I came home to a tetra with a lump in his mouth. I have pictures in my phone, but can't upload them. All other fish look fine, no bloody streaks on the affected one so I don't think it's columnaris. He's acting normal. I think it could be a mouth fungus.
Temp is at 73.4f
Tds at 270.
Well... Due to lack of replying, I went to a good lfs and told them. They gave me some erythromcin and I'm trying that.
It's hard to tell without having a photo. The white fuzz could be fungus, could be just an infection from having it's mouth cut, or could be something even worse.
I'm suspecting columnaris. It is grey-white and fuzzy. I have him quarantined for now and I'm dosing him with medicine (smaller dosages for now just to observe). It could be he got nibbled during feeding time. Regardless, did a water change on the main tank and quarantined him for now, I'll continue to observe the booger.
I would terminate the fish now. I know you mean well, but it is causing a risk to all your other fish, that is not worth the cost and even successful treatment would hardly make a difference. As long as that fish is somewhere in your operation, there is the chance of cross contamination.
Tiny fish like that, scoop it up in a net, heavy pliers in the other hand, quickly grab him by the head with the pliers and crush. It will be over before it knows what happened.
Disinfect net with baby bottle steriliser or potassium permanganate.
I'm not even sure if it is columnaris. I'll observe him and the others. It could be he got bitten during feeding. I'll observe him and see what happens while he's quarantined.
I have prepared myself for the worst, but hear me out! I keep looking at pictures of Columnaris/Mouth fungus and it looks nothing like what my tetra has. The pictures show a white fuzz AROUND the victim's mouth and lesions. my tetra looks more like the left side (facing me) of his upper lip has been ripped. It is swollen but lacks the characteristics I'm seeing in the pictures in this article -> Fish Columnaris | Fungus & Saprolegnia | Treatment & Prevention
I know I'm being stubborn. I'm still going to sanitize everything like a madman, maintain his quarantine, and observe this situation like a grad student trying to prove his thesis. I understand the risk involved if it is true columnaris, and am ready to euthanize the moment I am at least 51% positive that is the case. I just want to be damn sure.
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