# Some type of fungus?



## Jaybird5 (Apr 27, 2013)

My black molly has recently got some sort of white thing on its back. Umm what is it? All my levels are good and my temperature is fine.
Some pictures-







[/url][/IMG]







[/url][/IMG]
So what is it? I have aquarium salt and pimafix to hopefully cure this. It is in a 10g tank. Any ideas? solutions?


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Other than the tank being too small for a Molly it may be nothing. Black Mollies are so black that even the slightest blemish can look like things like ich, but in my experience with them not always the case. I would add salt as the directions say. They seem to do better with it vs without. Just remember to add initially and then only enough to replace what you remove with water changes. Salt does not evaporate like water.

I recommend just observe. From that pic it doesn't look like much.


----------



## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

It's difficult to say from your pictures...but considering the location and that it's a Black Molly, I'd guess Columnaris. Hopefully I'm wrong and it's just fungus. Or better yet, hopefully it's nothing.

If it's Columnaris, it's bacterial and my treatment of choice would be a sulfa product. Someone may attempt to tell you that Columnaris is a fungal disease, but it's absolutely not. It's a bacteria...and a deadly one if not treated promptly. If you have something in your cupboard for Fin Rot, check the active ingredient. If's its an antiobiotic, Google it to see if it can kill Columnaris. It likely can. If it's expired, I personally wouldn't use it...not for Columnaris. 

If it's a fungus, perhaps secondary to an injury from another fish or a plastic plant, treat it with an aquatic antifungal medication. Don't fall for anything "natural" like Melafix etc. Your fish needs a man-made pharmaceutical. 

Keep in mind that if you treat this fish in your display tank, the medication will also kill the beneficial bacteria. You'll then find yourself in the middle of a cycle, with ammonia in the water and 10 sick fish instead of one. I'd treat this fish and any other fish that get's sick in a bare bottom hospital tank. And I also wouldn't buy into claims that a certain brand of aquatic antibiotic won't hurt the beneficial bacteria. If that's the case...that medication isn't strong enough. And don't use any carbon in your hospital tank.

Hopefully it's nothing. I'm not good with pictures.


----------



## Jaybird5 (Apr 27, 2013)

I am just putting salt in the tank and I am going to monitor the inhabitants just to make sure.


----------



## Jaybird5 (Apr 27, 2013)

After a day of the salt, my fish are alot more active and alot happier! I might always use this salt. Even if it is just API aquarium salt. I think it is working, thank you for the salt idea.


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

1 tablespoon per 5 gallons if the shrimp will tolerate.Remember to add salt when changing your water (mollies love it).Mollies can live in full salt water systems.


----------



## Jaybird5 (Apr 27, 2013)

I will include that after a couple of days the "blemish" is really faded into the rest of the body so as they say: we all good up in here.


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Glad to hear the molly is looking better.Keep an eye on your shrimp as I do not know how well they tolerate the salt,but should enjoy the harder water it provides.


----------



## Jaybird5 (Apr 27, 2013)

Well one of my shrimps molted, so I am thinking they are fine lol. Sorta shocked me, I went in there and saw one of my snails with the shrimps eyes sticking out of its mouth! I picked up the snail to see a empty shell of a shrimp. So she molted.


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

The extra hardness the salt provides helps with the molting.Still watch them or even pm the shrimp farm guys.They are sponsor here and have all the knowledge we both need.
Freshwater Aquarium Shrimp - TheShrimpFarm.com


----------



## Jaybird5 (Apr 27, 2013)

Whale, Larry has passed... yes Larry the shrimp has moved on. He was all curled up in a C formation. He was "cracked" open and his insides were spilling out. I can only assume it was one of the fish that cracked him open. But I wonder how he died... The day before he looked awfully funny and was a weird cloudy color.


----------

