- Have you tested your water?
- Yes
- If yes, what is your ammonia?
- 0
- If yes, what is your nitrite?
- 0
- If yes, what is your nitrate?
- 10
- If I did not test my water...
- ...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.
- Do you do water changes?
- Yes
- What percentage of water do you change?
- 31-40%
- How frequently do you change your water?
- Every week
- If I do not change my water...
- ...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.
I had a nasty case of epistylis break out in my aquarium on some tetraodon schoutedeni.
I noticed white spots about 3 weeks ago and instantly thought ich. Then came the hiding, the scratching, lethargy, etc. So I did the usual turn the temp up, add some salt, and did some water changes. After 3 days, the white spots had spread to the eyes and were starting to have a fluffy look. Textbook epistylis. Turning the temp up was just what they wanted.
So at this point, the more advanced fish keeper is thinking 'how did you screw up?'. Well there were a few things that couldve caused a bacteria population shift that led to this.
1) i had recently pulled out a lot of hornwart which was ovverrunning the tank. This of course removed bacteria filled surface area from the aquarium
2) i had a pile of rocks stacked in one of the corners that i had used to give the fish some cover, in which, a rafael catfish had died and i was unaware. This pile of rocks also was a dead zone where fish waste had been accumulating.
So here's how i tackled it.
1) scrubbed the tank down all around and removed the rock pile.
2) vacced as much poop off the substrate as possible.
3) started with a 60% water change. I then added a standard doseage of ich-x. I repeated the ich-x and 30% water change daily for 10 days As well as dosed 10 capfulls of stress coat+ for water treatment.
4) turned down water temp to 70 degrees
5) salt bathed the puffers and buffalo head cichlid for 4 days straight 20 minutes each time in 1 gallon of water with an airstone adding 2 tablespoons of natural sea salt.
6) provided an oral dose of kanaplex in bloodworms mixed with the seacham binder and garlic flavor stuff every other day as instructed in klanaplex vial for 3 doses (6 day spread)
7) increased airation in the aquarium
By the 3rd salt bath, all fish were basically symptom free. I did a 4th just to be safe.
This method worked for me with sensitive fish. Unfortunately, i lost an elephant nose that inwas very fond of (notoriously sensitive to meds) and 1/4 upside down catfish (accidentally blasted his face with salt water when adding a small salt mix into the aquarium. Catfish hate salt. Im sorry little guy
.) but all in all, we saved all of our tetraodon schoutedeni, all glass cats, one buffalo head cichlid, and 3 upside down catfish.
Now what is epistylis? Epistylis is a filter feeder which is always in your aquarium. Sometimes when their population gets out of whack (generally due to user error) or if your fish get stressed (once again, user error), these protozoans find their way onto the slime coats of the fish. Now they dont actively attack your fish, they use them as a means of propulsion to filter feed more effectively. That fuzzy fungus-looking stuff is actually just bacterial colony feeding arms protracted into the water feasting on other bacteria. They thrive in warm water unlike ich. They cause your fish great discomfort and can lead to secondary infections. Often times the epistylis is a secondary infection due to another bacterial infection that has weakened your fish's immune system.
I hope this write up helps you if you find yourself in a similar situation.
I noticed white spots about 3 weeks ago and instantly thought ich. Then came the hiding, the scratching, lethargy, etc. So I did the usual turn the temp up, add some salt, and did some water changes. After 3 days, the white spots had spread to the eyes and were starting to have a fluffy look. Textbook epistylis. Turning the temp up was just what they wanted.
So at this point, the more advanced fish keeper is thinking 'how did you screw up?'. Well there were a few things that couldve caused a bacteria population shift that led to this.
1) i had recently pulled out a lot of hornwart which was ovverrunning the tank. This of course removed bacteria filled surface area from the aquarium
2) i had a pile of rocks stacked in one of the corners that i had used to give the fish some cover, in which, a rafael catfish had died and i was unaware. This pile of rocks also was a dead zone where fish waste had been accumulating.
So here's how i tackled it.
1) scrubbed the tank down all around and removed the rock pile.
2) vacced as much poop off the substrate as possible.
3) started with a 60% water change. I then added a standard doseage of ich-x. I repeated the ich-x and 30% water change daily for 10 days As well as dosed 10 capfulls of stress coat+ for water treatment.
4) turned down water temp to 70 degrees
5) salt bathed the puffers and buffalo head cichlid for 4 days straight 20 minutes each time in 1 gallon of water with an airstone adding 2 tablespoons of natural sea salt.
6) provided an oral dose of kanaplex in bloodworms mixed with the seacham binder and garlic flavor stuff every other day as instructed in klanaplex vial for 3 doses (6 day spread)
7) increased airation in the aquarium
By the 3rd salt bath, all fish were basically symptom free. I did a 4th just to be safe.
This method worked for me with sensitive fish. Unfortunately, i lost an elephant nose that inwas very fond of (notoriously sensitive to meds) and 1/4 upside down catfish (accidentally blasted his face with salt water when adding a small salt mix into the aquarium. Catfish hate salt. Im sorry little guy
.) but all in all, we saved all of our tetraodon schoutedeni, all glass cats, one buffalo head cichlid, and 3 upside down catfish.Now what is epistylis? Epistylis is a filter feeder which is always in your aquarium. Sometimes when their population gets out of whack (generally due to user error) or if your fish get stressed (once again, user error), these protozoans find their way onto the slime coats of the fish. Now they dont actively attack your fish, they use them as a means of propulsion to filter feed more effectively. That fuzzy fungus-looking stuff is actually just bacterial colony feeding arms protracted into the water feasting on other bacteria. They thrive in warm water unlike ich. They cause your fish great discomfort and can lead to secondary infections. Often times the epistylis is a secondary infection due to another bacterial infection that has weakened your fish's immune system.
I hope this write up helps you if you find yourself in a similar situation.
Last edited:
Spilo 
