I have never ever in my 30 years of having aquariums been in a Zoo shop in my part of Norway, where the symptoms you describe are not precent. I have had the desease in my aquariums for about all those years as well. I have experiensed long quiet periods with little outbreaks and the oposite. I have had all kinds of fish, also Discus for many years. It`s common in aquarium`s forums to sell or give plants, roots, used equiptments, and other things, I believe this disease is a very very common thing in the aquarium communities around the world. On a micro level, a kind of regulator of overpopulation of a spicies or a comunity tank?? I have never ever been sick by this.
Thanks for your interesting feedback! We have seen Mycobacterium in nature and in aquaria....because it comes originally out of nature (I have seen it in Wild Cardinal Tetra) but the fish only get sick when their immune system collapsed due to many reasons, such as poor water quality, overcrowding, etc. Some fish can live well with a somewhat small infection(?). Same for the fish keeper: you get only infected when you do not take properly care with wounds or poor hygienic matters! Prevention is better than cure!
Thanks for your comments! UV will kill the bacteria that are free floating and passing the UV-tube! It will not control in infected fish nor infected fish food. In my opinion= limited control of elimination. It is good for centralized filtration that there is no free passage between aquaria & fish!
I think this is why my Flowerhorn died and withered away, lost weight and was becoming inactive for no apparent reason. I was pissed!!!! I'm thinking this is why. I could not figure out what was wrong with her. This is crazy. Good insight.
The statistics about how many batches of fish have the infection are not encouraging for a fishkeeper. Those levels suggest that you will almost certainly find it in your tank at some point, and it will wipe out most of your fish, and the chances of that are high. Does quarantine help in any way?
Dear, Mycobacterium is common in nature...it is a natural bacteria. Only weakened fish with poor immune system (usually due to bad fish keeping or old age) are getting sick or die from it. Quarantine is no help and only good maintenance and good feeding!
I have lost 5 salwater sharks to mycobacterium, my aquaruim now has no stock but still running to maintain biofilter , does the bacteria live in substrate with out a host ? I am concenered about passing on disease when i decide to get more fish ? thanks in advance if you respond , your vidoes are very helpfull to.
Yes, the bacteria can survive without a host. This is also happening in nature. The bacteria can only become an infection when the fish have lost their immunity or not able to resist...due to different factors! Good maintance of the aquarium and fish could prevent an infection!
@@GeraldBassleer thank you for your fast responce , my maintance was of high standard but i believe i introduced the infection via a recencently aquired shark from another aquarist which in turn infected my livestock , do you think its required to remove all sand, water and rock to avoid passing on infection to new stock?
@@megafishtank1 Interesting! Usually it is the food and weakened fish that caused infection! If you want to do the best= is remove all and start all-over...but be aware...feeding with infected food (or ohter new stuff) can bring back the Mycobacterium (is part of nature)
Gerald ,any connection between cynobacteria and mycobacteria other than both bacteria ? any ideas on painfreeways euthanize ways to my last 2 sharks prefer in tank ? thanks Gerald
Hallo herr Basleer, wenn die meisten fische es schon in sich tragen ist eine Komplett desinfizierung des Aquariums noch sinnvoll ?. Und muss man bei chronischen verläufen umbedingt den ganzen Besatz erlösen ?
@@emre8782 Thanks and interesting question! The longer the aquarium is 'dryed' the better the eradication of Mycobacterium! There is always some Mycobacterium in nature, in water, in food, in fish...that is unavoidable and this doesn't mean the fish becomes sick from 'that little bit' as lo,g as the fish has a good immune system, good living conditions and good food (free of Mycobacterium)! I hope my info helps you!
@@GeraldBassleer i have some fish that have died but i still have a good amount of fish that are not showing signs of tb and my order of fuco came today should i just start feeding now until 40 days
Wow I didn't realize how common it is in fish. So is mycobacterium likley to be present in most aquariums with multiple species of fish? I ask as I have a 30 gallon aquarium with 1 Electric blue and 1 German blue ram cichlid, 7 rummynose tetra, 9 cardinal tetra and 4 otocinclus. Recently my electric blue ram has a very slight curve to its back. I am concerned this may be fish tb. He is not skinny and has no lesions. The ram seems healthy other than the slight curved back. All the other fish in the aquarium appear to be healthy. He did not have the curve to his back when I bought him and is starting to develop it now after living in my aquarium for almost 1 year. I feed them crushed up hikari vibrabites/tetra prima granuels + flakes + algae wafers most days and at weekends I give frozen foods. Do you think I should be concerned about the ram cichlid? Also what can I use to sterilize aquarium equipment? Thanks.
