# Fuzzy Guppies



## Felicia (Jul 17, 2008)

I bought 3 female guppies from Animart in Madison, WI last Sunday. The next day, all three started getting white fuzzy stuff on their tails. Three days later, one of them looked like this.










*This is Columnaris, right?* A really horrible case of Columnaris.

I can't believe this guppy was even alive. It happened so quickly. I tried to treat them with salt and melafix, but it just gets worse and worse. 

The one pictured and another one died, but the last one is doing much better now. I think she's going to pull through.


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## Felicia (Jul 17, 2008)

My last female is doing great. She's going to live for sure.

I'm still curious to know if this really is Columnaris. I've dealt with it before, but nothing quite this bad, and nothing this quick and aggressive. I brought home from work my handy "Handbook of Fish Diseases" but it wasn't much help. 

Anyone else have any experience with Columnaris?


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## 207lauras (Jan 28, 2009)

Your poor fish, glad the other one will be ok.
I dont know anything about Columnaris, I looked it up a bit after I read this post yesterday. I thought I read the biggest outward sign is a cottony looking substance around the mouth but that doesn't seem to be the case here, at least you cant really see that from the photos. I did read that in some cases it can progress extremely quickly, so maybe your fish was one of those cases??
Someone with more experience will probably be able to help you out.
Good luck!


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2009)

Felicia,

my swords and platy came down with Columnaris recently but nothing this bad! they just pretty much dropped dead with slight white tuffs on their lips. if this is Columnaris then it must be a real bad case of it! i lost 8 of my fish in 2 days flat. i treated them with essence of neem leaves (neem leaves boiled in water and the leaves then crushed and juiced) and tetramycin (thats the only tab mt LFS guy had) once i moved them to a bucket for treatment. i then cleaned out the tank with soap and bleach and got rid of the plants. bleached everything including the net. the fishes were in the bucket for 48 hours+. this worked for me and my tank is up and running again.

hope this helps.

cheers!


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## MaelStrom (Jun 24, 2007)

Sure it isnt a fungus? Check out "L" http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/fish_diseases/skin_disorders.html
Very handy site for I.D.ing things.


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2009)

Mael,

it does look like fungus....and the description fits but never seen anything like this before


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## TonysFish (Mar 16, 2009)

White threads grow out of white and red edged wounds, and form cottony puffs 

Fungus is infecting the wound 


Treat with: Malachite Green -or- Forma-Green -or- Nitrofuracin Green 

got that off that link...


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## Felicia (Jul 17, 2008)

Right now all I'm trying to do is get a positive ID on this disease. Two out of 3 the Animart guppies died. One of the guppies just had a little fin erosion and never got the fuzziness. She is fine now.

The disease did not respond at all to a saltwater dip which makes me think it wasn't a fungus.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

columnaris is faster and deadlier than fungus, so i'm inclined to think that's what it is, but I don't ever want to see it on my fish.


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## Guest (Mar 30, 2009)

in my experience fungus takes time to grow....2 days WAY short a time for this kind of outbreak.


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