Columnaris is a common disease which can afflict your fish, particularly catfish and any live-bearing fish.
The name of this disease is derived from the columnar shaped bacteria which are present in virtually all marine environments.
This disease is often mistaken for a fungal infection due to the fact that it leaves lesions that resemble mold.
Columnar bacteria are most likely to affect fish which have been stressed by a number of physiological or aquarium environment conditions.
Low water quality, diet, handling or shipping are all possible ways for this disease to occur.
Entry can occur in a number of ways, either through the mouth or gills but also through small wounds on the skin.
Ulcerations develop within roughly twenty four hours, with a fatal outcome in three days without treatment.
Due to the highly contagious nature and high mortality rate of the disease it is important to get on top of any signs of columnaris in aquarium fish.
Large fish which "bully" smaller or weaker kinds of fish should be carefully monitored, as wounding or stress both increase the chance of infection.
Fortunately, most infections are external and easy to identify as white or greyish spots around the gills, fins or head.
Columnaris lesions generally progress slowly taking many days before finally resulting in the death of the affected fish.
However, acute cases can be devastating, as it is possible for entire colonies of fish to be extinguished in a matter of hours.
The following identifies some of the symptoms of infection: * Rapid gilling where the gills have been affected * Fungus growth invades the skin and fish begin to disintegrate at the edges * "Cottony" growth which eats away at the mouth area * Saddleback lesion at the dorsal fin * White or grey spots at the edges of gills, mouth or fins Columnaris need not spell the end for your fish, there are several drugs which can aid in treatment of any affected fish.
External infections should be treated with antibiotics and chemicals in the water.
It would generally to be wise to quarantine affected fish, but water in both tanks will need to be treated.
Acriflavine, Furan, and Terramycin are all recommended, Terramycin may be used as a bath which serves the additional purpose of treating infected food.
There are reports that salt should also increase gilling, which will be helpful to your fish.
Some kinds of fish such as catfish are sensitive to salt, so it is important to understand first if this is possible for your kind of fish if they are affected.
Outside of direct treatment, prevention is also important: Adequate filtration and water treatment should help maintain a high quality water content for your fish, Lowering bacterial infection rates.
Quarantine any need fish for two weeks before adding them to your aquarium.
Proper diet is not only important to your fish, but avoiding overfeeding also helps ensure high water quality.
When using nets or aquarium equipment, disinfect them after use as this will prevent the infection spreading.
As an additional hygiene precaution when moving fish, feeding them medicated food and antibiotics should ensure their safety against columnaris.
The name of this disease is derived from the columnar shaped bacteria which are present in virtually all marine environments.
This disease is often mistaken for a fungal infection due to the fact that it leaves lesions that resemble mold.
Columnar bacteria are most likely to affect fish which have been stressed by a number of physiological or aquarium environment conditions.
Low water quality, diet, handling or shipping are all possible ways for this disease to occur.
Entry can occur in a number of ways, either through the mouth or gills but also through small wounds on the skin.
Ulcerations develop within roughly twenty four hours, with a fatal outcome in three days without treatment.
Due to the highly contagious nature and high mortality rate of the disease it is important to get on top of any signs of columnaris in aquarium fish.
Large fish which "bully" smaller or weaker kinds of fish should be carefully monitored, as wounding or stress both increase the chance of infection.
Fortunately, most infections are external and easy to identify as white or greyish spots around the gills, fins or head.
Columnaris lesions generally progress slowly taking many days before finally resulting in the death of the affected fish.
However, acute cases can be devastating, as it is possible for entire colonies of fish to be extinguished in a matter of hours.
The following identifies some of the symptoms of infection: * Rapid gilling where the gills have been affected * Fungus growth invades the skin and fish begin to disintegrate at the edges * "Cottony" growth which eats away at the mouth area * Saddleback lesion at the dorsal fin * White or grey spots at the edges of gills, mouth or fins Columnaris need not spell the end for your fish, there are several drugs which can aid in treatment of any affected fish.
External infections should be treated with antibiotics and chemicals in the water.
It would generally to be wise to quarantine affected fish, but water in both tanks will need to be treated.
Acriflavine, Furan, and Terramycin are all recommended, Terramycin may be used as a bath which serves the additional purpose of treating infected food.
There are reports that salt should also increase gilling, which will be helpful to your fish.
Some kinds of fish such as catfish are sensitive to salt, so it is important to understand first if this is possible for your kind of fish if they are affected.
Outside of direct treatment, prevention is also important: Adequate filtration and water treatment should help maintain a high quality water content for your fish, Lowering bacterial infection rates.
Quarantine any need fish for two weeks before adding them to your aquarium.
Proper diet is not only important to your fish, but avoiding overfeeding also helps ensure high water quality.
When using nets or aquarium equipment, disinfect them after use as this will prevent the infection spreading.
As an additional hygiene precaution when moving fish, feeding them medicated food and antibiotics should ensure their safety against columnaris.
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