Fish Q&A Section: Skin Disorders
Q:
One or several of my fish have a slimy covering on their skin in
certain spots.
IN
FRESHWATER KOI PONDS, USING TOO
MUCH SALT WILL CAUSE THE FISH TO PRODUCE MORE SLIME! KEEP SALT
LEVELS AT 0.1% OR LOWER.
A:
In Freshwater Fish: This is a Protozoan infestation
called Chilodonella. This is common in Discus and Angelfish.
Treatment: Treat the fish with
Quinine Sulfate or Forma-Green
A:
In Saltwater Fish: This is Brooklynella Hostilis
Treatment: Treat the fish with
Quinine Sulfate or Forma-Green in a hospital tank for 5-7 days.
Q:
The fish's skin has a hazy white covering over it in patches. It looks
like a fungus, but anti-fungal treatments do not work.
A: This is a called Columnaris Disease
and is caused by gram-negative bacteria.
Treatment: Use
TMP-Sulfa -or-
Sulfa 4 TMP -or-
Triple Sulfa Powder.
Q:
My fish looks like it is covered with a fine white sandy coating.
A: In
Freshwater Fish: This is known as Ich (Ichthyophthirius)
Treatment: Use
Forma-Green -or-
Acriflavine Neutral. If you have tried one of these
treatments and it did not work, you have a resistant strain of Ich
and need to treat with
Quinine Sulfate for 5-7 days.
A:
In Saltwater Fish: This is known as Cryptocaryon
Irritans (Saltwater Ich).
Treatment:
Copper Sulfate is the old stand by treatment.
Forma-Green may also be used. For stubborn strains, try
some Quinine Sulfate.
Q:
My fish has white
thread-like or cottony puffs on the skin.
A: This sounds like a Saprolegnia
Fungus.
Treatment: Treat the fish with
Forma-Green for 5-7 days.
Q:
My fish has small off-white to yellowish dots on the skin and
scale edges.
A: Your fish are affected by Oodinium.
Treatment: Use
Acriflavine Neutral -or-
Forma-Green -or-
Copper Sulfate.
Q: The
fish has bloody patches on the skin as if it were sanded or scraped
off.
A: Your fish are affected by a Costia
infestation. (Ichthyobodo).
Treatment: Treat the fish with
Forma-Green -or-
Acriflavine Neutral.
Q:
My fish has pimples on it's skin with something white sticking
out.
A: This is a parasitic worm (Lernea),
or Anchorworm. Common in Goldfish.
Treatment: Treat the fish with
De-Los.
Q:
The scales on my fish are falling off.
A: Sounds like the fish has Bacterial
Hemorrhagic Septicemia.
Treatment: Treat the fish with
Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride Powder, for ten days.
Q:
My fish had a pimple on the skin, and now it is a large sore.
Other fish are covered with large sores and dying in droves.
A: This sounds like a bacterial
disorder, either Aeromonas bacteria or Pseudomonas bacteria.
This disorder is common in Koi ponds.
Treatment: Use Koi Fix®,
or you can use a combination of
Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride +
Oxolinic Acid Powder on the fish for a two week treatment.
These medications can also be used in the feed (suggested). If
used in the feed, add
Forma-Green to the water. Bumping up the temperature to
80 degrees fahrenheit has shown to speed up this treatment.
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