# Mouth white on platy



## Jeckel (Oct 8, 2011)

one of my platy have white on her mouth, it comes and goes. im wondering what it is exactly, is it contagious, and how do i cure it. she is in another tank that i use to breed since she is nearing her birthing again. so yea, can some one help me out here?


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Does it look like cotton?


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## Jeckel (Oct 8, 2011)

it sorta looks like it.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

It is most likely cotton mouth disease (aka columnaris).

Common symptoms of columnaris are as follows:
-Loss of appetite
-White spots on mouth, scales, and fins
-Cottony growth on mouth
-Fins disintegrate beginning at the edges
-Looks like a small cotton ball 

It may have only one or more of these symptoms.

People often confuse this with a fungus, but when it shows up on the mouth first, it is usually columnaris. Its a difficult bacterial infection to treat, but Maracyn 2 is probably your best bet. You need an antibiotic that treats gram negative bacteria, and Maracyn 2 might help.


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