White Fungus

[bunnymp]

Yesterday I noticed that my fantail has some small white, fuzzy spots on her head. Her behavior was normal. She came right over to my hand and ate several pellets. I spent several hours in the pond yesterday moving plants and cleaning it in preparation for winter. She was quite active and enjoying the activity right along with the rest of them. I would like get help identifing her condition and treat the entire pond today, but have some concerns about the water temp. The water temp was 60F. The forecast for the week is sunny but air temp will be in the mid 50s. I am located on Long Island, we get warmer temps than the rest of the region does thanks to the water. I need to know what she has and the best method of treatment. If I use salt how long does it need to stay at .3%? I'd like to lower the salt for winter.

-How long has the pond been set up? sine 6-07.
-Water test readings:
--Ammonia:0
--Nitrite: 0
--Nitrate: 0
--pH: 8
--KH (=Alkalinity): 90
--GH: 40
--02: good aeration
--Salt: .1% and increasing - I am adding to fight her infection.
-Water Temperature: 60F
-Concrete, Liner, does it have a Rock Bottom?:rock
-What kind of filtration:water falls
-Water conditioner/dechlor used(brand): haven't used any recently.
-Routine Pond maintenance: ( Please fill here the routine you do IE: weekly water changes & cleaning ) - Vaccum in spring, water changes in spring and fall. Constantly cleaning filter-skimmer box. I use salt regulary. I started KoiZyme about a week ago for winter prep and I also use it in the spring. I didn't put Microlift fall tx in yet, but was planning on doing so soon. Wash out filter pads in the biofalls about montly. I do not wash out the springflo media that is in there though. I use Green Clear when needed.
-Source (Tap or Well):tap
-Water softening unit? none
-What, how much and how often do you feed your fish? twice daily in summer. I have been winding down since early Oct and switched them over to the wheat based fall food. Now I feed once lightly or not at all. I am giving them romet as of today.
-Size of Pond? (gallons or LxWxD): 2200
-Pond inhabitants;How many total, type and Size: 13 total = 4 koi that are 2 yrs old, 2 fantails that are 1 yr old, 3 comets and 4 sarassas that are also 1 yr old.
-New fish or plants added to the Pond? added some lilies in the early summer. Many water lettuce all summer long. Most plants are cut back or scooped out already.
A: What type and when?
B: Were they quarantined: no
-Medications used: Romet as of today
-Describe what problems you are seeing: see above

 

[DrDave]

Re: some white fungus on goldfish

I use Methylene Blue to avoid it with eggs after a spawn. I would remove the affected fish to a hospital tank for treatment. A higher temperature may also help if the tank is indoors.

You can also swab with mercurchrome or iodine if you have it when you make the transfer.

This may very well have been caused by an injury. You might look to see if any predators are fishing in your pond.

 

[bunnymp]

Re: some white fungus on goldfish

I do not see any signs of an injury. The pond is pretty well protected.

What is the suggested treatment method once she is in the hospital tank?

 

[koikeepr]

Can you post a picture by any chance?

 

[bunnymp]

I've never been able to get a great close shot, so I didn't even bother this time. I can just try my best to describe it. The spots are tiny like the size of a pin head. There are about 6-8 of them. They are pure white and kind of fuzzy looking. She changes color often, so when I first saw them, I thought she was changing color again, but I kept staring and then I noticed that they seemed to have some height to them. I haven't touch them or tried to remove them with a q-tip. I was hoping to get some guidance first. Should I?

I added more slat earlier and the level is up to .18%. She is still acting normal. Very friendly and has a large appetite as always. :biggrin:

 

[DrDave]

Fungus is going to extend out from the fish like very fine angle hair. It is usually bigger than what you are describing. Also, my experience with fungus is it is a light tan color, not white. Are you sure this is not Ich?

 

[bunnymp]

No, I am not sure. My initial thoughts were Ich or Cotton Wool.

 

[koikeepr]

how far is it sticking out? Could it be something like anchor worm? Is it lots of little tufts or one, single longer hair?

 

[bunnymp]

Several little tufts. No connecting lines. Tufts are so small that I first thought that it was just her scales changing color. She does that a lot.

 

[koikeepr]

Are you able to put the fish in a separate tank? Has your Romet had any effect?

 

[bunnymp]

I am able to put her in a hospital tank, but I would rather not. Since she is behaving normally, I'd like to keep her in the pond. I am preparing the tank and purchasing antibiotics in the event her condition worsens. If she does go into the tank, she'll most likely be stuck there for 6 mos.

It is too soon for me to see if the Romet is helping. She is eating it though. Should I treat her topically with anything?

I am also in the process of adjusting the GH and KH levels, which may have been the source of the problem.

 

[koikeepr]

Yes, improper GH/KH can certainly affect her. And it's likely the case as its not common for parasites/fungus' to affect a fish in colder temps--but water parameters that are off can certainly throw things for a loop.

Personally, I'm a fan of quICK cure (malachite green), as it works on most parasitic/fungal ills such as these. Highly staining to hands and will turn your pond water blue for a few days, tho--so be warned. You can buy it at PetSmart/Petland and those kinda places. Of course, there are endless fungal remedies in the stores as well. My only concern is if your cold waters will allow it to work properly. You should be fine if your water temp is over 55 degrees.

You could try dipping the one fish instead of hitting up the whole pond or swabbing the infected area with the malachite green for three days straight, which is probably what I would do. That way you don't have to treat the whole pond. If that doesn't work after about a week, you might have to bring her in for the winter or wait until spring to treat again and the waters warm up. The waiting choice should be your last resort tho.

 

[bunnymp]

I salt my pond and can't use malachite green without performing a lot of water changes. I heard I can use Betadine on her topically.

 

[nc0gnet0]

I beleive its actually the formalin and salt that don't mix. Quick cure is a combination of both malachite green and formalin.

Koikeeper do you adminster quick cure directly to the pond? Seems like the HT would be the place for this.

 

[koikeepr]

I have done it to the whole pond as a broad spectrum, but my preference is definitely for a HT situation or as a dip or swab as I suggested to bunny. That way you don't have to worry about water changes.

You can do betadine as well, yes. How long are you waiting for your existing med to work?