Saprolegnia (Fungus)

Fungus is the white slimy coating that fish develop following an attack of Ichthyophthirius, which has not been cured. It may also develop indepen-dently, but is rather rare in tropicals. Bruises, chills, wrongful feeding, attacks by other fish, and dirty aquariums are all feasible causes of fungus.

The fish should be put into a container of water devoid of vegetation, containing two level teaspoons of salt per gallon of water. Sea salt is much better than typical salt. If after 24 hours no improvement is seen, add two much more teaspoons of salt, and, if by the third day no change is noticed, add an additional teaspoon.

When the fish is cured, don’t put it straight back into its regular tank with out initial adding fresh water gradually, over a period of two days, to lower the salt content. This ensures that it is not subjected to a drastic change of water which may have an adverse effect on a fish just recovering from an illness.