# fuzz growth in fry tank



## laihafloyd (Nov 28, 2007)

i have a 20 Long fry tank that has about 30-35 acei fry (about 2 months old). everything was going well until this morning. I spotted one dead so i tested the water and everything seemed o.k. I ran some errands and came back around 4:00 and now i have about 10-15 dead fry. i noticed on some they have fuzzy stuff on their tails. i even spotted a few live ones with fuzz on them. What is this and can the rest be saved? thanks,

marc


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## RyanR (Apr 29, 2008)

Does it look "cottony"?.... could be fungus.

I'm treating our 75g for fungus with Maroxy. seems to be working!

-Ryan


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## laihafloyd (Nov 28, 2007)

it is cotton-y. a friend suggested that it was probably fungus and to use melafix. what was surprising was how fast it wiped out just about the entire tank! I started treating with melafix and an anti-fungal tablet but i think it was too late. in one day i lost almost 30 fry to it. the six i have remaining seem to be fungus free.


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## RyanR (Apr 29, 2008)

Doh! That's no fun...

I've been reading somewhere about folks preemptively treating eggs/fry with Maroxy to nip fungus in the bud before hand.

I had no idea how big a problem fungus could be in the aquarium 'til our severums picked some up. Bah!

-Ryan


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

It could also be Columnaris, which sounds more likely as fast as you lost the fish.

If it is, antibiotics would be necessary rather than antifungal meds, and I'm not sure how well the fry will tolerate them. (A combination of Maracyn and Maracyn II or Kanamycin would work.)

I'd be very careful about putting other fish in the tank for awhile.

Melafix is a good preventative for bacterial infections, but once the fish actually have infection, it's not a good treatment.

How are the remaining fry?

I'd instigate frequent water changes at this point, and watch them carefully.


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## laihafloyd (Nov 28, 2007)

i've got 6 that look healthy, one more is acting healthy but has a discoloration on the abdomen that has me nervous. with water changes, how often is frequent? currently, i change about 5 gal every 7-10 days. i changed the water yesterday before adding the melafix and anti-fungal tablet.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I would do daily water changes on the tank.

Are the fish flashing against objects in the tank?

I would keep a very close eye on things. Should the fish with the discolouration worsen, I'd start an antibiotic treatment.

What were the exact water parameters on the tank? For that size tank with 30 fry, I would have been doing a couple of water changes a week vs. a water change every 7-10 days! I'd also be doing more like 50% in a fry tank.


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## laihafloyd (Nov 28, 2007)

The six that survived still appear to be doing well. i wish i would've taken a picture of the diseased fish, it probably would've helped identify the problem.

anyway, here's my question: the fry that survived are all between 1/4" and a 1/2" and now i have a joanjohnsonnae holding (has been holding for about 2 weeks). are the acei fry large enough to eat the new joanjohnsonnae fry if i were to put them in the grow out tank? also, how long should i wait since the disease breakout cleared before i decide that the tank is "clean"?


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I never put newly spit fry in a tank with older fry. I've had too many losses by doing that. I actually have a small 5G tank set up for new fry for the first month, before they are moved in with older fry. If you can provide lots of cover and hiding spots in the tank with the acei and don't have anywhere else to put the new fry, then some will survive. (I like those "carpet" looking plants that cover the bottom well, but it's also a trap for waste and food, so you'd want to make sure to do lots of water changes on the tank.) IME, new fry just aren't adapted enough to life outside mom's mouth to evade any predators. They are easy prey.

Once the acei have remained okay for a couple of weeks, the tank should be fine as far as health goes.


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