Help!! I just now noticed that 2 of my 9 neon tetras have a white growth on their mouths! What can I do?

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nellafantasia

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Apr 6, 2019
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It is very late and I just now noticed two of my 9 neon tetras have white growths on their mouths. They have good color and do not show any behavioral changes. I am going to do a 50% water change then go to bed.

Tomorrow I hope someone can recommend a treatment. It is a 10 gallon well established planted tank. The fish have now become full grown. I am sick about this. I do not have the means to set up an isolation tank so if there is a treatment I will need to treat the entire tank. I have been working a lot and have not been closely observing the fish like I did when the tank was first set up. It looks like I missed something that should have been noticed sooner. :(
 

nellafantasia

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Apr 6, 2019
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I have removed the carbon from the filter and started API Triple Sulfa. I do hope this is treatable and not too far advanced.
 

nellafantasia

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Apr 6, 2019
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Update how are your fish doing?
Thank you so much for asking. I realized it was columnaris but there was no kanamycin formulated for fish tanks within over a 100 mile radius. So I started out with a 50% water change and a course of Funan 2 from my only accessible pet store. I found online that the preferred approach was a combination of Furan 2 and kanamycin (Kanaplex). So I initiated a course of the Furan 2. There was no observable change. There were two neons with large white round lesions on their mouths with no change at this point.

Finally received the Kanaplex via Amazon ( Sadly my locale did not qualify for overnight shipping). So I instituted a combined course of the Kanaplex and Furan 2.

The lesions changed in color from bright white to grayish. By the end of this double barrel approach I was distressed to see fin rot on those two fish and a couple others. Water parameters were good. So I did another 50% water change and did a course of the Kanaplex alone right away. There was significant improvement after this was completed. Fin rot decreased a lot and the lesions on one fish's side were practically gone. Color of all fish was very good. They were active, ate well.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Fishorama advised me to lower the water temp. It was at 78. I went down to 76 and in a couple days down down to 74 then 72 where it is now. The fish look very good, are active and noone is getting bullied. Those lesions are still there but I do believe they are not thriving. I hope they fall off.

So that is the story. Thank you for asking. I do believe that those lesions were there at least two weeks before I noticed them, and they grew before the kanamycin. I have learned that I can't keep fish without observing them regularly. Initially I thought the white was just reflection from light on their scales. That was before they became big. At least the ones with the mouth lesions can still eat and show no sign of distress.
 

nellafantasia

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Apr 6, 2019
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Good to hear they are doing better ???
HOWEVER.....A big bad snow and wind storm cause a major power outage where I live. My room temperature was down to 59 degrees and falling. I had to run around boiling bottled water on my gas stove (thank God I have a gas stove) and kept doing partial heated water changes. Power was out about 8.5 hours. I was using my hurricane lantern and huddled under the covers.

So what do people do with their tropical fish tanks when the power goes out in winter????? One of the neons lost all its red color and the blue turned into green. I was afraid I was going to lose him but he survived and looks okay now.
 
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