# white patch on white cloud



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

Saddle back pattern behind head and in front of dorsal fin. Not seen until today. 
Area is white, not fuzzy. Seems like a whiteness inside the body. 
Fish guy at Big Al's says it is probably columnaris.
Have read up about this. and it seems the bacteria lives in debris.
Tank is planted and is cleaned well every 2 weeks.
info suggests treating with terramycin but I have not seem any.
Ideas please.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

have done a lot more reading on columnaris and it seems a lot of the treatments recommended are actually for another bacteria that produces a fuzzy type of infection. The fuzzy one is caused by a gram positive bacteria that inhabits dirty, oxygen poor tanks whereas columnaris inhabits highly oxygenated cleaner tanks and usually takes hold when a fish is stressed out. That makes some sense to me as i am down to just 2 minnows and the one harrasses the other, so perhaps that is the cause. Also columnaris is a gram negative organism and is not suseptible to tetracycline but needs sulfa drugs.
Anyway I was able to purchase some tri-sulpha made by API. cost me an arm and leg but I want to give the fish a chance.
I can't seem to find as many of the medications that are available -- have to make do with what I can find locally.
Anyhow my little fish is in a 1 gallon tank being medicated as we speak. The female is still in the 15 gallon playing havock with the tetras. She likes to swim into the middle of them. If I try white clouds again I will do a tankful not just a few-- they are too hard on the other fish.


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