Cardinal Tetra Problem

[Aquabum]

yesterday, when the lights turned on in my aquarium, i noticed that one of my cardinals had this white cottony substance on his head and on his side. he doesn't look like he's dying, but i immediately took him out of the tank and placed him the hospital tank believing it might be contagious.

i'm afraid to give him medicine because i'm not sure what the problem is. he's thin but he still swims around with no problem.

this morning, again, i noticed that another cardinal has the same thing on top of his head, but nothing on his side. i felt like grabbing him and taking him out, but since i have a planted tank, it's difficult for me to net him, he's a lot more active than the first one. i'll try again when i have time. i don't want to leave him in there.

can someone please tell me what's wrong with my fish. it does look contagious since now i have two affected fish. the rest of my fish are doing well, but i'm afraid that it will spread. what should i do? what kind of medication should i use? i have a bottle of quickcure and aquarium salt, nothing else. my ph is 6.6, temp is 78, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 5 ppm nitrates, my p04 is about 2 ppm straight from the tap.

any help will be appreciated.

lissette

[fishypoo2]

It sounds like fungus to me.

[Aquabum]

thanks for the reply.

so what do i do? how do i treat it?

[fishypoo2]

What you have definitely sounds like fungus to me. The thing about fungus is, that it usually occurs in places where the fish has been wounded or stressed. So, your cardinal may have been hurt (or infected), and the fungus is only present in the wound. But since you have more than one fish with this, it opens up a few more possibilities. First, does the white coating appear slimy or like little spots? If it is fuzzy or slimy, then it is more than likely fungus. Fungus is easily treated with salt. According to Innes, it is best to place the infected fish in a separate hospital tank to reduce stressful salt exposure to other fish. The water in the hospital tank should be cycled (from another tank) and contain 2 tsp. of salt per gallon. Increase the salinity by 2 tsp. the next day (to 4 tsp.). It is advised not to have too much more salt than this, as the fish may become very stressed. Be sure that this tank is well aerated and filtered, and the heat is in the high 70’s. If the fish heals, acclimate it back to fresh water and return to original tank.