Super sick molly-need help fast!

Romad

Sorry that you lost your fish :(

Did you try using the Kanamycin treatment for the Molly? If an advanced stage of Columnaris, I don't think salt alone would work. You might want to treat the whole tank at this point.

Good luck and keep us posted.

DragonFyre14

I was just going to point out that if you've had a couple different fish get sick from the same tank, it would probably be good to treat the whole tank. I think it would only be a matter of time before your other fish got sick too...

RackinRocky

Thanks, guys. When I have few enough fish to put them in the 10 gallon, I'm going to break down the 55 gallon and use bleach and start over. If I treated the 55 gallon, it would cost me a FORTUNE, and I can't afford it. I still have about 15 fish left in the 55 gallon, and can't squeeze them all in the 10 gallon, so for now I'm just removing the sick ones and putting them in the hospital tank (which is the 10 gallon).

Yes, I had put the molly in the hospital tank with the Kanamycin, but she had gotten sick just overnight, and the meds didn't even have a chance to work. It was too late. This form I have of columnaris is obviously VERY virulent. I've had fish die within 12 hours after becoming the slightest bit listless.

PLEASE people, ALWAYS quarantine! If any newbies are reading this, its just not worth it not to!

Pistolero

Same thing is happening to my white balloon molly. I quarantined it should I quarantine the female with it too 'cos she's also got white spots but has been moving around and eating fine?

RackinRocky

Are you medicating your balloon molly? And I would definitely quarantine your otherfish as well, and medicate. The white spots on the second fish could just be ich, but no telling. Did you get them both at the same time? If so, I'd quarantine them together with meds. Look up their symptoms and medicate according to what is recommended.

Pistolero

Yeah have quarantined the white balloon molly pair now. The females white spot is not going away with water changes and med. What should I do, It's been more than a week now but she does seem to be eating and moving around fine. Can't wait for them to recover and put them back in my main tank. Any more helps amigo.

DragonFyre14

I'm not sure if you've mentioned whether or not you are doing it, but turn up the heat in the tank. It probably needs to be around 80F. That helps speed up the life style of ick and I believe makes them more susceptible to the medications.

Shewbert

water quality plays a vital role in the prevention and cure of this disease. Prior to initial dosing of any medication to the aquarium, one should perform a large water change (30-50%) with a thorough gravel cleaning in order to remove excess detritus and waste from the substrate. There are several medications in the marketplace to treat Columnaris. One should follow the manufacturer's instructions for treatment, as different producers, use different concentrations, & it is therefore impossible to give a standard treatment for all the medications out there. Some persons advocate using copper sulphate, but in our opinion, the risk of further damage to the gills of the fish, is too great, and we do not recommend this drug for this disease.

Aqua Pro-Cure and Revive are both a blended mixture of several components to treat this and other diseases. Acriflavine-MS and Metro-MS are single compound medications, specifically acriflavine neutral and metronidazole respectively, which will also bring this disease under control. Please note that Aqua Pro-Cure and Revive are reef and invertebrate safe which makes them the treatment of choice for such an aquarium.

columnaris is a virulent pathogen all fish in the same tank must be treated.
Hope this helps, get some Aqua Pro-Cure and Revive and start treatment a.s.a.p.

Mandy, Marine Biologist/Vet

RackinRocky

Pistolero, so sorry that I didn't see the message from this forum in my email box until today.

If the molly has one spot that is large, that is, larger than a grain of salt, its probably NOT ich. Its probably columnaris. I've had a few of my fish act perfectly fine, yet have the white spot on them, and it gradually got worse, and larger, then they died within a few weeks.

I would treat with Kanaplex (made by Seachem, and you might have to order it online, many pet shops don't carry it). 10-14 day treatment is imperative--no shorter! Does your molly also show any signs of fin rot? Look at the fins closely. Are any ragged, or look like they have a film on the end of them?This is also a sign of Columnaris.

DON'T turn up the heat to 80 if you suspect Columnaris! I've read in more than a few places that the Columnaris will get worse, as it breeds faster in warmer water. Keep water temp right around 77. Above that, and you will have the Columnaris spreading much faster.

The two female bettas I'm currently treating are responding to the Kanaplex. But you have to catch it early. Do a 30-40% water change every other day, then add another dose of Kanaplex. It says to do a 25% water change on the instructions, but most people do more than that. The siphoning of the substrate every time you do a water change is also very important. Also, don't overfeed, whatever you do. Feed lightly, and make sure the fish clean most, if not all of it up in a couple of minutes. Keep me posted.

DragonFyre14

That's true. I didn't think about that when I suggested turning up the heat.