I think it’s time to medicate my 150

[Jmcloonan]

Unfortunately I believe it’s time to medicate my moderately planted/hardscaped 150gal. I was losing one Melon Barb every other week to this pimple/sore looking situation and recently culled all of them when I moved the tank into my new house a month ago. I just noticed yesterday that one of my Diamond Tetras now has it and I want to sort it out before I lose anything important. I was tempted to call this Columnaris but I’m not sure after some research. It starts with a bump on their side, then an angrier bump with scales coming loose around the site, then some redness and broken skin. The fish will be dead within 3 days. 

I assume I have to pull all these plants if I treat the tank? Nothing is glued down so it’s not the worst thing. I would have to take all the hardscape out to get these fish into a quarantine tank. I’ve got 10+ $100ish plecos in the rocks as well as assorted tetras and Cories. Can someone identify this disease and/or recommend a medication plan for me? Any input is greatly appreciated. 
 

Solid water quality, pH 7.2-6.6 with CO2, NO3 typically 20-30, GH/KH 3/6, temp 78. 

 

Edited April 14, 2023 by Jmcloonan

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

While Columnaris is not out of the question- my best guess at this time just for the picture is it could ALSO be body rot which can turn to secondary bacterial and fungal infections or may  have been caused by the primary infection (columnaris). Is it Columnaris? I'm leaning towards yes and if I were in your shoes would treat the tank for it because it's notoriously hard to treat compared with other diseases and seems to be the most stubborn to get rid of. IME when one of my tanks had it fish were mysteriously dying with little to no symptoms but when I bombed the tank for an extended perios of time with the meds to treat the Columnaris I finally stopped losing fish. 

Now I would also check your water parameters regularly during treatment and do water changes and use Prime or Fritz prior to redosing meds. 

Most medications aren't really going to effect the plants unless you're using salt or heat to treat an illness. This is when a separate hospital tank can be helpful. 

I could be wrong so I'm tagging @Colu

Edited April 14, 2023 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Jmcloonan]

I greatly appreciate your thorough response. I’ll see what kind of meds I can source. Is nitrofurazone and kanamycin a solid start? 

[Colu]

As you have been losing fish over an extended period of time I think it would be worthwhile treating with a combination of kanaplex and jungal fungus clear fizz tabs containing nitrofurazone following this treatment plan I couldn't rule out columnaris but more than likely a bacterial component @Jmcloonan

[Jmcloonan]

Awesome. 10 boxes of Jungle Fungus tabs and two 5g tubes of Kanaplex (couldn’t find total gallons treated) purchased. I’ll follow your dose and water changes suggested and watch for any reoccurrence. I’m glad to not have to pull all these plants. Looks like the Nerites can stay too? 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Jmcloonan per Jungle Clear it is invertebrate safe HOWEVER per Seachem Kanaplex is not as safe, they warn that it can be stressful to snails and plants. I would remove your snails, put them in a small plastic container with some food (something from the tank that might have biofilm and any precious plants you think could suffer). In my experience my plants like java, anubias, and some others  did just fine through treatment. 

[Jmcloonan]

I do have some nice crypts that I can just pull for the week. The tank has only been set up for a month in the new house. I wanted to treat when I had the chance during the move but it was a super long day and I didn’t want to combine the stress of the move with the treatment. 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

If you also wanted to be SUPER EXTRA cautious I would treat the crypts with reverse respiration to kill of any potential infection before they go back in the tank, just to be very safe. With enough water changes in a plastic container your snails shouldn't contaminate anything theoretically. 

https://forum.aquariumcoop.com/topic/24465-reverse-respiration/

If all you have are Nerites you can also probably put some salt in the container for a while to kill bacteria/virus and it won't be harmful to them as nerites come from brackish water. I would just use a low dose. 

Edited April 15, 2023 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Colu]

On 4/15/2023 at 1:58 AM, Jmcloonan said:

I do have some nice crypts that I can just pull for the week. The tank has only been set up for a month in the new house. I wanted to treat when I had the chance during the move but it was a super long day and I didn’t want to combine the stress of the move with the treatment. 

Kanaplex can cause some types of snails to slow down I haven't had any problems with plants when I have used it that doesn't mean the kanaplex wont harm some types of plants 

[Jmcloonan]

Hmmm…. I’m quite interested in the reverse respiration idea. I’ve got a few strands of Val with algae on them that I wanted to treat anyway. Thanks for that!