What is wrong with my V Bifa lip?

[Madness]

Columnaris feeds on temp and uneaten food. You need to remove all wood and decorations until this is rectified. You need to clean the gravel thoroughly under these items that you removed. Lower temp and treat. I have a friend that has something that is similar. He tried everything, nothing worked. He is currently treating with TMP Sulfa from National fish Pharmaceuticals. He is treating daily for 10 days with a 40% water change, and 1TBL salt/ 5gal. His fish are clearly better today than they were 2 weeks ago. He still has 6 days left on his 10 day regimen. I would get on the computer and read. First in the Bifa's mouth then on the fish, sounds like columnaris to me.

Remember lower temps and thoroughly clean the gravel, and daily water changes.

 

[RD.]

Agreed, looks like Flexibacter columnaris (Flavobacterium columnare).

This disease acts quickly in the acute form & slower in the chronic form.

Flavobacterium columnare thrives and reproduces faster in warm water (as do most bacteria), so cooler temps @ approx 75F is best.

Maracyn along with Maracyn 2, as well as Furan 2 (60 mg Nitrofurazone and 25 mg Furazolidone per packet) & Kanaplex (Kanamycin Sulfate) combinations also work well for this ailment. As a bonus these combos will kill off any Aeromonas which is very often a secondary infection that takes hold with Flexibacter infected fish.

Below is an article that goes into further detail about this bacterial disease.

http://www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm

 

[NOLAGT]

My temps are about 80 so I will lower them to 75 and I gravel vac every water change but not under the deco so I will move it around and hit under than.

I have some Nitrofuracin green from nationhoshpharm....its nitrofurazone, furazolidone, meth blue, and nacl. Can I use that? Still add salt?

 

[RD.]

No, that wouldn't be your best course of action. You want to treat for both gram positive AND gram negative bacteria. The medication that Madness posted is also a good choice (TMP Sulfa) as it also treats both gram pos & gram neg bacteria.

 

[NOLAGT]

I just dont have any and wouldn't for a day or two from that place. I dont know what the pos lfs around me carries and I would like to get something in the water right now. The spots really started to show on the bcorts like thurs/fri last week. The bifa lip issue really seems to be going away....

Just ordered some tpm sulfa but it wont go until tomorrow and I wont get it until wed. I think thats too late....

 

[RD.]

The meds I previously described will also work, and should be available at most LFS.

Maracyn along with Maracyn 2 ......... Furan 2 (60 mg Nitrofurazone and 25 mg Furazolidone per packet) &/or Kanaplex (Kanamycin Sulfate)

 

[NOLAGT]

The meds I previously described will also work, and should be available at most LFS.

Maracyn along with Maracyn 2 ......... Furan 2 (60 mg Nitrofurazone and 25 mg Furazolidone per packet) &/or Kanaplex (Kanamycin Sulfate)

The Furan 2 seems a lot like the Nitrofuracon green I had listed? I am going to try to go look as soon as I get off work and see what the lfs has.

 

[Madness]

The link RD gave you hits the nail on the head, and there are several good reads on the web. Google flexibacter columnaris, and read. You are not, I reapeat, YOU ARE NOT going to cure this with a lackadaisical approach. The friend of mine tried everything, and nothing worked, the Sulfa seams to be working. Again just like RD stated, you need something that hits both gram positive and negative.

What concerns me, is that you asked this question on 1-30, and I responded then with the exact same thing I am telling you now, (columnaris and lower your temps)

Well I hope you are correct. When my Dovii got like that I did tons of research. From everything I read and was told, it wasnt a good out come. Basically the fish gets a wound in the mouth, and due to sifting through the dirty gravel, it gets infected. Everything I read, points to flexibacter columnaris. Unfortunately once the lips protrude the fish is not far from death. But you say he still eats. Thats good. What I ended up doing is putting my Dovii into a strong salt/fungus bath for 45 min to an hour. While he was in there, I did a very thorough cleaning of the gravel and wood in the tank. Changed out 75% of the water, lowered the temp to 75 degrees, (columnaris can not survive in the lower temp) and treated the tank with potassium permanganate. This worked well for me, and the infection in his mouth was almost gone in a day or 2. But I would suggest doing something soon.

