your old regani, I got it from Lloyd. It was with much more aggressive fish and seemed really stressed when I got it. The duck lips had just started.

It is a beautiful fish and now is housed in a 210g with a Pearsei, Red Bay Snook, a few bichir and a rhino pleco. Very nice fish for sure, glad I was able to save it.

 

[DMD123]

Any progress on this fish?

With my force feeding the meds (Kanplex+Focus), the fish started to reduce the swelling at the three day mark (2 treatments) and by day five it was moving gravel around so I knew it was feeling better. Still did the third treatment, and it did really good after that. Granted mine was not quite a swollen as yours was. Also the Tetra Parasite Guard was used in the water for the entire duration and this has the metro in it which seems to work quite well.

 

[weichen14]

Any progress on this fish?

With my force feeding the meds (Kanplex+Focus), the fish started to reduce the swelling at the three day mark (2 treatments) and by day five it was moving gravel around so I knew it was feeling better. Still did the third treatment, and it did really good after that. Granted mine was not quite a swollen as yours was. Also the Tetra Parasite Guard was used in the water for the entire duration and this has the metro in it which seems to work quite well.

It's been 4 days and he's moving around a little bit. I'm just treating the water with Furna 2, aquarium salt and a few drops of hydrogen peroxide. Also I lowered the temp to 70. He's passed the first 48 hrs critical stage, so there's hope that he'll pull through. I'll update again in a few days.

 

[DMD123]

Sounds like he is progressing. Any change in the mouth? Still swollen?

 

[notho2000]

It's been 4 days and he's moving around a little bit. I'm just treating the water with Furna 2, aquarium salt and a few drops of hydrogen peroxide. Also I lowered the temp to 70. He's passed the first 48 hrs critical stage, so there's hope that he'll pull through. I'll update again in a few days.

Columnaris is caused by a gram negative bacteria and so must be treated with a medication that is gram negative effective. A combination of Kanamycin (Seachem's Kanaplex for gram -) and metronidazole are the recommended meds, along with Furan-2 to treat any gram positive secondary infection. You might want to read this blog. Here's the link.
http://www.myaquariumclub.com/columnaris-and-what-i-have-learned...-1689.html

 

[RD.]

The problem with Flavobacterium columnare is that there are several different strains of this bacteria, and to date there is still not a clear understanding regarding the pathogenesis of this disease. So while one form or method of treatment may work for one person, for the next it may already be too late to even begin treatment. Age of the fish, overall immune function, overall environmental conditions, stage of the infection, etc-etc, also all play a role in how a sick fish will react to medication & potential recovery.

The following study is the most detailed work that has been performed to date, by actual accredited published researchers in this field.

Characterization of four Flavobacterium columnare (Flexibacter columnaris) strains isolated from tropical fish.

Decostere A, Haesebrouck F, Devriese LA.
SourceLaboratory of Veterinary Bacteriology and Mycology, University of Gent, Merelbeke, Belgium.

Abstract
Four Flavobacterium columnare strains (AJS 1-4) were isolated from black mollies (Poecilia sphenops) and platies (Xiphophorus maculatus), showing white spots on the back, head and skin ulcers. The isolates developed characteristic rhizoid yellow pigmented colonies on Shieh agar and typical growth in Shieh broth. They were Gram-negative, filamentous bacteria exhibiting flexing movements. When compared to F. columnare strains isolated from temperate fish, it was noted that the four strains originating from tropical aquarium fish are more capable of growing at higher temperatures, the opposite being true for the strains isolated from temperate fish. Biochemical characterization and agglutination tests proved that the isolated strains could be classified as F. columnare. Low minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were found for chloramphenicol, erythromycin, furazolidone, kanamycin, lincomycin, nalidixic acid, oxytetracycline and streptomycin. MIC values were high for colistin, sulfamethoxazole and neomycin. Pathogenicity studies were performed on black mollies. When these animals were submersed in an infective solution of the F. columnare strains, a marked difference in virulence was noted among the four isolated strains, strain AJS 1 being the most virulent one and strain AJS 4 being of low virulence.

Annemie Decostere is one of the lead researchers in the world on this subject, has been published several times, and been referenced scores of times in numerous papers on this particular disease. The following paper, also co-authored by Decostere, was published last year.


http://download.springer.com/static...959_14dd774c9ec27d8fca3e1643b116da89&ext=.pdf

Columnaris disease in fish: a review with emphasis on bacterium-host interactions

Abstract

Flavobacterium columnare (F. columnare) is the causative agent of columnaris disease. This bacterium affects both cultured and wild freshwater fish including many susceptible commercially important fish species. F. columnare infections may result in skin lesions, fin erosion and gill necrosis, with a high degree of mortality, leading to severe economic losses. Especially in the last decade, various research groups have performed studies aimed at elucidating the pathogenesis of columnaris disease, leading to significant progress in defining the complex interactions between the organism and its host. Despite these efforts, the pathogenesis of columnaris disease hitherto largely remains unclear, compromising the further development of efficient curative and preventive measures to combat this disease. Besides elaborating on the agent and the disease it causes, this review aims to summarize these pathogenesis data emphasizing the areas meriting further investigation.