Help! Don't Know If This Is Bacteria Or Fungus Now How To Treat. Losing Fish!

Hi,

My tank has broken out in either a fungus or I bacteria I am assuming (I say tank because it is not just one isolated fish at this point, three confirmed that I can see, one fish died already, another fish has it all over and looks to die soon, and my angel has it but is still extremely active. There could be more that have it that are hiding).

It started with one fish that looked like it had ich two weeks ago, then spread to three more overnight so I have turned the heat up to 86 and been treating with Super Ich Cure (started two weeks ago), and then switched to paraguard a week ago because while it cured all the fish, one fish seemed to be getting more and more little white salt spots while the rest of them disappeared on the other fish. Well the ParaGuard has done nothing and he continues to get more white spots... then yesterday I notice a compete new few that did not have white salt spots suddenly had a white fluffy spot on its head. Then within a few hours a second spot appeared, then a few hours later on the other side of the body a large white fluffy spot appeared. I felt like this was different than the salt looking spots on the fins of the angelfish so I pulled the fish with the white *fluffy* spots out and quarantine and added jungle buddies fungus clear. That did no good and actually seemed to make it worse somehow, and that fish died over night.

Back to the angelfish as of last night I notice the white stuff starting to make threadlike strings and actual fuzzy spots were appearing, and I found one blood fin that is covered in fuzz that had been hiding in the back of the tank this morning. Unfortunately I think it is too late for him. I pulled the angelfish into quarantine last night and immediately pulled the bloodfin and put him in the same tank with the angelfish as I feel they have the same thing. I *almost* feel like the angel has white fuzzies, threatlike white strings AND ich spots, but now I don't know if the ich is actually ich or if it is white fuzzy bacteria or fungus.

The addition is that whatever this white fuzzy stuff is (I think it is what is causing it) destroying the angel fish's fins literally in a day. His dorsal and tail fin are in shreds. I don't know if that is maybe from netting him to catch him, and then he thrashed around in the quarantine tank for a moment (and there is gravel on the bottom) but I feel like it appears that whatever is on him is what is destroying his fins.

I need help asap PLEASE!

I know everyone will want to know water parameters, so I will pull out my test kit, but as of last week it was around pH 7-7.2, Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0 and Nitrates 20ppm.
I'll run a new test and post a picture of the angelfish in a moment.

Water temp is currently at 86.1 F

 

Here are pictures of the angel (his quarantine is floating inside the large tank so I can keep the temperature at 86, I’m out of heaters at the moment, they are all in use).

Also, what I have on hand for meds are as follows:

Pimafix
Melafix
MetroPlex
KanaPlex
Super Ick Cure
Jungle Buddies Fungus Clear
API Fungus Cure
API General Cure

My guess is that someone will say I need something I don’t have of course but I’m happy to go to the pet store or order on amazon (pet store doesn’t carry maracyn 1/2 or another one that has a 1/2 but I forget the name.)

You can see not only the spots, but also the stringy white stuff, the fluffy spots and the tail and dorsal fin deterioration. The tail is practically shredded perfectly even. The little blood fin is hard to see but you can certainly see the large white spot on his back and some more white fluff on his right side with a stringy hanging off it. I think he’s going to die...his body looks eaten by this stuff, scales look missing and he’s going between floating and swimming.

Water is slightly blue because jungle buddies is in there at the moment but I can change the water easily for new meds based on what you guys think this is.

Please help! I love my koi angel and I probably need to treat the tank too I’m guessing given that this broke out in a day, someone else probably has it and I haven’t seen them yet

 

That looks like ICH to me. I'd try treating with methylene blue, an effective anti-fungal. It can be found in 0et stores under the name Super ICK treatment (basically methylene blue diluted with stresscoat).

 

That looks like ICH to me. I'd try treating with methylene blue, an effective anti-fungal. It can be found in 0et stores under the name Super ICK treatment (basically methylene blue diluted with stresscoat).

Thank you for the response! I treated with super ick Cure from API for a week and it healed everyone else but this fish suddenly got it when everyone else healed. And the little blood fin definitely looks ONLY fuzzy and not salt spots at all...

Can ick cause fin deterioration and the white stringy stuff? I’ve only ever seen it as white salt spots and was able to treat it within a few days until the spots feel off and continued treating for two weeks to kill what had fallen off before and that always worked. I just don’t understand why this looks so different, is eating his fins and why everyone else healed from the ick and he actually got worse? I just don’t know maybe what progressive ick looks like since I’ve only ever seen the white salt looking spots

 

It should only be spots. It still seems like a fungus, though. I'm gonna call in Platylover and TexasDomer to hopefully help, as I am completely baffled.

 

Its just some damage to the fin cartilige, either from fighting netting or parasite,
I agree with the super ick cure M blue but make sure you tell people this will kill their cycle.

 

I hate to report he did not make it
He passed overnight. I feel so stupid being attached to certain fish more than others but he was a specific fish I searched for so I definitely was attached.

I feel like every time I quarantine any fish they never actually make it. What am I doing wrong? Is it more stressful to quarantine them than to keep them in the main tank and put the rest of my fish at risk?

Each of the three fish with Ick or white fluffy stuff each went into quarantine and each died. Every fish I have ever pulled out into quarantine, whether to medicate or simply protect from other fish and protect my other fish from what they have, they all still die in quarantine.

Any advice? Am I doing the wrong thing pulling them out and causing too much stress? The two actual quarantine tanks, a 5 and 10 gallon are tested regularly, changed regularly and I ensure to adjust the tempt to whatever I have the main tank set at, so in this case since I had been treating the tank for Ick, it was at 86 plus or minus a degree depending on what time of day (it warms up late morning to mid day to 87). I checked all water parameters and they were pH 6.8-7, ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 10-20 in each tank, with the main tank closer to 20ppm.

I’m doing something wrong because I have not had a single fish survive ever in quarantine, however I have treated hole in the head twice in the main tank, didn’t quarantine and both those fish lived.

Help? Advice from people experienced in quarantine?

 

It shouldn't be the QT tank itself unless it has been contaminated with something toxic. Moving them shouldn't be too stressful either. It could just be that they were too sick and would've died in the main tank anyway.

I'm sorry you lost him.

 

I hate to report he did not make it
He passed overnight. I feel so stupid being attached to certain fish more than others but he was a specific fish I searched for so I definitely was attached.

I feel like every time I quarantine any fish they never actually make it. What am I doing wrong? Is it more stressful to quarantine them than to keep them in the main tank and put the rest of my fish at risk?

Each of the three fish with Ick or white fluffy stuff each went into quarantine and each died. Every fish I have ever pulled out into quarantine, whether to medicate or simply protect from other fish and protect my other fish from what they have, they all still die in quarantine.

Any advice? Am I doing the wrong thing pulling them out and causing too much stress? The two actual quarantine tanks, a 5 and 10 gallon are tested regularly, changed regularly and I ensure to adjust the tempt to whatever I have the main tank set at, so in this case since I had been treating the tank for Ick, it was at 86 plus or minus a degree depending on what time of day (it warms up late morning to mid day to 87). I checked all water parameters and they were pH 6.8-7, ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 10-20 in each tank, with the main tank closer to 20ppm.

I’m doing something wrong because I have not had a single fish survive ever in quarantine, however I have treated hole in the head twice in the main tank, didn’t quarantine and both those fish lived.

Help? Advice from people experienced in quarantine?

This also happens to me, every fish that has died was in quarentine.... what s the deal
Ps very sorry to hear about your fish