Thanks cor yr questions. It is common to find Mycobacterium but not necessarely as disease. What you do is to remove very sick fish, avoid overcrowding, overfeeding and pollution to prevent further outbreak. Avoid frozen or live food that contains microbes like Mycobacterium. Try to feed our DR. BASSLEER BIOFISH FOOD. Desinfection nets, etcetera for 1 aquarium is o.k. to dry
@@GeraldBassleer I have another aquarium (75 gallon discus) that I use the same pump as my 30 gallon tank to do my water changes. So you're saying that once the equipment is dry it is disinfected? If not what do I need to do to disinfect. Thanks.
@@jacksmith6460 to desinfect= cheapest and easist is steaming hot water! When you have multiple aquaria I recommend the keep the nets separated and indicate which one belongs to the specific aquarium; especially the 'wet' nets are the a risk for spreading!
It is a natural bacteria, present in nature....but it doesn't mean 'any' M.marinum can be pathogenic...it all depends on the general health of the fish and conditions of aquarium, food, etc.! Like humans...some are more pronable to catch infections as Covid-19 teached us such lessons.
Not sure if the fish i caught has MB, but the granuloma seemed like huge tumorous growths in the spleen, rather than "granules", there were no actual granules... But the gills were weak, with one overinflated gill-tentacle, the bottom ones, on each side, and slight discoloration of the scales... It was a 36cm cod. I've tried googling the symptoms, but no source goes into specifics, or mentions variations in symptoms. So i think it's MB, because the symptoms line up 99%, with the exception of the granules, replaced with large tumorous growths in the spleen instead.
Interesting! But 'granules' does not always mean 'TB'....and TB is not always presented in the organs as typical granules....although it is quite common to find granules.
Do you think the reason Diane Walstad struggled with mycobacterium so much was because of the dirted tanks? I suspect every dirted tank has a plethora of mycobacterium present in it.
Interesting comment! Dirty tanks is not an indicator for Mycobacterium...and in some cases the 'dirt' will not allow for Mycobacterium to do well! Usually the Mycobacterium needs a host to survive (it can been fish or fish food)...But it can free float in the water, filter, gravel, etc. and not being a risk for diseases! It becomes a risk when the immune system of the fish fails or when daily presented in the food!
@@GeraldBassleer I can’t think of the name of the forum she frequented near the end, but it’s interesting how much they all seemed to be struggling with mycobacterium one thing I do remember is they liked to use miracle gro organic potting soil - which as a gardener I imagine given it’s mass production is a very aerobic dominated fast composted soil likely lacking many of the elements of a very well rounded fungal dominated slow composted soil. I wonder if this in particular played a roll in it. Also given the nature of the bagging and mycobacterium’s ability to survive for long periods in anaerobic states with the presence of nitrates… as we both know there’s probably millions of undiscovered mycobacterium they could have been dealing with something entirely different and dispersing it among each other trading plants etc . Crazy how little we truly know about these little microcosms we create! I did a couple experiments with using live homemade worm castings under a sand cap and conventional knowledge would tell you the red wiggler composting worms would die underwater in the substrate but they’re actually thriving and reproducing 4 months later. As a side note I wonder if something like an inoculated biochar shallow in substrate could outcompete pathogenic mycobacterium completely. Either way, it’s never been an issue for me, I just find it interesting! Thanks for all your research and sharing .
@@Kmesh-v8l It is always is interesting to perform new trials as you did! Mycobacterium is common in nature and can just easily be accumulated in a warmwater aquarium because this works like an incubator...
@@GeraldBassleerI haven’t watched the video yet, but I’m curious about this comment. From my understanding, mycobacterium marinum is everywhere. Found in our soils and waters. Fresh or salt. I too now wonder if dirted tanks have it more commonly. I’ve actually caught it and was on minocycline for 2 months. It was rough on me so now I’m on bactrim.
