Who Gives A Fish Forums

I had a bad run with praecox melatonia a few years back - 4 or 5 years ago, to be exact. I went through 3 batches, and nearly every single one died in quarantine. The main symptom I noticed was this weird mouth movement - they'd just keep opening and closing their mouths.

Now I've got a new one with this yellow/orange growth on its gill, and I'm wondering if it might be TB. I run a closed system, so I'm not too worried, but I'd love to get a confirmation. Anyone seen anything like this before?

Can't quite make out what that growth is from the angle you've got it at. If it's protruding from the gill cover, posting more pictures from different angles would really help.

Gill tumours, in my experience, are usually a pinkish or flesh colour and tend to stick out from underneath the gill cover. If that orange dot is on the outside of the gill cover, I'd say it's unlikely to be a tumour caused by Fish TB.

From what I've seen, Fish TB usually takes out rainbowfish within a year or two, max three years if they're kept in cooler water for part of the year. If you've had the fish for more than three years, it's unlikely to be TB unless you've introduced new fish to the tank since then.

When I get new rainbowfish, I always add salt to the tank right away. It helps prevent those nasty fungal and bacterial infections that can kill them off. I use a couple of heaped tablespoons of rock salt per 20 litres of water, and keep it in there for a few weeks.

Thanks for the advice, I'll try and get some more pictures from different angles tomorrow. I'm pretty sure my fish is older than 3 years, so that's probably ruled out TB. I do remember you suggesting adding salt to the tank when I first got my rainbowfish, which I did and it seemed to help. I've also been feeding them plant matter as per your advice, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to keep them in cooler temperatures during winter as they're in a community tank.

Most tropical community fish, like those in your tank, can actually thrive in water with a temperature range of around 18-22C, which is relatively cooler than what some people might expect.

I'm really sorry to hear about all the fish you've lost, and now you're worried about this one too - that's just awful. I don't know much about Fish TB, but I do recall Colin and @willie32 discussing how common it is in rainbowfish nowadays, which is really scary. I'd be worried too if I were you.

You mentioned running a closed system - I'm curious, what does that mean exactly? No pressure to explain, I just want to learn more. Sending you lots of cyber hugs and support, even if I'm not much help - hope you get some answers soon.

belleora wrote: ↑Mon Jun 10, 2024 2:24 am I'm really sorry to hear about all the fish you've lost, and now you're worried about this one too - that's just awful. I don't know much about Fish TB, but I do recall Colin and @willie32 discussing how common it is in rainbowfish nowadays, which is really scary. I'd be worried too if I were you.

You mentioned running a closed system - I'm curious, what does that mean exactly? No pressure to explain, I just want to learn more. Sending you lots of cyber hugs and support, even if I'm not much help - hope you get some answers soon.

No new fish have been added to the rainbow tank since the problem started, and I've been trying to minimize cross-contamination between tanks through equipment and plants.

The first batch clearly had an issue, but some fish looked healthy after an extended quarantine, so I added them to the main tank. I also got another shoal, which I quarantined successfully, and added them to the few remaining fish. However, the main tank still experienced some symptoms and deaths. After a clear period, I brought in another shoal and lost a lot of them again, so I gave up. For the past couple of years, I've only had one pair, but unfortunately, I had to euthanize the male recently, which was a real shame. Now, the lone female has developed this ulcer.

I've come across something that might be worth mentioning, even if it's a bit late to the conversation. Apparently, there's a risk that Fish TB can be transmitted to humans.

I've been reading up on Fish TB and I've got a few questions after going through the Manual of Fish Health and this forum.

1. Why is Fish TB so common in fish from South/Asian farms?
2. Can fish still get TB even if you don't bring in new fish?
3. I always seem to have cuts on my hands - I have no idea how I keep getting them. What's the risk of transmission from fish to humans?

It doesn't look like a fish TB lesion to me. I initially typed that a bit too hastily, left out the 'not' - apologies for the confusion. I've had personal experience with fish TB in humans, having contracted and since overcome it, so I'm fairly familiar with the symptoms.