Fungal infection on Helfrich’s Firefish?

[Lennon's Reef]

I think my Helfrich’s firefish could have a fungal infection. There is some discoloration on one side of the body, and there seems to be a swollen whitish area at the base of the tail. Additionally, the tail itself is losing some of its yellow color. The tail was bitten quite badly by another Helfrich’s kept in the same holding tank at my LFS, however it healed nicely while in quarantine. Now the tail fin seems to be wearing away again. The fish has been in quarantine for a month. While in quarantine it was treated with praziquantel for 1 week and fed with brine shrimp soaked in metroplex/focus for 10 days. I moved the fish into my display tank today and that’s when I noticed the discoloration. I’m moving it back into my QT tank and I plan to treat with KanaPlex. I’d appreciate anyone who could weigh in on whether or not this is the right diagnosis/treatment for this fish? Thanks in advance!

 

[Lennon's Reef]

I think my Helfrich’s firefish could have a fungal infection. There is some discoloration on one side of the body, and there seems to be a swollen whitish area at the base of the tail. Additionally, the tail itself is losing some of its yellow color. The tail was bitten quite badly by another Helfrich’s kept in the same holding tank at my LFS, however it healed nicely while in quarantine. Now the tail fin seems to be wearing away again. The fish has been in quarantine for a month. While in quarantine it was treated with praziquantel for 1 week and fed with brine shrimp soaked in metroplex/focus for 10 days. I moved the fish into my display tank today and that’s when I noticed the discoloration. I’m moving it back into my QT tank and I plan to treat with KanaPlex. I’d appreciate anyone who could weigh in on whether or not this is the right diagnosis/treatment for this fish? Thanks in advance!

So I’m at my LFS and they don’t have KanaPlex. I’m looking at NeoPlex which claims to treat external bacterial and fungal infections. Would this be okay? Or should I go with Pimafix or Melafix?

 

[Lennon's Reef]

5) Furan-2 + Seachem Kanaplex + Metroplex (metronidazole) – Can be used separately, but most effective when all 3 are combined together. Furan-2 + Kanaplex should be dosed at the same time for maximum effectiveness. Can be used in a QT with a working biofilter.

I’m going to follow this regimen. I’ll dose the three medications together and hopefully that will solve the issue. I already have Furan-2 and Metroplex, and my LFS is getting more KanaPlex tomorrow. I’ll start dosing Metro and Furan-2 tonight and add KanaPlex tomorrow.

 

[Big G]

Fungal infections in saltwater fish are very rare. More likely that it's a bacterial infection. The "Trifecta" ^^^ is great for treating a wide range of infections.
But you also need to feed the fish's immune system. Food + vitamins (I prefer Beta Glucan) + Focus works really well for helping a fish recover.