Why do people ask for help, when they end up doing what they want. If it were me I would have been Goggling columnaris on 1-30, and lowering my temps.

My temps are about 80 so I will lower them to 75 and I gravel vac every water change but not under the deco so I will move it around and hit under that. Still add salt?

A week later you decide. You cant just hope for the best, you have to be a proactive hobbyist. Here it is a week later and who knows how far the disease has progressed. These are your children, take care of them. The reason for this forum is to help and share. You have got to be proactive. Dont be cheap on this, get whats needed and follow doses to the T. LOWER TEMPS TO 74, GET THE PROPER MEDS, AND PERFORM DAILY WATER CHANGES. OH< AND READ ABOUT COLUMNARIS AND LEARN!!!!

 

[Madness]

Not to debunk what RD is suggesting to use (Maracyn along with Maracyn 2) but I have read a few conflicting reports as using this as a treatment. And because of that, I didnt go this route myself. Not saying that it doesnt work, but they were the only meds that were being listed as a med to use and a med not to use. Like I said, get on the computer, read do research and get a game plan.

With my Dovii, I chose to give him a dip for an hour, and while he was in the dip I thoroughly cleaned his tank and treated with Potassium Permanganate. But what the friend of mine has and what it looks and sounds like you have, is much worse. A dip bath may help, but you must fix the tank. This link below seems like it has some good info.


http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Columnaris.html

 

[NOLAGT]

The link RD gave you hits the nail on the head, and there are several good reads on the web. Google flexibacter columnaris, and read. You are not, I reapeat, YOU ARE NOT going to cure this with a lackadaisical approach. The friend of mine tried everything, and nothing worked, the Sulfa seams to be working. Again just like RD stated, you need something that hits both gram positive and negative.

What concerns me, is that you asked this question on 1-30, and I responded then with the exact same thing I am telling you now, (columnaris and lower your temps)


Why do people ask for help, when they end up doing what they want. If it were me I would have been Goggling columnaris on 1-30, and lowering my temps.




A week later you decide. You cant just hope for the best, you have to be a proactive hobbyist. Here it is a week later and who knows how far the disease has progressed. These are your children, take care of them. The reason for this forum is to help and share. You have got to be proactive. Dont be cheap on this, get whats needed and follow doses to the T. LOWER TEMPS TO 74, GET THE PROPER MEDS, AND PERFORM DAILY WATER CHANGES. OH< AND READ ABOUT COLUMNARIS AND LEARN!!!!

I didnt think I was being lackadaisical...I watched the mouth issue closely and did repeated water changes and it was IMPROVING...not red any more...size going down...fish still eating...moutihg closing normal. I had googled what you said and did some reading and since the symptoms were getting better not worse and not on other fish in the tank at the time I felt it was not that issue!!! I saw some small spots on the bcorts I think on friday that I thought was from fighting but all my fish are at my office. So after friday I dont see them until today and noticed those spots that I thought were just marks from fighting were in fact bigger. Thats why I started to ask more about it today (while I am stuck at work) and trying to see if what I have on hand can work. If not when I get off work I have to go see if I can get what will work. Not about being cheap or doing what I want...I am having the TMP stuff overnighted but it was too late today to get it tomorrow so I am stuck having to see what is local. I have 20 tanks at my office and do weekly water changes on all of them. Most are bare bottom for ease of cleaning and most are understocked breeding pairs. This is a holding tank for my home tank once its up and thats why there are so many fish in there. I have never in all my fish keeping years had to deal with this kinda infection so treatment of it is new to me. But I have read about it and wanted to get opinions from others. The bifas lip is still much better than it was, which if it was columnaris it should NOT be better since I "did nothing" right?