Mouth fungus

What is mouth fungus?

This bacterial scourge is a serious problem when it arises, and is one of the best arguments for having a small quarantine tank available to hold newly purchased fish for one or two weeks before putting them in the aquarium. Despite the name, this disease can attack much more of the prey fish than its mouth, although this is the primary site for the infection to make its appearance.

The caudal fin and rear end of the body is quite likely to suffer from the attack, destroying the fin tissue, and invading the cells of the body to the extent that the flesh effectively dies as the disease creeps through the victim. When seen the mouth, it will appear that the lips have become enlarged and bleached of colour initially. The respiration of the fish will be greatly increased as it struggles to take in water to pass over its gills for the essential oxygen extraction. 

How do you treat mouth fungus ?

Untreated, this disease will kill the affected fish but fast treatment usually saves the fish. It is a strange fact that some species are very prone to attack where it rears its ugly head, whilst others are rarely, if ever, affected.

If you’ve identified this disease on your fish, please call us and we will be happy to talk through treatments with you.