ahh what is this on my clowns mouth

[izzie]

Both my small clowns have something growing aroudn there mouths. Im not sure what it is. doesnt look like anything i have really seen befor. Its white and not fuzzy but sort of like big ick. Its only on the mouth however. Also my one small one has a small lighter patch on its side. I think thats been there for a long time tho. My larger clown seems fine. Nothing i can see on him. I have 2 cleaners in my tank and a UV. Its a 55g tank with a 20g sump. I did just recently move them to a new tank. One week tomorrow. Anyone have any ideas what this might be and how to fix it. thanks.
Izzie

 

[bchristie]

White and fuzzy are two traditional descriptions of a textbook fungal infection...though it is hard to say without actually seeing it. The problem is that fungal infections rarely occur as a primary infection, they are almost always secondary (or tertiary) to another underlying problem(s). The stress of the move could have certainly exacerbated the problem.

If it is indeed a fungal infection a malachite green bath should clear the problem up, and would probably be most effective combined with a formalin treatment to combat any underlying bacterial problems. You can use a Leteux-Meyer Stock solution or a commercial Malachite Green/Formalin preparation.

If you have a microscope take a scraping of the "fuzziness" to see if you can identify the fungal hyphae to obtain a better diagnosis, look for something like this:

http://www.fishdisease.net/fd/disease_images/image.php?img_id=107

http://www.fishdisease.net/fd/disease_images/image.php?img_id=119

http://www.fishdisease.net/fd/disease_images/image.php?img_id=106

 

[izzie]

Its not fuzzy

 

[bchristie]

oops, sorry, misread that