Help! Fish sick, I'm leaving town tomorrow

[euglossa]

I'm off for vacation tomorrow. Last night I noticed a small cottony circle on the back of one of my congo tetras. It definitely wasn't there on saturday when I spent an hour glued to the tank watching them.

I will have a house sitter, but he isn't a fish keeper, so I need to get treatment underway before I go. I'd hate to come back to no fish.

What might this be-fungus? Should I medicate? Is there a method, like the salt and heat I used for ick, that wouldn't impact my filter too much? Bioload is light, I gave away some of my fish last week to a friend who is restocking (I hope I didn't give him the fungus too-I'd better warn him), to make space for different fish when I get back. I'm planning a water change tonight, the next one will be in ten days when I get back.

There have been no additions to the tank for a month. Ammonia and nitrate are 0, nitrite 5. I have been doing 25% water changes weekly. Has this been lurking in there all this time?

Thanks

75 gallon
Emperor 450, Rena XP2

8 congo tetras
2 golden wonder killifish
1 zebra danio

 

[wataugachicken]

jungle fungus tabs are good for fungus, just toss them in. you'd have to remove the filter carbon for most any treatment, though. do a 50% change before you go, use the jungle tabs (walmart has them) and call your friend on day 4 to put the carbon back into the filter. maybe call him/her and show how it is done before you leave. also show the fish - point it out so later s'he can tell you if it is still there. you're supposed to do a 25% change between treatments, but you might want to retreat anyway. they're big tablets like alke-setlzer, you just use one tablet per 10g of water, and drop them into the tank. it's not like your friend would have to measure anything.

the 'fungus' being on the back though might mean something else. columnaris, also known as 'saddleback disease' because it often appears as a round saddle shape behind the dorsal fin, could be another problem. you'd have to dose with melafix, and that would have to be done every day depending on what the instructions on the bottle say.

 

[euglossa]

>the 'fungus' being on the back though might mean something else. >columnaris, also known as 'saddleback disease' because it often appears as >a round saddle shape behind the dorsal fin

I don't think it's that, it's more on the forehead. Closer to the eyes than the dorsal fin.

Thanks, he'll be able to put the carbon back in. I really didn't want to saddle him with a water change.

Ellen