@@plyr6369 Yes, it is common in nature! But it cannot just cause disease...when the person is well protected, no lesions, good immune system, etc. you have a good self-defense. Very little people do get infected.
Mycobacterium is unavoidable....because it is in nature= in the water, soil, food, etc. It is part of 'nature'! BUT when fish are kept in 'poor' conditions, overcrowding, poor filtration, lack of waterchanges, food polluted with Mycobacterium, etc. THAN you create the big risk! But the fish becomes (only) sick when the immune system is damaged (due to above factors combined with stress) and the 'Mycobacterium' becomes a serious infection, damaging organs and secondary diseases (infections, mostly other bacteria) can also appear and in most cases those will kill the fish! It is all a matter of common sense: fish can test postive for MB, but not being ill nor suffering....In my opinion 90+% of the fish would test positive... Same as for Covid-19 = testing positive doesn't mean you are 'sick'.... Testing should only be done when disease symptoms appear... I hope my comment helps you to understand
I have a group of mixed danios, pearl and zebra. Have been losing fish for the past year intermittently. Always the same symptoms: total bloat or bloat on one side of the abdomen. Some lose scales and present necrosis. Most have raised veins and red blotches around the abdomen and anal and some raised scales like dropsy. Have lost many, tried treating with myxazin to no success. After looking in the literature and videos like yours im starting to believe its a mycobacteria infection. Difficult to get some antibiotics in Ireland. Will need to go to the vet
Thanks for your interesting question! Yes, it could be a bacterial infection but necessarily a Mycobacterium infection! I would recommend to change food source (in many cases the cause!) and try for 30 days our DR. BASSLEER BIOFISH FOOD FUCO (usually you can order via the internet) Let me know how it works out! Good luck!
@@GeraldBassleer i will purchase it today. My largest fish are the danios at around 2". Which size, medium or large is more appropriate? Is it a permanent food or should you only use it as a treatment for 30 days
@@GeraldBassleer i have just purchased fuco, regular and green for all my tanks. I will start the danios on fuco and move them to regular after 30 days. I have some plecos, and pygmy corydoras who will enjoy a mixture of regular and green. Thank you for your advice.
Dear, I cannot confirm this as a case of zoonotic infection BUT I recommend you to your doctor and explain your case and he will decide to take a sample and send to the lab to analyse and check of Mycobacterium! The sooner the better! All the best
@@GeraldBassleer if you cook it... Then does it kill everything? Presumably it might not kill worm eggs. Eg with beef heart, pan fried then boiled for 15 min.
Dear Camila, Mycobacterium is in nature, in water&rivers= a natural bacteria! And if you do a thorough test of the aquarium you could find it..;.BUT this does not mean it becomes a disease! Like for humans living with many pathogens we have defense (immune system) and if this is working well you do will usually not become sick= the same for our fish! When a fish is very old or very sick and suffering you could put it asleep.
I have never ever in my 30 years of having aquariums been in a Zoo shop in my part of Norway, where the symptoms you describe are not precent. I have had the desease in my aquariums for about all those years as well. I have experiensed long quiet periods with little outbreaks and the oposite. I have had all kinds of fish, also Discus for many years. It`s common in aquarium`s forums to sell or give plants, roots, used equiptments, and other things, I believe this disease is a very very common thing in the aquarium communities around the world. On a micro level, a kind of regulator of overpopulation of a spicies or a comunity tank?? I have never ever been sick by this.
Thanks for your interesting feedback! We have seen Mycobacterium in nature and in aquaria....because it comes originally out of nature (I have seen it in Wild Cardinal Tetra) but the fish only get sick when their immune system collapsed due to many reasons, such as poor water quality, overcrowding, etc. Some fish can live well with a somewhat small infection(?). Same for the fish keeper: you get only infected when you do not take properly care with wounds or poor hygienic matters! Prevention is better than cure!
