Anguilla Eel - Fungus - Please Advise

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
M

Madding

The Ninth Holostei
MFK Member
May 11, 2009
3,628
5
0
38
New York
I woke up this morning to find my 24" Indian mottled eel in the main tank instead of the overflow (it is ALWAYS in the overflow) and covered nearly entirely in a 'flaky/fuzzy' white fungus that scrapes off very easily. It did not eat last night I discovered by the untouched tilapia in the overflow, and this fungus literally bloomed in 24 hours.

I am unsure what to do. My main worry is that the 10 different gar and Australian lungfish may be at risk now of the fungus? They are hardy fish but I am worried to death. I moved the eel to another tank.

I can take pictures but didn't think it necessary - imagine a dark green eel with a layer of white stuff dangling off of it in many places.

Help...
 
I already bumped the heat on the tank it was moved to. I really just want to know what I am dealing with, as I've heard anguilla eel can be susceptible to some different things. I'll go take some pictures after all.
 
Okay, well I just had my mind blown. I went downstairs to take pictures for MFK and the eel was swimming around without any white stuff whatsoever on its body, no trace it had ever been there and no visible marks of any type.

So I am guessing that the eel was shedding its slime-coat and I mistook it for a fungus? If so, I wonder what stressed it out enough to shed its slimecoat, stop eating, and leave the overflows to sit in the main tank. Perhaps heater burn?
 
I don't know. It is all just very weird to me. The eel looked half-dead covered in white stuff and I caught it way too easily with the net, now it is acting and looking 100% normal in another tank. All in like a ten minute span.
 
I had an eel slough off it's slime layer after arriving in a shipment. Had another eel slough off its slime after escaping from the tank and being put back into the tank.

Is there any chance it got out and someone else returned it to the tank?

I can only imagine a partial drying out and/or radical pH shift would cause a slime shed with no open wounds visible.
 
Nope, just me and the lady here and she'd have told me. I'll have to test the pH, although the cuban gar has not been showing any responses to pH flucuation. Perhaps the eel went into the main tank at night and was simultaneously harassed by multiple gar (they never see it after all) which stressed it enough to shed the slime coat. Though there are no wounds.

Anyways, I will report any updates. I am going to keep it separate for a while, just to monitor things. I'm having trouble accepting that the eel is magickally back to normal, so I will keep my eyes peeled.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom