# white chunk on black tetras nose.



## ripit (Aug 8, 2012)

The disease just won't stop with this tank. This seems like a weird one. Its on a black skirt tetra. Right above its mouth where its nose would be if it has one, on one side there is a chalk white chunk (I seem to remember it originally being brown/tan a few days ago). It is not tiny like ich. My corries recently had eggs and it is bigger than that (maybe 2mm?). like an extra, extra large betta pellet (and I think its bigger than before). I very recently removed a molly with dropsy (no question at all, it was defiantly dropsy). If it has a nose, could it have gotten something stuck in there? There is a fine thread that seems like it might be part of the fish across it. Is it disease? The fish have been eating food doped with maracyn 2 for a couple of days (I think it was there before the medicine but can not be certain). 

Should I try to remove it? It really looks like something stuck in the fishes nose (again, if it even has one).


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## ripit (Aug 8, 2012)

I got a slightly better, higher res image. You can kind of see the string of tissue? going across it. The picture is not well focused. The object does not appear fuzzy at all.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Might be cottonmouth. I had it in my tank once, it's nasty stuff. Usually, that late in the game, the fish has about 48 hrs to live.

Could also be a lesser form of fungus. Either way I would quarantine him and any others showing signs, medicate with an anti-fungal (specifically, one for cottonmouth), pull the carbon from your filter and medicate the main tank with the same (maybe a half-dose) and some aquarium salt.

Good luck!


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## ripit (Aug 8, 2012)

Thanks for the input. Not knowing what is, is the big issue. Would cotton mouth or fungus look like that though? There is no fuzziness to it at all. The surface is smooth. I really don't know though. I did some searching and found many reports of a big white bump on tetras near the mouth but very little about what it is (seems to be a mystery disease to many). 

Regardless, I have dissolved a heavy dose of marycyn 2 in a tiny bit of water with some garlic, then soaked freeze dried mysis shrimp in it 4 times (pulled a fish for what I know with certainty is dropsy so I was treating for that). I just did the same with marycyn 1. I also added a very small dose of methelene blue (to at least slow things down). I'm hesitant to keep adding all kinds of meds (which is why I went with a light dose of methelene blue). Unless someone thinks I should be doing something different, I'm going to stick with those 3 for now.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

I've got a couple of neons with bumps on their faces, probably scarring from running into the tank wall or nipping at each other. But those are some good pics of your fish (kudos), and that looks way too big to just be a scar.


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## ripit (Aug 8, 2012)

The bump started to get a blood red ring around the base so I got the fish out of the tank. I used a fine net thinking it would be softer. The fish was very upset about being moved to a smaller home and was aggressively swimming around, then layed on its side for a little while (its acting and swimming more normal now). Either when it was swimming aggressively or in the net, something happened to the bump. Its now like a blood colored spot (got torn off or had fluid in it and burst maybe)? I hate to take him from his nice 55 gal home but if its infectious, I have to consider the other fish. I'm not sure what to do other than treat with antibiotics.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Might be a parasitic worm, or hole-in-the-head. I would look up treatments for both.


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