Nice good info
I heard uv light help prevent mycobacterium and eliminate pathogens in the water column
Thanks for your comments! UV will kill the bacteria that are free floating and passing the UV-tube! It will not control in infected fish nor infected fish food. In my opinion= limited control of elimination. It is good for centralized filtration that there is no free passage between aquaria & fish!
thank you sir for this. i cant find a good study about mycobacteria. good thing i found this
Thanks for your positive feedback! I appreciate this very much and good compensation for all my hours of hard work!
ive been struggling with this for a while now(over a year!) thank you for the very informative and helpful video
Thanks for your positive feedback! I hope you have found a way to be cured.
I think this is why my Flowerhorn died and withered away, lost weight and was becoming inactive for no apparent reason. I was pissed!!!! I'm thinking this is why. I could not figure out what was wrong with her. This is crazy. Good insight.
Thanks
The statistics about how many batches of fish have the infection are not encouraging for a fishkeeper. Those levels suggest that you will almost certainly find it in your tank at some point, and it will wipe out most of your fish, and the chances of that are high. Does quarantine help in any way?
Dear, Mycobacterium is common in nature...it is a natural bacteria. Only weakened fish with poor immune system (usually due to bad fish keeping or old age) are getting sick or die from it. Quarantine is no help and only good maintenance and good feeding!
Great info
I have lost 5 salwater sharks to mycobacterium, my aquaruim now has no stock but still running to maintain biofilter , does the bacteria live in substrate with out a host ? I am concenered about passing on disease when i decide to get more fish ? thanks in advance if you respond , your vidoes are very helpfull to.
Yes, the bacteria can survive without a host. This is also happening in nature. The bacteria can only become an infection when the fish have lost their immunity or not able to resist...due to different factors! Good maintance of the aquarium and fish could prevent an infection!
@@GeraldBassleer thank you for your fast responce , my maintance was of high standard but i believe i introduced the infection via a recencently aquired shark from another aquarist which in turn infected my livestock , do you think its required to remove all sand, water and rock to avoid passing on infection to new stock?
@@megafishtank1 Interesting! Usually it is the food and weakened fish that caused infection! If you want to do the best= is remove all and start all-over...but be aware...feeding with infected food (or ohter new stuff) can bring back the Mycobacterium (is part of nature)
@@GeraldBassleer thank you
Gerald ,any connection
between cynobacteria and mycobacteria other than both bacteria ? any ideas on painfreeways euthanize ways to my last 2 sharks prefer in tank ? thanks Gerald
Hallo herr Basleer, wenn die meisten fische es schon in sich tragen ist eine Komplett desinfizierung des Aquariums noch sinnvoll ?. Und muss man bei chronischen verläufen umbedingt den ganzen Besatz erlösen ?
Danke! Desinfezierung nur sinnvoll für Züchter. Viele Fischen haben Mycobacterium aber sind nicht krank.
Sehr Kranke Fischen tierfreundlich töten = einschlafen
@@GeraldBassleercan mycobacterium marinum survive on surface ? Or in Fishtanks which are dryed for 2 or 3 weeks.
@@emre8782 Thanks and interesting question! The longer the aquarium is 'dryed' the better the eradication of Mycobacterium! There is always some Mycobacterium in nature, in water, in food, in fish...that is unavoidable and this doesn't mean the fish becomes sick from 'that little bit' as lo,g as the fish has a good immune system, good living conditions and good food (free of Mycobacterium)! I hope my info helps you!
hello my fish are dying from fish tb will feeding fuco help get rid of fish tb?
The DR.BASSLEER BIOFISH FOOD FUCO only helps in beginning stages or in combination with medications
@@GeraldBassleer i have some fish that have died but i still have a good amount of fish that are not showing signs of tb and my order of fuco came today should i just start feeding now until 40 days
@@allensanchez7563 yes...you can try but as informed this is a help but not a medicine nor guarantee to cure
If a tank is emptied of fish and substrate. Will this bacteria remain in floating plants and rocks?
Yes that is possible
@ thank you.
Wow I didn't realize how common it is in fish.
So is mycobacterium likley to be present in most aquariums with multiple species of fish?
I ask as I have a 30 gallon aquarium with 1 Electric blue and 1 German blue ram cichlid, 7 rummynose tetra, 9 cardinal tetra and 4 otocinclus.
Recently my electric blue ram has a very slight curve to its back. I am concerned this may be fish tb. He is not skinny and has no lesions. The ram seems healthy other than the slight curved back.
All the other fish in the aquarium appear to be healthy.
He did not have the curve to his back when I bought him and is starting to develop it now after living in my aquarium for almost 1 year.
I feed them crushed up hikari vibrabites/tetra prima granuels + flakes + algae wafers most days and at weekends I give frozen foods.
Do you think I should be concerned about the ram cichlid?
Also what can I use to sterilize aquarium equipment?
Thanks.
Thanks cor yr questions. It is common to find Mycobacterium but not necessarely as disease. What you do is to remove very sick fish, avoid overcrowding, overfeeding and pollution to prevent further outbreak. Avoid frozen or live food that contains microbes like Mycobacterium. Try to feed our DR. BASSLEER BIOFISH FOOD. Desinfection nets, etcetera for 1 aquarium is o.k. to dry
@@GeraldBassleer I have another aquarium (75 gallon discus) that I use the same pump as my 30 gallon tank to do my water changes.
So you're saying that once the equipment is dry it is disinfected? If not what do I need to do to disinfect. Thanks.
@@jacksmith6460 to desinfect= cheapest and easist is steaming hot water! When you have multiple aquaria I recommend the keep the nets separated and indicate which one belongs to the specific aquarium; especially the 'wet' nets are the a risk for spreading!
Is this an issue with Axolotls too?
Sorry...I haven't worked nor researched about Axolotl
Is marinum present in every tank?
It is a natural bacteria, present in nature....but it doesn't mean 'any' M.marinum can be pathogenic...it all depends on the general health of the fish and conditions of aquarium, food, etc.! Like humans...some are more pronable to catch infections as Covid-19 teached us such lessons.
Not sure if the fish i caught has MB, but the granuloma seemed like huge tumorous growths in the spleen, rather than "granules", there were no actual granules... But the gills were weak, with one overinflated gill-tentacle, the bottom ones, on each side, and slight discoloration of the scales...
It was a 36cm cod.
I've tried googling the symptoms, but no source goes into specifics, or mentions variations in symptoms.
So i think it's MB, because the symptoms line up 99%, with the exception of the granules, replaced with large tumorous growths in the spleen instead.
Interesting! But 'granules' does not always mean 'TB'....and TB is not always presented in the organs as typical granules....although it is quite common to find granules.
@@GeraldBassleer Well, that doesn't help. xD
Do you think the reason Diane Walstad struggled with mycobacterium so much was because of the dirted tanks? I suspect every dirted tank has a plethora of mycobacterium present in it.
Interesting comment! Dirty tanks is not an indicator for Mycobacterium...and in some cases the 'dirt' will not allow for Mycobacterium to do well! Usually the Mycobacterium needs a host to survive (it can been fish or fish food)...But it can free float in the water, filter, gravel, etc. and not being a risk for diseases! It becomes a risk when the immune system of the fish fails or when daily presented in the food!
@@GeraldBassleer I can’t think of the name of the forum she frequented near the end, but it’s interesting how much they all seemed to be struggling with mycobacterium one thing I do remember is they liked to use miracle gro organic potting soil - which as a gardener I imagine given it’s mass production is a very aerobic dominated fast composted soil likely lacking many of the elements of a very well rounded fungal dominated slow composted soil. I wonder if this in particular played a roll in it. Also given the nature of the bagging and mycobacterium’s ability to survive for long periods in anaerobic states with the presence of nitrates… as we both know there’s probably millions of undiscovered mycobacterium they could have been dealing with something entirely different and dispersing it among each other trading plants etc . Crazy how little we truly know about these little microcosms we create! I did a couple experiments with using live homemade worm castings under a sand cap and conventional knowledge would tell you the red wiggler composting worms would die underwater in the substrate but they’re actually thriving and reproducing 4 months later. As a side note I wonder if something like an inoculated biochar shallow in substrate could outcompete pathogenic mycobacterium completely. Either way, it’s never been an issue for me, I just find it interesting! Thanks for all your research and sharing .
@@Kmesh-v8l It is always is interesting to perform new trials as you did! Mycobacterium is common in nature and can just easily be accumulated in a warmwater aquarium because this works like an incubator...
@@GeraldBassleerI haven’t watched the video yet, but I’m curious about this comment. From my understanding, mycobacterium marinum is everywhere. Found in our soils and waters. Fresh or salt. I too now wonder if dirted tanks have it more commonly. I’ve actually caught it and was on minocycline for 2 months. It was rough on me so now I’m on bactrim.
@@plyr6369 Yes, it is common in nature! But it cannot just cause disease...when the person is well protected, no lesions, good immune system, etc. you have a good self-defense. Very little people do get infected.
Mycobacterium is unavoidable....because it is in nature= in the water, soil, food, etc.
It is part of 'nature'!
BUT when fish are kept in 'poor' conditions, overcrowding, poor filtration, lack of waterchanges, food polluted with Mycobacterium, etc. THAN you create the big risk!
But the fish becomes (only) sick when the immune system is damaged (due to above factors combined with stress) and the 'Mycobacterium' becomes a serious infection, damaging organs and secondary diseases (infections, mostly other bacteria) can also appear and in most cases those will kill the fish!
It is all a matter of common sense: fish can test postive for MB, but not being ill nor suffering....In my opinion 90+% of the fish would test positive...
Same as for Covid-19 = testing positive doesn't mean you are 'sick'....
Testing should only be done when disease symptoms appear...
I hope my comment helps you to understand
Great explanation and very educational as in dont get slopy or lazy with tank hygene/maintance or you may loose all your livestock
I have a group of mixed danios, pearl and zebra. Have been losing fish for the past year intermittently. Always the same symptoms: total bloat or bloat on one side of the abdomen. Some lose scales and present necrosis. Most have raised veins and red blotches around the abdomen and anal and some raised scales like dropsy. Have lost many, tried treating with myxazin to no success. After looking in the literature and videos like yours im starting to believe its a mycobacteria infection. Difficult to get some antibiotics in Ireland. Will need to go to the vet
Thanks for your interesting question! Yes, it could be a bacterial infection but necessarily a Mycobacterium infection! I would recommend to change food source (in many cases the cause!) and try for 30 days our DR. BASSLEER BIOFISH FOOD FUCO (usually you can order via the internet) Let me know how it works out! Good luck!
@@GeraldBassleer i will purchase it today. My largest fish are the danios at around 2". Which size, medium or large is more appropriate? Is it a permanent food or should you only use it as a treatment for 30 days
@@seang9678 MEDIUM is best suitable! See hereby flyer that can help you www.bassleer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Fish-Species-Problems-Food-ENG.pdf
@@GeraldBassleer thank you
@@GeraldBassleer i have just purchased fuco, regular and green for all my tanks. I will start the danios on fuco and move them to regular after 30 days. I have some plecos, and pygmy corydoras who will enjoy a mixture of regular and green. Thank you for your advice.
My weather loach has been bloated and has been swimming funny and recently a spot has appeared on my forearm can is it possible he has this disease
Dear, I cannot confirm this as a case of zoonotic infection BUT I recommend you to your doctor and explain your case and he will decide to take a sample and send to the lab to analyse and check of Mycobacterium! The sooner the better! All the best
So wait…the frozen food Carries this bacteria too ???!?!?
yes, it can (freezing does not kill bacteria)
@@GeraldBassleer How about freeze dried?
@@yeders also freeze dried can contain pathogenic bacteria
@@GeraldBassleer if you cook it... Then does it kill everything? Presumably it might not kill worm eggs. Eg with beef heart, pan fried then boiled for 15 min.
@@yeders Yes, good heating is the best to kill all microbes and parasites and eggs!
Today I conctacted my dermatologist for (hopefully) the last time. I'm cured now ( january 21) and got infected with these bacteria in april '20.
Sorry to hear and I hope to treat worked well....I know it can take many months
So, is mycobacterium in every aquarium? If yes, why does put to asleep an animal?
Dear Camila, Mycobacterium is in nature, in water&rivers= a natural bacteria! And if you do a thorough test of the aquarium you could find it..;.BUT this does not mean it becomes a disease! Like for humans living with many pathogens we have defense (immune system) and if this is working well you do will usually not become sick= the same for our fish! When a fish is very old or very sick and suffering you could put it asleep.