Columnaris

[terror]

help
my goldfish has white stuff covering his head and body.
like skin shedding...
also his head and mouth is reddish.
he's getting weaker.
somebody told me this is columnaris..
i've never encountered it before.
what treatment is best?
help!!

[rockhead44]

Hithere Terror,Here is a site that will help you http://www.2cah.com/pandora/Disease.html#External good luck with your fish

[JeffP]

since this is goldfish related, checkout www.koivet.com. Also, check (or recheck) you water parameters to ensure your water quality did not stress your goldfish resulting in infection.

Good luck.

[Harry Tolen]

Whatever you decide to do for medication, I'd start with a series of 40-50% water changes (say one every other day for a week) to improve overall water quality. What size tank are we dealing with here, what kind of filtration, what else is in the tank, and what are your overall water parameters? All of these factors will affect your best course of action.

[Tiger15]

It does sound like Columnaris infection. I urge you to buy antibiotic to treat the fish in a hospital tank as quickly as possible. Columanaris are flesh eating bacteria that can kill very quickly. It may already be too late when the fish has already been covered with white patches all over. But at lest try to save other fish in the early stage of infection. The antibiotic of choice is Oxytetracycline or Minocyn II and make sure you use them at full strength and duration as instructed to prevent development of drug reistant strain,

[wetmanNY]

...you do sound quite sure that this is not Saprolegnia attacking necrotic tissue...

[Tiger15]

Fungus Saprolegnia infection is very rare and often is a secondary infection of injured tissues. The white patches with bloody edges are dead tissue caused by flesh eating bacteria. It's very hard to treat unless medication is applied at the earliest sign of infection , and only if adequate dosage and duration is applied. The death is unsightly with eroded fins and tissues. I know it because I had a total wipe out in my quarantine tank a year ago with columnaris infection from a few new fish.

[wetmanNY]

I'd say that Saprolegnia is not uncommon and is always a secondary infection of necrotic tissue. Just a difference of degree, Tiger15.

I'm not convinced that any bacterial diseases of fish are successfully treated, short of injectable antibiotics (professional treatment and larger specimens).