White Scabs

Do you have experience with formalin used as a bath or salt as a dip. Both can kill even epistylus but hey are only a short term remedy. Do you vacuum your gravel much as it ould be a way to control the disease organisms reservoir when it is not in infecting mode.

After researching Epistylus, that sounds like what I have. I had never heard of it before. Any suggestions on how to rid the fish/tank of this.

Also, I've never done a salt dip before, but I'm willing to try.

I do vacuum pretty often..I guess not often enough.

After researching Epistylus, that sounds like what I have. I had never heard of it before. Any suggestions on how to rid the fish/tank of this.

Also, I've never done a salt dip before, but I'm willing to try.

I do vacuum pretty often..I guess not often enough.

Your darters are not going to like the dip but the epistylus likes even less.

Cook Book Method for a 60 second 65 ppt salt dip.

Need two containers about 1/2 gallon in capacity. Fill both with 1 liter of water from tank. To one add about 65 g of NaCl (table salt without Iodide or Sea salt) mixing to dissolve. Capture all fish to be treated and place them in freshwater bowl. Transfer them individually or in groups with net to salt solution. I like to leave them in net so they do not have to be chased in salt dip. Keep them in salt dip for 60 seconds then transfer them back to aquarium. Epistylus will still attached but dead. Should fall off within ours.

Core of problem is likely organics in system. More agressive custodial action such as water changes, siphoning of gravel cleaning of filtration can reduce abundance of epistylus available to reinfect fish.

Thanks for the how-to. As soon as I'm back from the holidays I will try this and report back with results.

thanks again.

Your darters are not going to like the dip but the epistylus likes even less.

Cook Book Method for a 60 second 65 ppt salt dip.

Need two containers about 1/2 gallon in capacity. Fill both with 1 liter of water from tank. To one add about 65 g of NaCl (table salt without Iodide or Sea salt) mixing to dissolve. Capture all fish to be treated and place them in freshwater bowl. Transfer them individually or in groups with net to salt solution. I like to leave them in net so they do not have to be chased in salt dip. Keep them in salt dip for 60 seconds then transfer them back to aquarium. Epistylus will still attached but dead. Should fall off within ours.

Core of problem is likely organics in system. More agressive custodial action such as water changes, siphoning of gravel cleaning of filtration can reduce abundance of epistylus available to reinfect fish.

Umm, could you give me a more 'american' version of the formula for the salt bath. i.e. gallons and cups/tablespoons. I nearly killed a juvenile rainbow. I kinda guessed at what 65 grams would be with aquarium salt, I think 1/2 cup was way too much. After 30 seconds, his body locked up and he turned upside down...luckily, he came back after putting him in the freshwater.

So, what would be a good equivilent for gallons and cups/tablespoons?

If you almost killed the darter, that is typical. I stress the darter does not enjoy the process but the epistylus can not survive it. Your salt concentration as higherhan I typically use but even a saturated salt solution will not kill a darter in good condition. Did the darter turn white and take a while to resume normal breathing?

My one tablespoon tablespoon when loaded to level with table salt (no iodide please) holds approximately 21.5 g. For a 1 quart solution in the 1/2 gallon bowl you should use about 3 tablespoons plus a couple pinches.

Conversions that are relvent:
1 pound = 454 grams
1 gallon = 3.78 liters

Thanks for the updated formula.

The darter didn't turn white, but it did 'lock' up and stop moving. It turned upside down and started to float, I put it in the freshwater and noticed that it was still breathing. It took roughly 30 seconds to snap out of it. For that time, it was 'locked' up and upside down...but breathing.

Thanks for the updated formula.

The darter didn't turn white, but it did 'lock' up and stop moving. It turned upside down and started to float, I put it in the freshwater and noticed that it was still breathing. It took roughly 30 seconds to snap out of it. For that time, it was 'locked' up and upside down...but breathing.

All appears normal with treatment from my experience. How are the scabs doing?

Well, i'm bringing this thread back because I'm seeing this come back in my 75 gallon tank. It cleared out in my old 30 gallon and it has cleared out of my 10 gallon a long time ago.

Ok, I have a theory on this. I have found only one medication to help finrot, Melafix. When I added my first Warpaint, he quickly died of finrot. A couple weeks ago I caught another and added it to my tank. As a precaution, I have been using Melafix to help keep finrot away from this Warpaint. Shortly after treating with Melafix, I noticed those white scabs coming back. Thinking back to my first go with these scabs, I was treating with Melafix for another shiner. Could there be something in Melafix that is attaching to these fish's fins and causing this to happen?

To me it sounds like some kinda fungus. Unless you figure out exactly what illness it is, I would probably do this. Pimafix and Melafix work pretty well for unknown fungus and bacterial infection. My 100g got a breakout of illness one time. The disease got so bad that a chunk of skin and meat almost the size of a penny was missing off a catfish. So I would do this.

half-dose with melafix and pimafix and add an airstone (the meds absorb and get rid of oxygen). I would medicate one day, water change the next, and so on for at least a week. You should notice improvement by then. Make sure to remove any carbon as it will remove the medications. Both these meds are all natural and will not harm your other fish... especially in half-doses.
After doing this my catfish is now all healed up and I have not had another problem in that tank. Although when I treated the first day I did my math wrong and I treated a 100g for 250 gallons. I then had to do a 50% water change. I lost a few fish from the overdose. So try to get the math right.
Start off with about a 30% water change though.
Hope this helps

I'm actually proposing that the Melafix is what's causing the white scabs. Could it be possible that something in Melafix forms a scab between frayed fins much like our own bodies form a scab over a cut.