It looks like my Ray pup has developed a fungal infection on the tail. I've never dealt with fungal infections before so I'd like to know what's the best way to treat it.
I've added salt already and done a water change. I've also tested the water, everything is zero except 30ppm nitrates. The pup is feeding on earthworms mixed with hikari carnivore and is very active
Not sure if your still on here, I have a female ray that has the same kind of thing going on... any advice on how you cleared this up... or did you? Thank you in advance.
Tail fungus is very common with rays after shipment or when tails get damaged. Saprolegnia is a common tail fungus that looks like cotton. It generally progresses slowly. Here are a few treatment options that have worked for me:
Nitrofurazone is the treatment I like the best. It doesn't crash the bio filter to it can be added directly to the tank system. It helps to prevent the spread and eliminate it from the system. It is not systemic in the fish. Because of this the recovery of infected tissue isn't immediate and recovery can be slow, but the spread is usually halted immediately.
Methylene blue works well but there is some concern because it can crash your biological filtration during longer treatments if added directly to the system. Because of this it can be more convenient to directly treat the fungus patches daily by removing the ray temporarily from the aquarium or exposing the tail to the air and applying full strength. This is done with great caution and dropper bottles. A few drops or cc's in the aquarium from this treatment will not crash the bio the way a full methylene blue aquarium treatment potentially can. Repeated until they disappear. Do not get stung.
I have had success with daily methylene blue baths in a quarantine tank/container. Baths at double dosage methylene blue for 1-3 hours daily. Make sure to match temperatures to prevent stress. Repeated until the fungus disappears.
A few options for you. Fungus is a pesky infection that isn't necessarily a fast or immediate killer, but definitely stresses the animals and can be opportunistic. This compounds other ailments and stressors, leading to deterioration of overall health of the ray and can sometimes lead to death.
Thank you for the reply Diesel... I have chose the Nitrofurazone route... I moved her into a hospital tank I keep... I have also added salt at 3ppt ... I have not used Nitrofurazone for the rays in the past ... in your opinion would the treatment protocol be the same as it is labeled or are there alterations I should consider?
Thanks for your help!
I use the pure powder per label instructions. I dissolve it completely in water then add it to the sump. 1 teaspoon per 30 gallons. I dose every 3 days. Large water change on day 6 and day 12. Treat for 2-3 weeks. It's not known to crash biological filtration but I still like to test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate while treating.
