Red mouth fungus?

Paaxil

New member
I have noticed what looks like red cottony tufts of I'm guessing bacteria or fungus in each corner of my court jester goby's mouth. I noticed this 2 days ago and panicked a little, couldn't find any info on it but assumed it to be bacteria so I treated the tank with a low dose of mardel-freshwater. Today my mandarin is exhibiting red streaks on one of her side fins. A little background: I usually keep my tank near 79 F but it got warm where I live and I didn't not realize that this would affect the tank so quickly, it got up to about 85 F for a day. This may be what triggered the onset of this infection. Does anyone know what my fish have? And if so, how do I treat it?
 
Not much to go on; but "cottony tufts" just screams fungus. I like Maracyn Plus; its an antibiotic and a fungicide. Fungus infections can often lead to bacterial infections, so the combination makes sense. Assuming the temp rise was gradual, it shouldn't have been the cause. No idea on what the deal is with the mandarin. A small, quiet fan blowing over the water surface will do a surprising amount of cooling; unless you go the chiller route. BTW: why would you treat with mardel-FW? Just tossing a med into a tank can be lethal, it says freshwater for a good reason.
 
I used mardel (maracyn FW) because I had used it several months before to treat a cyanobacteria outbreak and it did the job. I figured if it may treat that type of bacteria, and I knew it would not have serious effects on the tank as I had used it before. My goby does not seem as infected as my mandarin, she is not moving around.
 
Then only the goby has cotton-like stuff around the mouth, that is a spot on a fish where fungus is more likely? A pic would really help. How long have you had the mandarin,has he been feeding well?, on what? tank size? Mandarins seldom do well in a small or new tank. Water params, fungus is more likely in less than pristine water and the history of cyno points that way. A major WC may be in order before trying a fungus cure. Any other fish with symptoms? Any more info you can supply would help. At this point, I can't even guess. I hope someone else has some ideas.
 
Yes, only the goby has cotton like stuff. It is a small amount on either corner of his mouth, I have tried taking a picture but cannot get close enough. It looks just like whatever this fish has:
images
I have had my mandarin for 2 years in my 20 gallon tank, she eats mysis and brine shrimp, she eats well. I did have a turbo snail die this week but he was consumed in a day by hermits and snails. I plan a doing a major water change tomorrow, I get my water from the fish store but couldn't make it in before they closed today. I have one more fish, a clown fish, and he seems to be doing fine.
 
I have no idea what's going on. Keeping a mandarin in a 20 gal tank is quite an accomplishment; almost unheard of. I don't know enough about mandarins to really comment; maybe someone will chime in on possible diet concerns.
 
Anyone else ever seen this before?? Any clue to whether it is bacterial or fungal? I'm thinking fungal...
 
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