Sick Swordtails - Any ideas??

Cichlids4Ever · 11-23-2006, 08:41 AM

I brought home 2 swordtails yesterday to start a new tank.
The fish had Ich when I got them home. I didn't see it in the store.
In addition to that, this morning I woke to find the fish with white mouths.
It doesn't appear cottony, but I am assuming it is cotton mouth.
All I have in the house is quick cure and cichlid lake salt.

I don't know how much cichlid lake salt I can put in there???

Any clues out there??

Any ideas??

Thank you

P.S. I know how to treat the Ich...it is the white mouth I am unsure of.

Tommy Gun · 11-23-2006, 10:44 AM

Do a google search for Columnaris. This is most likely what your fish are experiencing right now. From my understanding, this can either lead to a quick loss of your fish or a very prolonged problem. On one website I just looked at to refresh my memory about this topic, raising the tank's temp will speed the progression of this disease up. It is also is a bacterial infection rather than a fungus and so it should be treated using an antibiotic.

Cichlids4Ever · 11-23-2006, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tommy Gun

Do a google search for Columnaris. This is most likely what your fish are experiencing right now. From my understanding, this can either lead to a quick loss of your fish or a very prolonged problem. On one website I just looked at to refresh my memory about this topic, raising the tank's temp will speed the progression of this disease up. It is also is a bacterial infection rather than a fungus and so it should be treated using an antibiotic.

Thanks Tommy, that's what I thought it was.

Looks like i'll lose them. I can't get to town for meds and all I have is quick cure. Don't know if salt helps. I tried to google, but I am getting nothing about salt and columnaris.
I read somewhere that quick cure will help, but I don't know.
I am going to send an email to the corporate office of this pet store and give them hell!