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	My tanks keeps getting fungus
SJinNJ Fish Addict Posts: 568 Kudos: 447 Votes: 16 Registered: 21-May-2003	Hey folks, I've got a problem with my 75 gallon tank, some fish in it keep getting fungus. I am usually able to take care of it by treating it with Maracyn-Two. But I would like to take care of this once and for all. I think my problem maybe overstocking, but I'm not 100% sure. The tank is 75 gallons with 2 emporer 400 filters and 2 200 watt heaters. The tank is kept at 76 degrees. I do a weekly 15% water change. The water paramters are all fine. The tank occupants are: 9 danios 9 black neons 10 h rasboras 15 rummy nose tetras 1 BN 2 ottos 3 sterbais cories 6 bronze cories 7 emerald cories. I currently have 4 baby black neons in a 29 gallon. I was thinking that once they are a little bigger, to move the danios & one of the big group of cories to the 29 gallon and move the babies to the 75 gallon. Is there anything else I should be checking for? Do you think that just overstocking is the problem? BTW, I didn't start out trying to add all these fish, the black neone weren't supposed to be added, but due to illnesses and such it just worked out this way. Thanks in advance.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36
trystianity Mega Fish Posts: 1028 Kudos: 926 Votes: 49 Registered: 20-Mar-2004	Well, looking at your stock it is a little bit overdone for the traditionalists out there, but I don't honestly think it's high enough to be the main cause of repeated fungus problems. That stock could probably work with a strict maintenance routine and you do have a good filtration system on that tank. I have a few questions that should clear this up: When you say water parameters are fine, that could have a different meaning for everyone so it's much better to post some numbers. If you don't have testing supplies, most LFSes will do it for you. Make sure you insist on numbers and write them down. Also, where is the fungus starting? Does it start in the mouth usually or on the body? Have you seen anything else in the tank previously like ich or another parasite? Have you added any new fish recently? Is the fungus more in spots on the body (maybe rimmed with red), that seem to be almost like they're growing out of the skin or does the fungus look more like it's just covering the fish, and spreading around it? Is it a greyish colour or is it more pure white? Is it really "short" fuzzy or does it form longer strands? I'm asking all of these questions to determine whether you might be dealing with columnaris or true fungus (not as common). As with any disease, treating the symptoms without correcting the cause of the problem will cause it to return. A good medication is Jungle's Fungus cure, which will treat both true fungus and columnaris that may be worth a try. IME fish will only show fungus if they are already weakened in some way, most of the time they have enough natural immunity to keep it at bay on their own. For now, I would stop with the antibiotics and give the fish a break. Really, the meds aren't going to help a whole lot unless you can find the underlying cause for the outbreak and correct it anyway. One medication that may be especially useful in this situation is Pimafix. It's a natural antifungal and antiseptic made by the same company that makes melafix. It's not as harsh as more traditional medication, and may be enough to keep the fungus at bay while you correct whatever's causing it. For now, get back to me asap with answers to the questions posted above and pick up a bottle of pimafix to be dosed while we figure out what's going on here. It will cause less stress on the fish than the traditional meds, and works quite well IME.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36


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