1) "Fish TB" is not the same as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB).
MTB is the tuberculosis that occurs in people (and mammals). However, fish are not affected by this particular type of Mycobacteria.*
2) OTHER type of Mycobacteria DO affect fish, such as Mycobacterium marinum (MM), Mycobacterium fortuitum, Mycobacterium triplex (MT), etc.
3) All strains of Mycobacteria are protected by a waxy coating. It can survive on dry surfaces for months.** I read somewhere that it can live in distilled water for a year, but I can't find that source right now.
I am almost 100% sure Dr. Seuss has this. I just spent the last few hours reading through the info on these threads, both the original "mystery disease" thread and this one.
The reasons I think this are:
He has all the symptoms of the fast moving mystery disease. Overnight swim bladder infection and massive fin rot. He looks awful, he can't swim, he's gasping as though he can't breathe...
He's recently always had little "scratches" on his face. They popped up after I introduced live plants and a piece of driftwood to his tank, but he was otherwise happy, healthy and normal. Because he likes to squeeze in close to the driftwood (silly fish), I just assumed they were indeed scratches on his face. Now, looking at pictures of mycobacteria "lesions", I realize those could have been mild lesions on his face.
I actually have had some serious issues with pond snails just dying randomly. Couldn't figure out why! This would explain that entirely...
I am heartbroken. I hate to see my fishy suffer. He's such a little personality.
I also invested a LOT of money into this, for me, a college kid. I'm just sick at that loss as well...
So... I do have some info now. I know I need to put my poor little fishy down. I know I need to also euthanize the shrimp who inhabit the tank. They can't be allowed to spread the disease.
But I still have some questions for y'all:
Where can I send Dr. Seuss' body to be tested? How do I even ask for the right testing so I know if he has an aggressive strain of mycobacteria? Or should I even bother and just treat it like it IS mycobacteria because it's so likely?
My tank is a Fluval View- expensive and plastic. Can I save it?? Not the filter media, I know, but the tank... It's an $80 tank and if I can save it with reasonable security of NOT striking down another fish, I will. But from just a $$ standpoint, if there isn't really a way to disinfect it safely, it could end up costing me much much more money to keep it.
My plants... My precious, beautiful, healthy plants... I'm almost 100% sure that the mycobacteria came in on those. It was only after that I saw the "scratches" on Dr. Seuss' face. Can I disinfect them with reasonable security? I saw someone say she was wiping them down with TB disinfectant... The Barbicide Plus? I don't actually have that many plants, the View is a small tank. They just cost me so. much. money. And they are so healthy!
I think that's all for now... Excuse me while I go prepare to put my poor baby down... This is such a sad day.
Last edited by Lady Courage; 03-27-2013 at 01:11 PM.
Hi Lady Courage. I'm so sorry to hear about your fish and your shrimp.
I've never euthanized shrimp before but I know that they are extremely sensitive to copper. Coppersafe might work. I'm not sure if shrimp can carry myco or not though.
For disinfecting the tank, I would contact Coppermoon. She will have the info you need on what will and won't disinfect myco and what can be saved and what can't.
If you are able to confirm its Mycos I think it is a good idea to euthanize the shrimp. I know that Basement Bettas disinfects absolutely everything that the water comes in contact with. Even if the shrimp aren't affected by Mycos, they would still infect a new tank, probably (in a similar way to how sharing equipment would).
However, disinfectant could be used on equipment but not on the shrimp, obviously.
Mycos is such a horrible bacteria. I'm deathly afraid of ever seeing it in my tanks, especially with all the money I've put into fish keeping. And I know that that's not even a fraction if what breeders have put into it.
This is a very interesting thread. My local Petsmart has a suspicious amount of betta deaths. All of them died the same way since December 2012. They all had curved spines, red gills, and pale bodies. Every time I went back I thought it was the same fish and they hadn't disposed of them in the three weeks I wasn't there...
In Bio we learned that dangerous bacteria is present everywhere, but won't affect you unless your immune system is compromised, such as when the HIV virus infects human and destroys helper T cells. Which eventually causes AIDS allowing rare, but deadly infections to set in. People who have not been infected with HIV are easily able to fight of these infections.
Perhaps it could be some sort of bacteria or virus that compromises the immune system allowing dangerous strains of myco to set in??
DoctorWhoLuver, it is the same with fish. All fish have some amount of bacteria, including mycobacteria, present in their systems at all times. Like HIV, mycobacteria doesn't become a problem unless the fish's immune system becomes stressed and compromised. These stresses typically (but not always) include poor conditions and dirty water.
I am curious though if you have ever seen on of the Petsmart bettas before it died. Some fish will curve up after death so we can't completely attribute curved spines to mycobacteria.
Oh yeah; I wasn't saying it was myco, though I guess I could have been implying it x] it could be anything. But the all the fish where in an upside down u-shape and floating. Most of the dead fish I see are lying or floating, but not in a prominent u-shape. I'm just suspicious of that since all they fish seem lethargic. I haven't actually seen the fish die, just the dead bodies. It's very sad though. :(
[quote-Sakura8]
For disinfecting the tank, I would contact Coppermoon. She will have the info you need on what will and won't disinfect myco and what can be saved and what can't.
I am almost 100% sure Dr. Seuss has this. I just spent the last few hours reading through the info on these threads, both the original "mystery disease" thread and this one.
The reasons I think this are:
He has all the symptoms of the fast moving mystery disease. Overnight swim bladder infection and massive fin rot. He looks awful, he can't swim, he's gasping as though he can't breathe...
He's recently always had little "scratches" on his face. They popped up after I introduced live plants and a piece of driftwood to his tank, but he was otherwise happy, healthy and normal. Because he likes to squeeze in close to the driftwood (silly fish), I just assumed they were indeed scratches on his face. Now, looking at pictures of mycobacteria "lesions", I realize those could have been mild lesions on his face.
I actually have had some serious issues with pond snails just dying randomly. Couldn't figure out why! This would explain that entirely...
I am heartbroken. I hate to see my fishy suffer. He's such a little personality.
I also invested a LOT of money into this, for me, a college kid. I'm just sick at that loss as well...
So... I do have some info now. I know I need to put my poor little fishy down. I know I need to also euthanize the shrimp who inhabit the tank. They can't be allowed to spread the disease.
But I still have some questions for y'all:
Where can I send Dr. Seuss' body to be tested? How do I even ask for the right testing so I know if he has an aggressive strain of mycobacteria? Or should I even bother and just treat it like it IS mycobacteria because it's so likely?
My tank is a Fluval View- expensive and plastic. Can I save it?? Not the filter media, I know, but the tank... It's an $80 tank and if I can save it with reasonable security of NOT striking down another fish, I will. But from just a $$ standpoint, if there isn't really a way to disinfect it safely, it could end up costing me much much more money to keep it.
My plants... My precious, beautiful, healthy plants... I'm almost 100% sure that the mycobacteria came in on those. It was only after that I saw the "scratches" on Dr. Seuss' face. Can I disinfect them with reasonable security? I saw someone say she was wiping them down with TB disinfectant... The Barbicide Plus? I don't actually have that many plants, the View is a small tank. They just cost me so. much. money. And they are so healthy!
I think that's all for now... Excuse me while I go prepare to put my poor baby down... This is such a sad day.
The lab I used ONLY does commercial fish. I used to supply my local with all their Betta until they started showing the fin rot, then of course I quit until I could figure out what it was. I don't have the link to the lab, as I am on my work computer, but it is in FL, and most all the links for this are from the lab. They do give links for hobbiest/pet owners that are fish doctors.
Disinfecting your tank. ((PM me WHERE you are in Texas)) I have some cleaner that you can use, but be VERY careful with it...I had it in a cheap spray bottle at full strength and it eventually ate through the plastic. OR you can bleach the tank (after wiping it down very well) for 24 hrs with a heavy bleach solution, then let it set in the Texas sun for about a week or so. Being dry for over a month will kill this...and the UV from the sun aids in it. IF you want some of the cleaner, I can get some to you if you live close enough that we can meet. Just make sure you clean VERY well to rid of residue...keep cleaning with as hot of water as you can stand until you don't smell it any more.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
Similar Threads
