"Fuzz" in tank after treating with Maracyn

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B34N3R

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Nov 2, 2011
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I have a Panda Cory whose fins have been disappearing over the last few months. The Cory does not appear to be suffering in any way, The only other fish in the 10-gallon tank is a blood fin tetra, who fins are fine. I did a PWC and started treating the tank with Mardel Maracyn last week to see if I could help the Cory. I did the six treatments and now there is a great deal of cotton like fuzz in the tank. It is everywhere; floating on the water, on the glass, the heater, the filter and especially on the drift wood. This fuzz came only after treating with the maracyn so I am lead to believe that it is a result of the treatment. The fish don't show any sign of fuzz or stress. I'll be doing a PWC and scrubbing down the tank, but I'm concerned that I have a bigger problem now. I greatly appreciate any suggestions.

I have had this tank operating for over two years and I have never had a problem with fuzz. I have had some algae but nothing too dramatic. The drift wood was boiled down a few times since acquiring it with the tank setup.

Thank you!
B34N3R
 

SubRosa

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Jul 3, 2009
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The fuzz is most likely fungus feeding on organics. There are many instances in nature where bacteria inhibit fungal growth, so perhaps the antibiotic, which has no action against fungus, took out bacteria that were inhibiting fungal growth. What is 100% for sure is that if such fungus grows under ANY circumstances in your tank you need to up the maintenance.
 

B34N3R

AC Members
Nov 2, 2011
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The fuzz is most likely fungus feeding on organics. There are many instances in nature where bacteria inhibit fungal growth, so perhaps the antibiotic, which has no action against fungus, took out bacteria that were inhibiting fungal growth. What is 100% for sure is that if such fungus grows under ANY circumstances in your tank you need to up the maintenance.
Thank you for the quick reply. I do clean out and scrub the tank every 2-3 months. I'll get started on another clean-up now. Now that I have a fungus, should I do a full water change or should I still keep some percentage of the existing, but contaminated water?
 

AquaticAustin

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Sep 29, 2011
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Orlando, Fl (UCF)
You can treat for fungus w/ fizzing tablets from tetra, I have used it before and it worked really really well. One of my fish had fungus all over it, its fins etc put some of that in there and the next day it started to go away and 4 days later totally gone and the fish is still with me 5 months later with no problems (actually had babies even!) So I would do that prior to a whole clean up. Also fungus is in most water, just it normally cant take hold to anything if there isnt any decaying matter or fish with weakened systems so the water you put in unless its purified or something will likely still contain spores.
 

SubRosa

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Jul 3, 2009
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You need to change more water more often and make sure that food isn't sitting around to feed the fungus.
 

vwill279

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Oct 7, 2011
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Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Water changes should generally be done weekly at least. The amount you change depends on the bioload of your tank. With only 2 fish in the tank, you could probably skate by with a 10% change. If you dont vacuum the gravel, this might be your biggest issue. Fish waste and leftover food are the biggest cause of nutrient spikes that allow fungus, algae, and bacteria to grow and have blooms. All this stuff settles into the gravel, so if you dont vacuum it up, it will just keep accumulating. They make gravel siphons that hook up to sinks making it really easy to vacuum, then refill. Just make sure that you add a dechlorinator as you pump the water back in.
 
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