Re: NANFA-- RE: diseased sunfish

Steffen Hellner (steffen_at_hellner.biz)
Fri, 18 Apr 2003 20:22:26 +0200

For me it seems more likely to be one of those ciliate subsummed as "Costia"
(= "skin dust") rather than the "true" Oodinium. Oodinium will always give a
golden shine on the fish4s skin. Allthe other - much more serious - ciliates
making the skin just a kind of dusty/milky will only be recognized by a look
across the skins upper layer, against a light. If it then looks greyish or
bluish you will have a problem which in my experience can only be solved by
Tetracyclin (15 mg/l continuously over at least two weeks). This is the most
secure treatment against skin diseases other than Ichthyo. Will as well cure
Oodinium but will take a longer time.

I have my experience with skin diseases from my killifish, especially the
Simpsonichthys from central Brazil tend to it if not kept in alcaline water.
Always got rid of it.

Many fish die because aquarists think of Oodinium or Ichthyo whenever they
recognice spots on the body/fins. Medicine from the pet shop rarely cures
the "skin dust" (from german translated literally, maybe different in
english). I am convinced that more than 90 % of all Ichthyo, and Oodinum are
really other ciliates or flagellates. Oodinium and Inchtyo are easy to cure,
the Costia and others are a mess! Except Tetracyclin (though a pharmacal
doctor said that it wont attack the right encymes etc.). Its like the hum -
can4t fly following aeronautic laws but doesn4t know and keeps on flying;-)

If a real Oodinium is showing "dots" it will mostly be too late to cure as
then it has already build kind of "colonies". All these micro-organism are
parasites and weak the fish more and more.

Cystes of Oodinium can stay in the fish4s intestinals for over 6 months to
come back for infection. And the cysts can be found in every!! tab water.

Ichthyo is rather rare and mostly fish come over it themselves if frequent
water changes are given and food and water quality are at the upper level of
its natural requirements.

Finally: my oppinion is that these parasites are a "gift" from the SEA
mass-stocks. Never found a fish in the wild (tropics) with any of these skin
parasites. They have others, worms, decapod parasits, gluglea, metacercaria
- but never this inheritage from Singapore.

Best is to get a look through the microscope to identify the parasite and
give adequate treatment.

Good luck! Hope I could help a bit.

Steffen

> Von: EELReprah_at_aol.com
> Antworten an: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Datum: Fri, 18 Apr 2003 10:06:34 EDT
> An: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Betreff: Re: NANFA-- RE: diseased sunfish
>
> In a message dated 4/18/03 9:43:11 AM, archimed_at_netdoor.com writes:
>
> << Any chance this is Ich (not to overlook the obvious)?
>>>
>
> I thought of velvet -- oodinium
> Look at the following
> http://www.aquarium.net/0597/0597_4.shtml
>
> Lee Harper
> Media, PA
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