# Most effective fungal treatment?



## Kezzab (6 Jan 2018)

Morning,
In your experience what's the most effective treatment for 'cottonwool' fungus? I've used API Pimafix but it does not appear to have been effective (7 days dose, 10 days on fish is still affected).
Thanks
k


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## sciencefiction (6 Jan 2018)

Kanamycin sulfate/seachem kanaplex but you can only get that from the US/ebay. Alternatively, go to a vet and get an antibiotic prescription. If you mean columnaris, its not a fungus, its bacterial. True fungus is cured by high temperatures, over 26-27C


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## Kezzab (6 Jan 2018)

Hi, yes, columnaris would be more accurate. Are there no off the shelf products in the UK which will be effective? I see several claiming to be...


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## sciencefiction (6 Jan 2018)

Just "claiming to be" as you said...., including Api primafix but not actually doing the deeds. UK meds are not antibiotic based, hence its a hit and miss.


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## sciencefiction (6 Jan 2018)

I see kanaplex sold on amazon but its quite expensive. It depends how much one wants to invest....but by the time you find the right med...you might as well have spent the same, with no results. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/67108810-K...d=1515230129&sr=8-2&keywords=seachem+kanaplex

I treated a batch of harlequins a year ago. They came with columnaris. 

From this:




 

To this:


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## zozo (6 Jan 2018)

sciencefiction said:


> kanaplex but you can only get that from the US/ebay.



Be carefull with this, because the vendor is obliged and only caries the responsebility to write the contents on the package when it's for export. In this case it will say Content: Kanaplex or Kanamycine. 

Antibiotics is a prescription drug, it's illegal to import prescription drugs. If the person clearing the package knows the content, it will be seised, in worst case scenario you can be fined as well. So it's a mater of luck to receive it or not when ordering it from he states. The just send it to you, but mind if you do you're doing something illegal and you are responsible for the import.

The use of antibiotics is strictly regulated since more and more infectious bacteria get resistant. I do not know about UK but i think it's a european regulation. Obviously that might be why you can't find antibiotics in the lfs. And a vet is not allowed to sell you antibiotics from the shelf, only with oficiall valid prescription. I once asked a vet for it and he said he can't sell it to me, i needed to bring them the fish in question they are not allowed to prescribe it without investigation. If they do and get caught they will lose their veterinary certification and permits.

As said you might get luky if you are willing to take the risk. I also was and recieved it ordered from the states. Just prepare you might receive something different instead when the package is checked by someone awaken after the coffee break..


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## sciencefiction (6 Jan 2018)

Yes, what a paradox, as at the same time we eat antibiotic loaded meat and fish...sold in our shops..But its forbidden for ornamental tropical fish bred in a fish tank that have no chance of ever making it to nature...The problem with the use of antibiotics is largely for humans....


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## Kezzab (6 Jan 2018)

Hmmm, I've already spent £20 on the API stuff... It'd be cheaper to replace the fish! Do fish ever recover without treatment?


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## sciencefiction (6 Jan 2018)

You can't replace the fish. Columnaris is highly contagious if not treated, and chances are your new fish, introduced to the same tank, will also get it early or later. Plus, its not a good way thinking of fish as "replaceable" for the sake of a few quid. Would you just replace your dog or cat like that? All creatures should be given the same chance to live. We spend hundreds on fish tank and equipment.....Why don't we just keep those tanks completely fishless....no issues then.


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## Kezzab (6 Jan 2018)

Don't worry, I was being glib. No mass execution here!


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## sciencefiction (6 Jan 2018)

@zozo 

In fact, it seems kanamycin sulfate is sold in Europe, the vendor is complying with EU regulations.

See below, although the formula may not be good for use in aquaria such as seachem kanaplex.

https://www.carlroth.com/de/de/Chem...mycin/Kanamycin/p/00000007000126a200020023_de

These are the specs:

https://www.carlroth.com/downloads/spez/en/T/SPEZ_T832_EN.pdf

And this is the safety sheet

https://www.carlroth.com/downloads/sdb/en/T/SDB_T832_AU_EN.pdf


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## sciencefiction (6 Jan 2018)

Kezzab said:


> Don't worry, I was being glib. No mass execution here!



Yeah, I know. Its the frustration speaking...

Fish may survive without treatment. Any sort of treatment just knocks off the majority of the disease trigger, not all. The rest is done by the fish's immune system. Large daily water changes and high quality food and in time things could get better, some may/will survive.


