caylentor

Thanks Colu, what do you think it might be?

Follow up again: The boys still have the white bumps on their lips but they haven't got bigger, changed texture, become fuzzy and they don't have any more One of my adult females now has a big white bump on her chin - not sure if it's related or not Picture of the bump: It looks almost like a bubble. I noticed it last night and it's still there today. She's eating fine and seems happy enough. Any idea what it might be?

Just an update on this: The fish still have the white bumps on their lips It doesn't appear to have spread to other fish It doesn't appear to have spread across their bodies - I can only see the two bumps on either side of their bottom lip They're still gregarious and eating happily, no hiding or spitting that I can see I can't really tell if they're getting bigger or not, but I'm hopeful that it is just a temporary injury or maybe a breeding pattern or something? Thanks for the help - it's appreciated!

It was my first thought too, but it's on quite a few of them including my really tiny female who I've never seen get into a fight (not that it doesn't mean that she hasn't when I'm not looking).

Hi folks, This morning I've noticed two white bumps on the lips of several of my White Cloud Mountain Minnows. I don't think they've been there before and with them being on several fish I'm a little worried it could be something sinister like Columnaris. They have been sparring a lot so it could be more benign like a lip injury but given it's on a lot of fish I would seek some advice. Current parameters: pH: 7.2 Ammonia: 0 ppm Nitrites: 0 ppm Nitrates: 0 ppm Water Temperature : 18.0 C I know the 0 Nitrates looks odd but it's been reading that consistently since about October. We've had a staghorn and blackbeard algae outbreak since then so I suspect that's where the nitrates are going. Behaviour wise they seem normal, everyone is eating ok and being social. I've managed to get a few photos (sorry they're a little blurry, the fish are incredibly fast and won't sit still to have their picture taken): Any thoughts?

Unfortunately despite a second treatment, the two sick fish are still the same. I caught two worms today in the tank - here's one of them (in a 5ml test tube with 0.1ml of the flubendazole solution, after 2 hours - I'd have hoped it'd have died by now!). It might just be a detritus worm but surely that would have been affected as well? https://photos.app.goo.gl/NVb71RYnpzutu3qt5

Here's hoping! Thank you very much for all the comments - they're very appreciated.

For sure, levamisole hasn't seemed to help at all but using flubendazole seems to improve their health (albeit temporarily). I followed your suggestion of 3 doses 3 days apart and that seemed to work. After your second month's treatment did you have to retreat? Does that mean it takes around 24 hours to work? I'm not really sure how rapid meds are adsorbed and how quickly they work. Last time after treatment I did a 50% water change and added carbon, then did another 50% change 24 hours later, then added the shrimp back a day after that and they seem ok so far. That said, I also have freshwater limpets in the tank and the flubendazole didn't seem to touch them. Did I underdose?

We'd still have eggs in the substrate doing that, wouldn't we? The shrimp also seem far less bothered by getting moved than the fish do, and it's easier to keep a temporary shrimp tank since they don't seem to produce so much waste. It is a reasonable suggestion though. How long would you need to bath the fish though, for flubendazole to work? Is it 24 hours or less?

Thread follow up, just in case anyone else has similar issues. So flubendazole seemed to work really well - all the fish recovered, and have been fine. Unfortunately two are currently coming down with symptoms again. Do I really need to repeat the dose monthly? Catching the shrimp and moving them to a backup tank every month is going to be a nightmare. One of the fish that isn't eating has a little bump in her belly, when I saw this last year the fish ended up dying after around two weeks, so hopefully another treatment will head that off. It's just very demoralising to constantly be going through this, let alone the impact on the aquarium inhabitants.

Just following up on the thread. So I dosed 3 times 3 days apart as you said - the fish didn't recover super quickly but both are now eating again and managing to keep food in, which is great. The others seem fine too. I've not moved the shrimp back yet, but will in a couple more days. My one concern is I've spotted some freshwater limpets, snails and flatworms in the substrate. I thought the flubendazole would be dangerous for them? I'm a little concerned that if they survived then the parasitic nematodes might have done and I don't really want to have to find all the shrimp again! Is it worth treating pre-emptively in future, or waiting until symptoms manifest? I usually try to avoid medicating without reason but we've been dealing with this for over a year at this stage.

Thank you! Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

@quikv6 how long did it take for you to see a recovery in your fish? The two of mine off their food are still acting much the same today 24 hours after dosing. I've set up something a little more long-term for the shrimp. It won't last them forever but should do them a few days at least.

Ah, that could be a problem. I don't really have a spare backup tank - I was going to keep them in a tub with an airstone as a temporary solution. Would it still be that long with Purigen and carbon in the filter? I think they'd be ok for a day or so in the emergency container but I don't think it'll be good for them long term.

Thank you for the tips! I'm just wary about adding the shrimp back too soon and losing them as a consequence. I don't know how long the medication stays effective for. Fingers crossed it helps my minnows.