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Guppies with columnaris
Columnaris is fairly common bacterial disease, as it is present in most recirculating systems. However, being a bacterial disease, it is one that fish typically have an immunity to, as bacteria are omnipresent in aquatic environments. Stress is a big factor in the development of this disease, like most aquatic diseases.
Columnaris is an easily recognizable bacterial disease because of the cotton or cottage cheese protrusions from the fish. Note: this is only visible when the infection affects the body of the fish. Most of the time, columnaris will affect the gills. This makes it a bit harder to watch for, however, the gills are better protected by the fish's immune system than the body, meaning that infections of the gills are of less concern. As with any pathogen in aquatic environments, Columnaris is an opportunistic pathogen. If the fish are healthy and happy, they will generally coexist peacefully.
Symptoms
Symptoms
In addition to the aforementioned growths on the fish, columnaris infections will generally include lethargy, loss of appetite and rapid breathing. In advanced infections, you may see lesions, ulcers, or the fish looking like it's rotting away with skin peeling and other nasty symptoms.
Treatment
Treatment
The good news is, Columnaris is treatable. Being a Gram-negative bacterium, it is a little more resistant to antibiotics than others, but there are still plenty of good options to use. The recommended ones are going to be kanamycin (Seachem Kanaplex) or doxycycline, depending on what you can get your hands on. Make sure to treat in a hospital tank, as antibiotics can be rough on your beneficial bacteria.
As with any bacterial disease, the best treatment is always prevention. Managing stress levels, having enough filtration and proper tank maintenance are going to keep fish much healthier than just treating with antibiotics anytime something crops up.
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