# Need advice



## BuckeyeTez (May 10, 2016)

I have a red shoulder who looked like he had been picked on so I moved him to my 10g quarantine tank. He has White cottony stuff down his side. I suspected columnaris so started with the API fungus cure 3 days ago but he doesn't seem to be improving. Here is a pic I took this morning.



http://imgur.com/25r4n


Also, when I woke up, he was upside down laying on the bottom of the tank slightly breathing heavy. I'm going to do a 25% water change now to see if it'll help but any other suggestions would be much appreciated.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I don't think fungus cure will help with columnaris. Try kanamycin...order online for overnight delivery. It might be too late though.


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## Heatherbee (Oct 19, 2016)

Could this possibly be wounds/damage that's beginning to heal now that it's removed? I can't really tell from the photo but have removed beat up fish before and the first couple days the worse areas of damage looks a tad white fuzzy before healing. Just an idea- he could've gotten beat up then the added medicine led to it declining more.


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## Heatherbee (Oct 19, 2016)

My cautious advice would be water changes and add in some epsom salt.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I have had upside down fish recover from a beating, but once the fuzzy stuff starts (for me it was days later) no such luck. Even with all the medications.

Fungus is different from columnaris which is bacterial. So I'm taking your word it is columnaris. White patches. Fuzzy.


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## BuckeyeTez (May 10, 2016)

Ok, well then I'm going to do a 75% water change with tank water from my 125g and put a bag of charcoal in to remove as much that's left over.

I have some Methylene Blue I could give him a dip in if you think it might help his wounds? I'm not positive it's Columnaris, I just thought it sounded like the descriptions I've red on it.


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## BuckeyeTez (May 10, 2016)

I'll throw in some Epsom salts too and he doesn't seem to want food, FWIW.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The methylene blue is for bacteria so it's worth a try although I have never heard of it being used for columnaris.


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## Heatherbee (Oct 19, 2016)

The best description I can think of on the healing type white stuff I've had as they've just begun to heal is that it looks almost like sunburnt skin peel hanging off... Anyways sounds like you're doing all you can at this point so hopefully it'll make it!


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## BuckeyeTez (May 10, 2016)

I went to my LFS and picked up some KanaPlex. I got home, did another 75% water change and removed the carbon. He was doing the barrel/death roll before I did the water change (fresh water this time, not tank water from the 125g) and he seemed to immediately stop spinning and going upside down. I dosed him with the KP and turned the lights off. All I can do now is wait until morning and see if he's alive.

Thanks for the help guys, hoping for the best!


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## BuckeyeTez (May 10, 2016)

Update, he is still alive but keeps laying upside down and when I come aroun he tries to swim away but acts like he is paralyzed and only his side fins seem to be moving. I'm not sure what else to do or if I should just put him out of his misery...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

He seems to be trying...may as well give him a couple days to see if the meds will help.


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## BuckeyeTez (May 10, 2016)

Woke up this morning and he wouldn't even move. Covered in white stuff. He was barely breathing and hardly moving a fin so I bagged him up and he's outside on ice where it's -5*, so hopefully he will pass quickly. Feel horrible but I did all that I knew to try and help. Thanks for all the help you all offered.


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## Heatherbee (Oct 19, 2016)

Sorry to hear that! I've had pretty good luck with mine recovering (beat up fish in my case) thus far but did recently have a very similar situation to yours where I waited but ultimately euthanized. This is a newer territory for me & I certainly don't enjoy how things can change so quickly but I suppose it's just part of being a cichlid owner....challenging but worth it


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## BuckeyeTez (May 10, 2016)

So I picked up a new fish, well, they gave it to me because I noticed it had what looked like ich and offered to take it off their hands because it could infect the others in the tank. It's grey with an orange blaze. Looks like a sulfer head but different colors.

I took him home last night and he's in the quarantine tank but now I can't see anything at all that resembles ich. So, my question is...how long should I keep I'm in the tank just to make sure nothing is actually wrong? I've read treatments and had one fish who I thought had ich before but this time I haven't dosed anything or turned the heat up because I don't see signs of anything and don't want to treat something that doesn't exist.

Should I just add a little salt and give him a week to make sure or if there are no signs just wait a few days?

He is eating well and acts like a healthy fish.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Three weeks.


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