Columnaris

Question
QUESTION: My balloon molly may have columnaris.  She has a very big stomach and has a gravid spot so I'm pretty sure she's pregnant.  Her tale fin is messed up and she has white patches (looks like her skin is peeling) near the back of her. Her scales are not sticking out.  I think she has new white patches above her eyes, but not sure they haven't always been there.  
I don't have a quarantine tank.  Can I treat the whole tank?  I have a breeder box.  Can I put her in there and feed only her the antibiotic food?  What about salt baths?  Can you tell me how?  She is my favorite and it breaks my heart.  Please help.
ANSWER: Dear Tammy,
Poor molly, it certainly sounds like she may have fungus infections which can come about from poor water quality or injury sites. Sometimes this isn't always a fungus but a bacteria known as Flexibacter. Since you don't have a quarantine tank handy unfortunately you may have to treat the whole tank. Maracyn and Maracyn-two medications are well-known for their bacteria/fungus destroying benefits for fish especially for Columnaris. You might wish to try those, to read more about these medications, you can visit here if you like-
"http://www.virbacpets.com/mardel/catalog.php"

I say those both medications to prevent secondary infections possibly resulting from the current columnaris problem.

Alternatively, you could try all-natural fish medications Melafix/Pimafix combination. These are perfectly safe to use together and the Melafix takes care of most bacterial infections and Pimafix tends to treat Fungal infections more so. To read more about these meds visit here-
"http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=11269"
Using these medications are practically safe for all fish and they don't seem to disturb the beneficial bacteria.

Increasing your water changes is a very important part of any illness treatment. Try to do partial water changes every day to every other day if you can. Somewhere along the line of perhaps 30% or more is best. Make sure the water temperature is warm also. Mollies can be adaptable but they do seem to do best in water that is warm, around perhaps 78F. It's especially important to keep a warm temperature during sickness. 80F would be good.
I don't think I'd do salt baths. These are rated to be good but I feel it may stress her out too much, from being in freshwater to suddenly being in salty water. But if you are going to just add some aquarium salt to your tank water (and not do the strong shorterm baths) this should be fine. Slowly add a little of the salt at a time to get your fish used to it. Dissolve all the salt first in a cup of tank water and pour little bits in throughout the day if you can. This can help as a side-treatment to medications but make sure all your fish can tolerate the salt (Example, corydoras and loaches have a low tolerance)

Making sure the aquarium is very clean and treating with Melafix/Pimafix may be all your molly needs. But again if this seems like an advanced case, using Maracyn I and Maracyn-II may be a better option since these are stronger meds. For more info and picture of a betta with Columnaris (for better diagnosis) please visit here-
"http://www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm"

Best wishes and best of luck on treating your Molly!
Feel free to let me know how she is doing,
Karen~

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks, Karen.  You're always so informative.  
Although my main concern is Puff, do you think she can still deliver healthy fry?  How will the meds affect them if she does?
And how successful are these meds, percentage wise?  She is still eating a little with each feed, although not a madly as she usually does.
Also, the Maracyn II box says to treat 5 days.  But some people recommend 10 days.  What do you think?
I can still do water changes since I add the meds each day, right?  I have removed the carbon from the filter.  Thanks.
Tammy Cartwright
ANSWER: You're welcome Tammy,
It's hard to predict livebearers, she may drop a brood of fry just fine but the stress of the illness may cause her to delay delivery. She could have a miscarriage or even deliver still-borns. We don't really know how she will react to being medicated.

Don't worry if you lose this batch of fry. If the female makes it through she will always have more.

As far as Maracyn II medication goes, it is usually quite sucessful in treating fungal/bacterial infections. I think it all depends upon how early the disease it caught and your own individual fish. She could be too stressed by the big brood of unborn babies right now, and the illness also.
Melafix and Pimafix are reasonably effective medications that I have used for many different illnesses. I have used Maracyn II on Columnaris before with good sucess along with large water changes.
Every situation is different and like with anything there isn't a 100% guarantee that any medication will work or be effective. But these meds that I recommend are well-known for their reliability.

And yes you can still do water changes when medicating. As far as treatment length, you will have to see how well the columnaris responds to the medication. It may take only five days to get rid of it. But if it's still there, treating for a little longer may be neccessary.

I really hope this helps and best of luck with the Molly!
Karen~

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I purchased Maracyn II because she looks pretty bad and I treated the tank with the first does.  Then I just  discovered that perhaps Maracyn was better for body fungus/columnaris.  Should I go back the fish store and get that one?  Or are they closely related?  How frustrating!
Puff is still swimming in place, not lying anywhere.  And I am offering her food every few hours and she is taking a bite or two each time.
ANSWER: Hi Tammy!
Well, it probably would have been better if you could have had both Maracyn and Maracyn II. It's good to use them both together because one treats Gram-negative bacteria and the other treats Gram-positive bacteria. All this technical stuff simply means that the two medications attack a wide range of infections and prevents secondary infections resulting from the stress or injury from the first disease (columnaris) itself. If you can, it would be nice if you could get the Maracyn. Read the charts/instructions included with the maracyn medications it will tell you a whole lot of helpful information and help you better understand the medication.

I hope Puff isn't too far into the columnaris infection. If it hit hard and fast and maybe wasn't caught early enough she may not make it. Now I am not saying she -wont- make it but I'm just preparing you that for the fact that having a big brood of babies along with a bad sickness may be too much for her little body to handle.

I hope she gets better and feel free to write again with anymore concerns,
Karen~

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I am prepared for her to go.  
One more question for today, we just did a water change and I noticed some white flakes all over a relatively new plant, and that same white stuff, sort of stringy on a plastic plant next to it.  Any correlation to my problems?  Should I get rid of the plant?  

Answer
Hmmm... The white stuff you described sure sounds like the type of fungus that grows on uneaten/hidden food. Try to siphon out as much of the white material as possible. It may also be related to Puff's fungus illness but I'm not 100% sure. (Fungus living within the tank as well as on the fish-- some sources say that can happen)

Of course like you mentioned it's possible the new plant could have brought something with it from the store. I don't think it would be neccesary to remove it unless it is detoriorating and polluting the water. The bad thing is when you have live plants and are medicating a sick fish, the plant can absorb pathogens and medications and sometimes can release it back into the water. So it is advised that when treatment is over that live plants should be discarded due to this risk factor.

White stringy/flaky material can also develop in your filter box. This may be due to uneaten food getting trapped in the filter or not enough filter maintenance. Usually a improvement in filter maintenance/water change should prevent this problem all-together.

I wish you the best with your fish!
Karen~