Re: Help - the GOT MILK look on my tetras??

Whoa, sounds bad, Surgicalrn... Sorry to hear you went through all that and
I won't let your experience be in vain. I do believe I will pick up the
Melafix today (I just read a terrific review of it's effectiveness in a
controlled experiment and they detected no adverse effects on the bio filter
from its use).

I have, however, just developed an alternative theory to explain the little
white-ish moustaches - little crescents, actually.  The flourescent light in
my Eclipse-12 tank is housed in a protective plastic cover that hovers just
above the surface of the water. The last time I lifted the lid for a water
change, I noticed that this clear cover had faint splotches of what I took
to be salt or, more probably, Alkaline deposits. When my tetras are feeding,
they often dart to the surface at the speed of light to scarff a bit of
flake or blood worm and I think they might be just bumping or nosing the
light cover a bit when they do that and scraping off just a bit of that
white deposit when they do.

Unlike us, they have no tongues so they can't lick their lips  :-)

I will try the Melafix, keep a close watch, and report my findings here.
Thanks, again, to all who have replied.

-Paul S. Walsh
http://www.valariekeaton.com/aquarium/


"Surgicalrn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> If you're referring to Lampeye tetras with the red eyes, silver bodies and
a
> black bar on their tail I have already been through this "Got Milk" thing
> with mine. Of the original school of seven I have two left. I believe this
> is cotton mouth, a bacterial infection that rots the tissues and then a
> secondary fungal infection which causes the white mouth. The grey patches
> are what's known as septicemia with the same bacteria that is eating the
> flesh on the head infects the blood and begins to eat away from the
inside.
> One of my poor tetras actually had his head beome mishapen and swollen to
> the point that he coulnd't eat and I finally euthanized him as he was
> starving to death on top of having his flesh eaten away. Another ended up
> with the grey spots and then developed kidney failure and becaome a little
> "pinecone" before dying horribly one day. Added salt to tank and it got a
> little better for a bit and then started to get worse. Melafix was used
for
> a week and now the remaining two are all better! Get Melafix now!!! Start
> treating them or you will end up with no more tetras or severly deformed
> tetras.
>