Is this a normal reaction?

f8fan

MFT Staff
Nov 19, 2004
1,765
8
38
Bangor, Maine
#1
One of my beloved puffers has 2 patches of fungus on his back. Oh the unfairness! :p

So, In case it contagious, and also because *gasp* I don't have a quarantine tank, I'm treating the whole tank with liquid API Fungus Cure. I think it's doing it's thing, because the patches is reacting to it...instead of being a gray, uneven patch the areas have turned a solid white. Is it sorta like when you pour peroxide on a wound it bubbles and turns white?

All the puffers are holding up quite well to the treatment, I'm on day two so I'm going to add another dose today, then on Sunday do a nice large water change & add some carbon to get rid of the meds. Is this what everyone has experienced when you treat with Fungus Cure, that it turns the affected area white?
 

f8fan

MFT Staff
Nov 19, 2004
1,765
8
38
Bangor, Maine
#4
Awww poor little guy!

I've never used API's Antifungal meds sorry.
Oh, I think he is feeling just fine. He still has a great appetite, swims around like normal and otherwise acts like his old self. The little hump of fungus on his back is a little visually alarming, tho. He's like the "Humpback Puffer"! :p But I think the fungus cure is working simply because I can see that the patches are reacting to the medication. I just did a 50% water change and added more fungus cure. I think he will pull through this no problem, I've just never seen a case of fungus this severe. I will do another 50% water change on Sunday and remove the meds with carbon. If he isn't better by then, then I have some Pimafix I'll try out.
Thanks for the concern, Tab! :)
 

f8fan

MFT Staff
Nov 19, 2004
1,765
8
38
Bangor, Maine
#5
Geesh, the area on his back keeps getting larger and protruding out more :(. I played with the setting on my camera and got a couple decent closeups. I netted him and swabbed some pimafix directly on his wound today...

LOTUS where are you!!!!!!! :( I need you :p





 

Feb 19, 2008
195
0
0
#7
From what little I know I think it's wise to treat the whole tank at least for a short time, there's a chance that there is fungus in the water that is not seen since fungus starts off as microscopic. So treating the water in the MT doesn't seem like a bad idea to me.
 

Lotus

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
Aug 26, 2003
15,115
13
38
Southern California
home.earthlink.net
#8
I've used that AP stuff before, and it has been pretty effective for fungal/bacterial white patches. I'm kind of worried about the swelling underneath the skin, that's not usual with a skin fungus type infection. I did have a fish that got a huge tumor (I think). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to treat that (I don't think it is treatable).

I wouldn't bother with the Pimafix if the AP isn't getting rid of it. How long have you been treating, and has it gotten worse?

If you've treated for more than a week, I'd say switch to Maracyn Two (after a water change and running fresh carbon for about 8 hours or so).
 

f8fan

MFT Staff
Nov 19, 2004
1,765
8
38
Bangor, Maine
#9
Thank you so much, LOTUS! (I missed you ;))
Yah, sounds like a plan. It's times like this I wish I had a quarantine tank.

I've treated for four days with fungus cure. Yesterday I changed out 50% and added some carbon. Tonight I was gonna start with pimafix, but I guess I'll give the maracyn 2 a shot. I have some kicking around anyway.

I wouldn't say it's gotten worse, it's gotten slightly better. The skin around the lump is starting to regenerate...but the lump size hasn't really changed.

Hopefully it's not a tumor :(
 

f8fan

MFT Staff
Nov 19, 2004
1,765
8
38
Bangor, Maine
#11
Update tonight!

I thought I had Maracyn 2 in my basket of asst. meds, in fact I had "Maroxy" :/. But anyway, I did another 50% water change last night. The water in the tank is so clean you could drink it :p I haven't added anything to the tank other than Stress Coat and nice clean water since the carbon (which I'm still running as there is a faint tint of green in the tank form the fungus cure, still)

I don't know if this is good or bad, but it's a change: tonight, the swelling has gone down completely....his back is "flat" again. And there is a flap of white stuff that looks like it wants to separate itself from his body. It's like 75% +/- separated. When he swims around it flutters like it wants to fall off. I don't know what the skin underneath it looks like, but the skin surrounding the wound is regenerating, albeit looking red streaked and sore.

Wish my little guy luck! :)
 

f8fan

MFT Staff
Nov 19, 2004
1,765
8
38
Bangor, Maine
#14
The scab is all the way off now. The little guy is a trooper! He must be in some discomfort, that has got to be painful :(. But he is acting normal, eating and as curious as ever when I look in on him. The other puffs are leaving him alone (so far), I was worried that they would sense his injury and pick on him.

I wish that fishpalace disease site with pictures was still active. http://www.fishpalace.org/Disease.html. I've been searching all over the net for what this could be and why it happened. It could be anything from fungal, to bacterial, to Fish Tuberculosis or Vibrosis. Fish TB is contagious to humans! Hope it's not that.

That darn fungus cure is tough to get out. I've done 2 50% water changes and have been running a lot of carbon in the tank for two days now and the water is still a little green.
 

f8fan

MFT Staff
Nov 19, 2004
1,765
8
38
Bangor, Maine
#15
an update!

Here's my tough little guy, almost completely healed up. I'm not sure what it was, or how he got it, but he has pulled through and is back to his normal looking self.