John Patmore wrote:
Hi all,

Has anyone ever heard of algae growing on a fish? I've put three pictures
on my webspace of one of my Golden Orfs with just this problem down both
sides of the fish, and the fins. Any assistance in getting rid of this or
at least controlling it would be much appreciated.

http://www.jpatmore.plus.com/orf/flipper_1.jpg
http://www.jpatmore.plus.com/orf/flipper_2.jpg
http://www.jpatmore.plus.com/orf/flipper_3.jpg
and a few other relevant photos if you want to browse the folder.

The pond is approximately 2.5m x 1.6m x 0.8m deep and has been
established for several years. There are currently about 16 largish fish:
2 golden orf, 2 ghost koi, some crusian carp and rudd, and a few
goldfish. There are six airstones in the pond, as well as the
fountain/waterfall.

Last year during the heat of summer, the orf jumped out of the pond
(probably chasing flies) and flapped its way over the edge of the wall at
the end of the pond onto the path below. It was probably out of the water
for about 20 to 30 minutes and was virtually dead when we found it purely
by chance. My daughter held it in the water for over 2 hours flushing
water through the gills before it was strong enough to swim away. We
didn't see it for a couple of days, and it took several weeks to regain
full mobility.

Anyway, after winter we noticed that it had a coating of algae, hence I'm
here requesting advice. I don't know if the trauma has had an effect, but
the fish appears perfectly healthy otherwise. All other fish in the pond
seem to be clean.

I can think of two things. Velvet, or real algae growing on a fungal
infection. Velvet will be a smooth coating of brownish-green often on
the back of the fish. If you look closely, you can see speckling from
the tiny parasites. Use a formalin/malachite ich medicine for the
velvet in a holding tank or kiddie pool, and keep the tank or pool
darkened since the parasite is partly photosynthetic (thus the
brownish/green color).

The second possibility is a true fungus infection. In this case, the
algae will be growing on fuzz, and the infection will look like green
hair or cotton. It will be the true green of algae, not the
brownish/gold/green of velvet. That can be treated by either using a
proprietary fungus medicine in a holding tank, or catching the fish and
dabbing malachite green on the affected areas. The fungus will fall off
in a couple of hours after the malachite treatment, but likely regrow.
You have to keep treating daily or every second day until it's gone, so
having the fish in a holding tank or kiddie pool is helpful.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com