fuzzy growth on hatchets nose

Question
Tank set up 10 yrs 29 gal, 2 hatchets, 2 angels, 6 tetras, 2 tri color sharks, & 1 red tailed shark.  Under ground gravel filter.  Not sure of PH etc.  Change water once a month 1/3 tank.

All fish seem fine, but I noticed a bump on the nose of one hatchet.  Since looked white I thought it might be ICK, added medicine and in a few days looked a little better because some of the white cottony stuff fell off.  But it did look like there is a pink growth under the cottony stuff.  A couple weeks later and all the white (fungus??) is back.

Any suggestions?  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Mary;

If it's ick, there would be little dots that look like salt. Anything bigger isn't ick but an infected area. A whitish cottony look is because of a fungus or bacteria that attacks the dead tissue and it will often fall off and the pink tissues underneath will heal just fine. Sometimes however, the infection spreads and can kill the fish. He may be re-injuring himself and it's becoming infected again.

The first thing to do is clean the tank. Make a 25% water change and vacuum the gravel. Do a water change weekly so that waste doesn't build up and cause the immune systems of your fish to be weak and prone to illness and infection. Fresh water reduces the numbers of infectious organisms in the water too. These organisms are always around in our tanks so frequent cleaning keeps their numbers low so there is less chance they will infect our fish.  

After a water change, you can add aquarium salt and use a product called "Melafix" to help inhibit infection and help the sick fish heal. It doesn't hurt the other fish. If after a few days the spot gets bigger or doesn't go away, he may need a regular medicine such as fungus remedy. It is best to isolate him if you have to use it though. The fungus remedies can stain your decorations and sealant. Also, the other fish should not be exposed to the medication if they aren't sick. If you could just put him in a 5 gallon isolation tank with a heater and an airstone hooked to an airpump it's the best way to go.

Hatchets can be more hyper and nervous if there are too few of their own kind to school with. It's possible he's feeling "insecure" from that and he's more jumpy than he should be. Try adding a couple more. Hatchets will jump and hit the underside of the aquarium lid and scrape their noses and heads leading to injury and infection. It's their nature to jump and try to catch bugs to eat too. He may see something under the lid he thinks is good to eat. Or, he's being bullied by other fish. Sharks can be pretty nippy. It's hard to say for sure what's going on. Just maybe watch them from a distance and see who's doing what.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins