New cardinal with some on its gill.

[Greaser84]

I bought two cardinals and a goby last week and this morning I noticed one cardinal has some sort of what looks like fungus growth on the bottom of its gills. Looks like brown fuzz (see pics). Anyone know exactly what it is? And what I should dose to cure it? The fish are in one of my QT tanks with some snails and some corals. (zoa's, mushrooms) I have several meds on hand, melafix and mardel maracyn seem most plausible out of all my meds. I can move the coral and snails to another QT tank if needed.

 

[ThRoewer]

From the pictures I can't tell what it is but it looks like both his pelvic fins are completely missing. Did he had them when you got him?

This is how he should look like: Banggai cardinalfish

If the fins are missing due to injury or fin rot the fish may be beyond recovery.

 

[Greaser84]

From the pictures I can't tell what it is but it looks like both his pelvic fins are completely missing. Did he had them when you got him?

This is how he should look like: Banggai cardinalfish

If the fins are missing due to injury or fin rot the fish may be beyond recovery.

Your right he is missing his pelvic fins I never noticed that, good eye. I suspect they were missing the whole time. The brown fuzz is right where his fins should be. Seems like a terrible case of fin rot. I'm going to take him back to my lfs.

 

[ThRoewer]

I would rather suspect that they were torn off/out and what you see is the infected wound.
Either way the fish is likely done and the best thing would probably be to end his suffering.

BTW, where did you get him from and how did you miss the missing fins? I always recommend to inspect fish very well before buying them. It usually saves you a lot of trouble and heartache.