Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)
Hi,
John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.
I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.
With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.
I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.
If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.
I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.
I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.
Thank you
Darragh Sherwin
need help
- lestat (Stuie)
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Jay
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Jay
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Jay
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- lestat (Stuie)
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kind regards,
stuie
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- Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
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If it is indeed a fungal infection, Pimafix from API is pretty effective. This stuff is an antibacterial aswell and shouldnt affect your filter. I used it to treat a fungal infection a while back and it worked a treat. That said, the symtoms you describe are a first for me, and I would be cautious about treating it when not exactly sure of the what it is. However, if you have no luck getting a positive ID, then I would go ahead and try and see what happens. Ive tried searching for ya myself and Im yet to find a reference. If I stumble acrosss something ill let ya know asap.
Jay
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- cardinal (Lar Savage)
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introduced into my tank as a surprise
I hate that type of suprise...

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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Kev.
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introduced into my tank as a surprise
I hate that type of suprise.....Whats wrong with a gift voucher...?????
LOL

Jay
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- Tetra (Tetra)
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Padraig
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- Ma (mm mm)
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I have read they can get black spot disease not curable or contagious as snails and birds needed for life cycle (Doubtable)
Black ich o too much colour promoting food can cause this also I have read but not as a growth. If they suffer from a fungal infection it will be appearent in their behaviour soon enough. As with all meds, be careful of oxygen deprivation.
Fungal or black ich probably
Melafix is good for fungal infections. again watch o2 levels when using
Make sure they are not just blackened battle wounds
Mark
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- Ma (mm mm)
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Make sure you use recommended salt dosage if you do go down this road. With heat as always up your aeration.
Mark
Location D.11
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- lestat (Stuie)
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stuie
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Jay
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- Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
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I posed this question on a dedicated SA Cichlid forum that I frequent and the general consensus is that it is a fungal infection called Cotton Wool Disease. This usualy sets in after the skin has been attacked by a parasite like Ich or after a bout of Finrot, Ulcers or Lesions. This can sometimes be confused with Columnaris Disease as the symtoms are similar. Forget the salt/heat treatment. This can lead to problems down the line with osmotic pressure. If you feel you must use a salt treatment I would suggest that you give them each a saltwater dip for no more than two or three mins each. You need to attack this fungus with meds as soon as possible. Try an antifungal as mentioned above and you can also try treating the affected area by swabbing it with iodine. This illness is pretty common in fish that have been kept in less than ideal circumstances for a protracted period of time and is usually the result of corpes and food items being left to decay in tanks. This affliction may well be somthing else, as I could only give them as much info as we have here, however, given the symtoms you describe and the speed at which it set in I would go ahead and treat it accordingly. I hope this helps man, best of luck.
Jay
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Jay
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- Ma (mm mm)
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Is the growth fuzzy or just black bumps,
Mark
Location D.11
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You could try melafix antifungal from API. It should not harm the fish or filter if used as per instructions in the medication package.
Plenty of aeration while in use and afterwards as instructions may say when finished use activated carbon & water changes to remove the anitfungal after treatment.
If that does not kill the growths you can then look at something else. try to leave a week to 10 days or more between medical treatments and always remove them totally from the water after treatment.
Mark
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Stuie
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Jay
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Life
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