Sores on bristlenoses

[Gem400]

Seriously need some help here peeps :cry:

I came back after a week away to find a few of my calico bn's with lesions on their sides. My dad 'hadn't noticed' they also seemed to be suffering from possible fin rot with eroded pectorals. Whatever it is seems pretty aggressive.

I was told the tank had a gravel vac and water change 2 days previous and the water tested ok. I have 16 tanks and all the others are fine thankfully.

Anyway, I did a 50% waterchange and started treating with melafix, 6 days on I've lost 3 males and although the aparent fin rot seems to have stopped the lesions have not started to heal.

The tank is 150 litres filtered by 2 x fluval 4+ with no carbon pads and usually has a water change every 2 days but we've been holding off as much as possible while the meds have been in.

I also have other types of ancistrus in the tank that have not been affected, strangely it's just the calicos.

I've never seen anything like this in 15 years of keeping fish. Any ideas on what this could be and possible treatment welcome.

 

[Ike]

Oh! Poor guy, You might want to try Pimafix as well, just in case it's fungus related.

 

[Gem400]

I was thinking of trying Waterlife Myxazin as the melafix has had very little effect over the last week.

 

[Lornek8]

Looks bacterial to me. By the look of things I'd go with an antibiotic. For me, mela/Pima isn't very successful in treating many bacterial infections especially once established. Has there been any new additions lately or live food fed?

 

[Doodles]

Myxazin may work, another option is Esha 2000.

Its hard to tell what the cause is especially as its only affecting the calico's. The gravel is always done thoroughly and often and isnt too deep?
Def no signs of ammonia or nitrite?

 

[Gem400]

Yes I did make the huge mistake of adding a fish that wasn't quarantined.

The gravel is less than an inch deep and a gravel vac is done with a waterchange every 2 days. I was away a week so don't know how long the fish had been affected before treatment started as my dad just simply hadn't noticed the problem which by the time I found it appeared quite severe.

The first thing I did was test the water with an api master test kit and all appears fine.

 

[Doodles]

I don't want to scare you but check out this link, especially symptoms, see what you think, just to rule it out if anything


[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columnaris"]Columnaris - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

 

[Gem400]

Just checked out that link on pp, thankfully doesn't have all those symptoms. No rapid breathing, no flicking or rubbing, no mucus or fungus and no gill problems. The sores actually look very clean if that makes sense. The only other think is that a couple have raised white lumps which does not appear to be fungal.

 

[Doodles]

How many lumps?

if you can't get any anti biotics or suitable ones, i would consider the myxazin or Esha 2000, although have heard people have had quite good results with Esha 2000. I would also increase aeration.

I looked up about the lumps, and they also can end up as sores or ulcers and can be bacterial rather than a pathogen.

 

[Breamlegend]

Where they all males? May be a suck injury from a dominant male.

 

[Gem400]

Yes mostly adult males but some of the young 4cm calicos have also been affected. Despite how bad it looks I've only lost 3 fish over the last feek and nothing for a couple of days. Its just the odd lump on the rear end of the juvies.
I have access to Baytril antibiotics although don't wish to kill off the filters

 

[Doodles]

Did you manage to get any myxazin?

 

[Gem400]

Yes, I started on the myxazin yesterday. I had a female with white patches forming so I believe you may be right with the columnaris so them temp has been dropped, salt added and when I get some meth blue will be bathing anything that is affected. No more losses and the majority of the tank is feeding/acting normally so I'll just have to see how things go

 

[Doodles]

Good luck with the treatment

 

[AusPleco]

hows the treatment going?

 

[Doodles]

I've spoken to Gemma, the fish are doing much better so hopefully everything will be ok now