fungal infection just on fish or in water?

[pluchinsky]

i'm guessing that the fish in my smaller tank have a fungal infection. One has some kind of whitish growth under its mouth (like a beard) and another has a spot of it starting on its head. My question is, if i remove them from that tank, does the water in that tank still need treated before other fish go in it or is the infection just spreadable through the fish that have it?

 

[elfdoctors]

Fungal infections are actually quite rare in marine aquaria (the salt kills off most fungus). Bacterial infections can sometimes look this way or perhaps lympocystis. Both of these infections do not require treatment of the whole tank. Occasionally a severely infected fish can be removed to a hospital tank for treatment. However, more commonly, attention to good water quality (e.g. a large water change, feeding good foods and perhaps garlic) will help the fish fight these infections off without aggressive treatment.

 

[pluchinsky]

thanks so much! you're absolutely right. i looked up lymphocystis on a search engine (after i read your reply) and the photos looked just like what's going on with my fish. it's such a relief to know that the entire QT isn't messed b/c of it!