White fluffy stuff

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

shluffer

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 1, 2009
102
0
0
Connecticut
Two of the monos in my aquarium have frayed fins. They also have white growth on them. One of them has cloudy eyes (I may be imagining that though).

I also have white worms that are thin growing on the glass. They are curled up into circles.

I don't know if the two are related. I tried to take pictures but I was unable to get one showing the white growth.

I quarantine my fish for 3 weeks prior to introducing them into the DT. For that reason I don't think its ich, but it could be.

Any ideas what this could be? I introduced my last fish into the tank two or three weeks ago. He is showing no signs of sickness.



PH - 8.4
Nitrate -20
Ammonia - 0
nitrite - ?
SG - 1.024
 
Well from the sounds of it - and being that i have no picture to really get a look for myself - You've got a couple things going on here, so lets address them one at a time...

Cloudy Eyes - If in fact you aren't just imagining the eyes being cloudy (which you probably aren't because it's pretty hard to mistake a clear bright eye for a dulled opaque one), there are a number of factors that can be contributing to this, and in order to give you any certain answer, without a picture, I would need significantly more details.
See, what most people fail to understand, is that "Cloudy Eye" in and of its self, is merely a side effect - NOT a diagnosis or specific disease/infection. There are many things which can cause this ailment, and too often people can mistreat due to lack of understanding of it's causes.
For example, is the "cloud" on the eye a cotton growth over the lense - which would indicate a Fungus, a translucent film covering the eye - which would more than likely result from a gram-negative bacterial infection, is just the iris cloudy - also bacterial, or is the whole eye murky from the inside out - which could indicate a parasite, i.e., flukes?

Take a good look at the eye and try to provide as much information as possible, and we will do our best in advising you of appropriate treatments. But don't be fooled and let someone just say "Oh, it's cloudy eye, treat with -insert med here-), because not only could you be treating with the wrong medication, depending on the underlying source of the cloudy eye, but by using medications regularly - especially wrong ones or one's not really needed; you are potentially endangering your fish should future ailments require medications, as you are allowing their body to build an ammunity of which lessens the effectiveness of medications. Always use sparingly and only when needed.

White "Worms" on your glass - Ok this is something that you need not be concerned about, and is actually a good sign for the marine tank. These little guys are not related to the infections your fish are currently suffering. Though I don't have a picture to help me say with absolute certainty, I can make a pretty sure guess, based on your description, that these are nothing more than a species of Feather Dusters. Yes, they are infact worms, but they secrete calcium and other elements to create the tubes of which they reside (the white things you see on the glass). Smaller one's are commonly seen on the glass walls of an aquarium, and are nothing to fear. The "tube" usually always start out curled, like a loose spiral. These are a relative of the larger Hawaiian Feather Dusters which are popular for most reef keepers, though these ones won't get nearly that large. Feather Dusters are coveted residents of any marine tank, as they aid in water filtration, feeding off of suspendid particle waste within the water column. So though these may be alien to you, it's nothing to be concerned about.


Frayed Fins with White Growth - This is what I would consider your number one concern. And something I'd like to make you aware of - is that too often, an injury, stress, or elevated aggressions (like with bickering tank mates - which can happen with monos as they can get pretty snippy with one another at times), is actually what causes the initial infection, and not some rogue beasty that comes out of no where. Most of the fungi and bacteria that afflict aquarium fish are ever present in their environment, however, a healthy and uninjured animal usually is able to keep them at bay. This is not only due to their immune systems, but also because their slime coat actually holds an snti-fungal agent in it. Problem occurs when the slime coat is damaged - poor water quality, diet, or injury, or the immune system is compromised - stress, aggrivation, poor diet, water quality etc. That's when the usually "harmless" fungi and bacteria can work their way past the fish's defenses and cause chaos. Additionally, what may start off as a fungal infection, can easily - and rapidly bring on a secondary bacterial infection. This also works reversed.
From the sounds of it, there are a few things your fish could be afflcited with right now, and it's safe to bet that it's more than one - being that there is a secondary infection at work as well. What you are most likely dealing with is a gram negavtive bacterial infection along with a Fungus. Pinpointing exactly which species is nearly impossible without an excellent photo, and even more so - a skin scraping. As of right now though, their characteristics are present, and treatment is in order. Because you don't want to over-medicate anything unecessarily (especially when lacking exacting identification of species), the best meathod to use, is strong, but gentle medications which do not pose any serious side effects to the fish or their environment (as many meds can and do).
To start off, I'd recommend lowering your temp a few degrees (by the way, what's it sitting at right now that way I can give you a better direction of how many to lower it), do a water change after siphoning your substrates, of about 30%. Remove any carbon from your filters, and use -together - both Pimafix and Melafix.
These two medications, when used correctly, and for the right reasons, are of the most gentle available, and are safe to use both in freshwater and saltwater environments and pose no true risk to other inverts, corals, or plants. With any medication though, oxygen levels diminish, so elevating your circulation is key. In addition, these medications will not (as others often do), destroy your biological filtration.
Melafix works to attack resistant bacterial strains, and will help treat the cloudy eyes your seeing, the fin rot, and will help to heal the lacerations surrounding, promoting regeneration of tissues and slime coat. The Pimafix will not only attack the fungal infection, but will also treat the external, as well as any unseen internal bacterial infections as well. PimaFix has been designed to work synergistically with MelaFix.
Right now I wouldn't recommend anything more powerful, as this is a pretty new condition you've noticed and the fish are still eating and active, otherwise, correct?
You can get these two at pretty much any LFS, and the dosing is on the bottles and very simple. Remember to also do a water change about half way through the treatment as well.
If you can get any photos that would be great, but if not, hope this helps some. Keep us informed. Thanks.
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com