# Fish TB?



## Cadiedid (Oct 26, 2011)

A bit of research on what might be ailing my danio has led me to believe she may be suffering from fish TB (mycobacterium marinum). At first I thought that her spinal deformity was due to older age, as she is very large in comparison to the other danios I have and this deformity has been present to a lesser degree for some time now. In fact, it was subtle but present when I first got her 5 months ago. She is one of my 2 original fish and has spawned a couple times and has always seemed robust along up until recently. Along the way we have lost a couple danios from this tank, the most recent apparently dying from "wasting disease" although my research tell me that this is a symptom of fish TB. Anyway, recently my large female danio has decreased her eating and is really starting to waste. She still eats, but I cannot get her to plump back up and her spinal curvature has become very pronounced, giving her a noticeable wobble when she swims. 

At this point I believe immediate removal and euthanasia is the only course of action. Be it old age or fish TB, I am not going to be able to cure her. My real question is what to do from here. Several articles recommend complete tear down and sterilization of everything in the tank. I have 6 other fish, as well as live plants in there so I don't see how I can do this. I guess I can just take a "wait and see" approach... I just wish I could do something to prevent the eventual demise of all my remaining fish. My daughter and I are very attached to them. Would a UV sterilizer be of any use in preventing the spread of this disease to any of my fish that may not already be infected? If so, can anyone recommend a particular brand? The tank is only a 10 gallon so I don't need anything big, but I want to be sure whatever I get will truly be doing something.

As for the second filter I was cycling on that tank, obviously I will not be moving it to the other tank as originally planned and I will be tearing it down and cleaning it out. My plan was to discard the used media and bleach everything with a 1:20 bleach solution. Should that be adequate? Any other advice anyone can think to add?


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

First, protect yourself - long rubber gloves when your hand goes in, in case you have cuts. marinum won't kill you, but it is annoying, ugly and expensive to cure if you get it yourself. Six months of antibiotics...
Euthanize the affected fish. Mycobacter can survive bleach, but then again, it is very present in pet shops and doesn't always show - your other fish may be carriers, but okay. UV has been reported to kill the disease, but I haven't seen a good study. Heat as well - if you get it, it can only survive on the top layer of your skin as we are too warm for it. 

I think the hobby fears this disease. I've researched it in depth (hey, I had it) and every time I suggest a fish might have it, people get really upset. Trust your thinking instinct - if you think it may be Mycobacter marinum, take precautions. Transfer to humans isn't common - my dermatologist was a teacher of medicine who always used a photo of the lesions to stump young doctors on exams. I was on exhibition -like a really ugly rock star - I actually went in to be used for teaching. Lots of people have fish with tb, but transfer's rare. it's better that way!


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

I have to agree with everything gary said. Although transfer is rare, if I had a suspected case of it euthanasia would be immediate, mostly because I have children and I wouldnt risk it.


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