| Cotton mouth is a highly contagious tropical fish | | | | All fish you suspect have cotton mouth should be |
| disease that can kill your entire tank if treatment | | | | removed from your main tank to a quarantine |
| isn't started immediately. This disease is a bacterial | | | | tank. You can treat the infected fish by swabbing |
| infection that enters through the mouth, gills or | | | | the mouth with a cotton cloth dipped in very salty |
| wounds in the skin. Fish that have an inadequate | | | | water. Or you can put 50 mg of Terramycin or |
| diet, live in poor water conditions and are stressed | | | | Aureomycuin per gallon of water into the |
| out are at risk for cotton mouth. Contaminated | | | | quarantine tank. This treatment is usually very |
| nets, food and containers also spread cotton | | | | effective and you should see results within 48 |
| mouth bacteria. | | | | hours. Maracyn and Maracyn 2 also stop cotton |
| The most noticeable symptom of cotton mouth | | | | mouth if the other meds don't work for you. The |
| is white fungus around the mouth. White spots | | | | temperature of the tank should be lowered as |
| may also appear on the fins and edges of scales. | | | | these bacteria reproduce quickly in warm water. |
| Infected fish often act listless, loose their appetite | | | | To remove a bacteria from your main tank, |
| and their gills start moving rapidly. Occasionally | | | | change the water, vacuum the gravel and clean |
| lesions will start on the back and move down the | | | | any other equipment you use in your tank such |
| side, creating a saddle like lesion. | | | | as nets and specimen containers before each use. |