South American river aquarium

[Yoannikko]

Is that red dot at the base of the tail fin an open wound? There is also something like it on the dorsal fin.

Yes, he (or she, rather, I believe) seems to have two open wounds on these two spots. I've tried taking some better photos. Hopefully these will be better.

Looks like some sort of bacteria infection - i forget the +/- thing but this is a slow moving one eating the skin. I had htis happen to a pleco once - it can be treated but i forget the details.

Well, that doesn't sound ominous at all... Thanks for the info, I'm going to look into it.

I wonder, if it is a bacteria, could it have been brought in by the tetras ? They are all fine, all eating, acting and looking normal. Is it possible for them to be asymptomatic carriers ?

In the meantime, should I increase the temperature in the tank (currently at 25°C) ?

 

[Yoannikko]

So, according to ChatGPT, this could be fin rot, and/or a wound that has become infected. In any case, I am going to take my fish out of this tank and place him in the tank that served as QT for my tetras. I will do a 50% WC first, and then I will start the treatment. Furanol Plus 250 seems like my best option at the moment, so that's where I will start.
That way, I will be able to more closely monitor my little Hypancistrus. Fingers crossed !

 

[MacZ]

Looks like a form of EUS... Which would be a devastating diagnosis.

Besides the disease template (sticking in the health-subforum) I would need some good pictures from all angles you can manage.

 

[MacZ]

Furanol Plus 250 seems like my best option at the moment, so that's where I will start.

Where in the world did you get that? JBL stopped selling meds a while ago. Sure it's still ok?

Also chatgpt is likely wrong. I conferred with a friend who's really good with fish diseases and he agreed it could be some sort of EUS which is basically untreatable.

EUS stands for Epizootic ulcerative Syndrome, you will find many sources linking it directly to dwarf gourami disease, but it also appears as red spot in corydoraoid catfish and in plecos.

 

[Yoannikko]

A local store said it carried it online, but turns ou it was an error. I ended up buying Sera mycopur. I'm in the process of getting the QT ready right now, but I did put my fish in a bucket for the time being.

I was able to take some photos, but my phone's camera isn't the best. Hope you'll bé able to make some things out.

Yeah, I tried ChatGPT to see if it came up with a likely scenario, and it seemed to align with what anewbie was saying... But if what you say is true, that really sucks...

As far as the tank goes :
Dimensions / volume : 60*30*30 / 54L (probably around 40-45 in actuality)
Has been running since march 2025.

Parameters : EC 122, GH/KH 2 and pH 6.5-7.0 (though the tests I have are old...), and I thought I had nitrate/nitrite but it turns out I don't...

Recent evolutions : I replaced the substrate first week of August, but kept the same hardscape, filter media and water. And added 10 Tetras last sunday. I had them in QT for a week, and they were / are doing really well. No signs of illness, really active, eating well.
As for my Hypancistrus, it still seems active, though maybe a bit more shy recently, but still seems to be eating and swimming normally.

Pics

 

[Yoannikko]

Hello everyone,

Good news, my Hypancistrus is still kicking, er flipping, flapping ? LOL
Anyway, she looks like she is on the road to recovery ! She is looking much better than a few days ago, her skin appears to be healing nicely. I used mycopur "in case" for three days, waited two days, did a water change, and am now on the second day of the second round. I won't do a third, but I thought a second round of meds "to be sure" wouldn't hurt.

I'm thinking of keeping her in this "QT" tank for a while, as I don't know what caused the issue. I'm still leaning towards injury, but why ? She had been in the tank for a few months with no issue, but a week after introducing the tetras and she looked like the above photos. Did they harass her ? I haven't seen anything, but then again she's hiding most of the time during the day, with no easy access for them. Did she get spooked by something ?
In the tank she's in, there are no rough rocks for her to get injured on, so I might leave her in there for a while. Though the tank isn't huge (40*25*25 cm), she's not a monster either, measuring only about 6 cm at the moment.

Anyway, here's some pics taken today of my fish and her new "temporary" home. Don't mind the filter mesh, I used it to add bacteria "just in case", but she uses it as a hide and isn't interested in the hanging "branch".