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## sciencefiction (6 Jan 2018)

These below are also proven effective:

Treatment and control:

1.     Potassium permanganate:  500mg/100l for 1 hour by bath method.

2.     Malachite green: 10mg/100l for 30-96 hours by bath method.

3.     Oxytetracycline: 50-100mg/kg body weight of fish/day for 10 days.

I think you can find 1 and 2 in the UK legally for aquarium use but I've never used them so not sure how effective. They'd kill the filter bacteria though, unlike seachem kanaplex.


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## zozo (6 Jan 2018)

@sciencefiction  I'm only quoting my vet, telling me he can't sell me antibiotics from the shelf without a proper prescription. He's obliged to look at the animal in question first to make it official. And as you say, i also only could find it in the US and i ordered it and received it, made a laugh and told my vet with a big smile And he smilled back and said, i was very lucky.. Because importing prescription drugs especialy antibiotics is illegal. Even if you travel in person, if the customs find antibiotics or prescription drugs in general in your toiletbag, you need to show thsi prescription if you can't it will be seised.

I sneaked the net and this also seems to be the case for UK.

As far as i know it still didn't change, anybody selling prescription drugs in Europe without a doctors consent is illegal.. Not saying it doesn't happen.. Just saying watch out with the risk of bumbing into a chrumpy law abiding official.


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## sciencefiction (6 Jan 2018)

zozo said:


> I'm only quoting my vet, telling me he can't sell me antibiotics from the shelf with a propper prescription. He's obliged to look at the animal in question first to make it official.



Seachem Kanaplex is formulated for aquaria, It is 60% potassium and 40% kanamycin sulfate(or the other way round), in powder form, water soluble, fish treatment formula, hardly a prescription drug definition. I did not suggest one requests antibiotic from a vet without proper diagnosis......  Now if you asked me to suggest antibiotics for use in fish farms, that's another game altogether....But for personal use of a few tropical aquarium fish in cold Europe......I think we're making the issue bigger than it is. I did not find any information about kanamycin sulfate being illegal for import. It is illegal perhaps to use in fish farms and on other animals without prescription. Where I live, same applies to humans. I can't buy antibiotic without prescription but if I so much as just cough in a doctor's office, they give me antibiotics without asking..not always the right type as well.... This scenario is different. The vet can't sell you antibiotics without prescription but he can buy/import them himself for potential use on diagnosed animals.


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## Henry (6 Jan 2018)

I can say with 100% certainty that you want to use Potassium permanganate. You'll find it in amongst the koi treatments. We use it in the trade to treat this sort of infection. A high concentration bath with an airstone works well.


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## zozo (6 Jan 2018)

sciencefiction said:


> did not find any information about kanamycin sulfate being illegal for import.



Me neither, i also wouldn't know where to look for it.. I also couldn't find it anywhere for sale in the regular trade in europe.  But it's an antibiotic in general and with this propperty it gets a prescription duty and are illegal for import without proper certification. There likely will be a specified list somewhere with tradenames/contents involved. 

Since i couldn't find it i asked my vet if he had Kanamycin to treat my fish in store.. The answer was yes and why and no i can't because of official restrictions and this and that. He probaly was correct, i don't know. I took his answer for granted.. He has to make a living as well, so if he was allowed to sell me he likely would have done so. But he didn't for the given reasons that's all i know. If he was incorrect than he likely is an idiot with enough money and taking me for a ride. I can't judge nor discuss the issue any further about if we take it to far with this. I don't know..


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## sciencefiction (6 Jan 2018)

I just think that seachem kanaplex, being a modified antiobiotic for aquarium use, is different from its actual main ingredient kanamycin sulfate. Plus 5g of it only treats a very small volume of water.


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## Kezzab (6 Jan 2018)

ok, should I assume same dosage/concentration/time as for Koi to treat tetras?

Have to catch the buggers now...

https://www.pond-planet.co.uk/pond-...6eqU1iJIZV1zj-8IiEMeG19YQs9kanIhoCDFcQAvD_BwE


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## Henry (7 Jan 2018)

That's the stuff I use. I dose at a rate of 10ml per 40L with heavy oxygenation via an airstone. Observe the fish for distress. Remove after half an hour. Tends to do the trick the first time around, otherwise give it a day or two and dose again.

Do NOT overdose!


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## Kezzab (7 Jan 2018)

Thanks Henry, appreciate the guidance.

k


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## MirandaB (7 Jan 2018)

Waterlife Myxazin will treat columnaris effectively.


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## Kezzab (14 Jan 2018)

Thanks all, before I spent more money I thought I'd try the pimafix again, buy I caught the two infected fish and moved them to 10ltr hospital tank and dosed into that. This appears to have been more effective, the fish appear symptom free after 5 days. It's also a more cost effective way of using medecines...

It did take me 45mims to.catch them though.


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