Fuzzy Neon...might Be Fuzzy Neons

[HatterasMermaid]

Hello. I am new here and new to aquariums again after not having one for over 20 years. Many, many things have changed. I am doing my best to learn and to keep this aquarium going. Please forgive the length of this post.... I knowww it is going to be toooooo long!

I was given a Aqueon 20 HEX LED (19L x 16w x 21H) as a Christmas gift. It is beautiful and yet I hate it all at once. Teeeeny footprint that has already caused me many headaches as I have tried to get it up and going. I actually received the kit in November and didn't do the first thing to it until May as I was timid! It is plant heavy --altho the plants are all on the small side. I have lost the male guppy seen in my profile photo and the female guppy that dropped fry the night I got her. (I found her dead on the bottom of the tank when I arrived home after being gone for several hours. She appeared okay when I left.) I still have several guppy fry, 5 neons, and 2 female guppies. (I think the current in the tank is a problem (too much) ....and have contemplated asking for help with how / what to do about it... and will once I "fix" my fuzzy fish situation!

My most current water readings (from last night) are:
Nitrite Oppm
Nitrate 5.0 ppm
Ammonia somewhere between O and O.25
PH 8.0

Today as I went to do my 30% change and cleaning, I noticed that one of my neons looks like he has a white fuzzy belly. I have put everything down and returned here to ask for your help.

• What is the fuzz and what do I do about it?

• I have no quarantine tank nor do I have the funds to set up one with a heater. I can set up a little spot for the fuzzy neon but it won't be (and can't be) heated.

• I have 3 medications and am not sure which one to treat the tank with. I have Aquarium Solutions ICH - X, API General Cure and API EM Erythromycin. Will one of these work?

Thank you for reading all of what I have typed!
Any and all help is greatly appreciated. I am attaching 2 photos... the best of the 10000 I took!?!

As I have been trying to take pix of the fuzz, I think it may be on more than one neon! Please forgive the poor quality (and possible size) of the photos. (How do you all take pix of your fish? ...and I thought children were hard to get a good photo of...)




Again, much thanks for any help and suggestions!

 

[Dycofree]

The white fuzz could be a few things, some worse than others. I ran into this problem once in my 29 gallon tank with my Harlequin Rasboras. The problem presented exactly as yours is with the white fuzz on the back and stomach.

1. I would put my money on the white fuzz being a secondary fungus infection being caused by an unseen problem/stressed. When my fish were presenting with this, I took a really hard look at each individual fish and saw a few white specs and saw I had a small case of ich. The ich caused stress as well as compromising their slime coat and caused the fungus to take hold. Ive been told fungus is present in aquariums at all time, but usually can't take hold when the fish have a strong slime coat. In this scenario you would treat the problem, not the symptom (white fungus).

2. The second thing that came to my head was Columnaris. Usually this presents with white fuzz around the face and mouth but it can be on the body as well. This is a nasty one and can kill fish overnight, which could possibly explain why the molly dropped dead after seeming fine to you. To get rid of this it takes a lot more work than option 1 and I will let someone more knowledgable chime in on how to proceed with that.

I would start by taking a good hard look at every fish and trying to get some better pictures. Best of luck

Edit: I get pics of my fish by taking a video and them screenshoting still s of the video.

 

[HatterasMermaid]

Thank you for your reply Dycofree! I have looked at many many photos online (here and elsewhere) and have my fingers crossed that it is not Columnaris. ...and thank you for your helpful hint about taking photos of the fish. I will replace the photos as soon as I have some better photos.

 

[Dycofree]

Thank you for your reply Dycofree! I have looked at many many photos online (here and elsewhere) and have my fingers crossed that it is not Columnaris. ...and thank you for your helpful hint about taking photos of the fish. I will replace the photos as soon as I have some better photos.

No problem! Yes I know the feeling. My mind went straight to Columnaris when this happened to me and I just had to wait it out and see if any fish rapidly died before deciding what to do about treatment. Fortunately for me it panned out and was easily taken care of. Have any fish shown any more signs of the fungus/fuzz since the post? Columnaris usually kills pretty quick but can lye dormant in some cases ive been told. If you haven't seen any progression in the symptoms I would think its just the symptom of the real problem.

 

[HatterasMermaid]

Hello Dycofree! Sorry for the delay with my reply. Happy to report that it is not Columnaris! No new casualties to report ...and I don't see signs of any fuzz on any of my fish! They seem to be doing well! (yes, I did just cross my fingers that I did not jinx them! lol)

I did a 25% water change (regular maintenance) on Sunday and all numbers are within acceptable ranges as I type this tonight!
I greatly appreciate your replies and suggestions!

 

[Dycofree]

Great to hear. Keep an eye on it and hopefully whatever it was is gone. Cheers