Newbie with a fungus problem?
In going back over the threads of this subject, I can’t find any reference to any internal disorders, although I do remember some members being suggested to feed peas to their fish to help them with digestive disorders, although I don’t recall seeing that here. There was also some talk about fin and tail rot, but again, I can’t find this here in this long thread — direct me if I missed anything on either of these issues.
I do see references made to “white stuff” on the fish and more recently, “cottony stuff” on the caudal and dorsal bases on both CB and Raven — which to me strongly indicates the manifestation of Fungus on these fish. If Columnaris is involved, and mouth “fungus” as one of these forms can take on this appearance when first starting, I haven’t seen anything pointing towards that — except for “white stuff,” but bodily Columnaris is rarely that localized — any whiteness as a result of this disease would be more generally spread. Its the “cottony” appearance that pinpoints it right back to Fungus when associated with localized areas.
Fortunately, these terrific medications (Nitrofurazone and Furadolizone) cover all bases and are greatly anti-fungal as well as being great broad-spectrum anti-biotics. Aside only from Triple- Sulfa (a primarily gram-negative antibiotic), I know of no better medication for treating Columnaris, even though Oxytetracycline would be as equal, and at the same pH and hardness values — up to pH 8.0 in hard water. But, these two medications (Triple-Sulfa and Oxytetracycline) are not without their drawbacks of erradicating your nitrifying bacteria. I won’t rule out Oxolinic Acid as a good treatment against Columnaris either. Note; if the pH is over 8.0, you want to go to Triple-Sulfa, if the water is high in calcium and magnesium (which it often accompanies), Nitrofurans lose their potency above pH 8.0 as they bind up with these elements.
For strickly fungal infections, while the two afore-mentioned medications will act on this, the two ‘zones’ (Nitrofurazone and Furadolizone) in combination are more effective than either one of these — and not being directly derived from bacteria culturing as a product of them (as are many of the meds in the Penacyllin/Kanamycin, etc. families) they are said not to interfere with the nitrifying bacteria cultures. Ray
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
