Can a Stress Coat Cure White Mold on Fish?

Body fungus, a white, moldy looking fungal infection, can kill a fish within a week. Immediate action is necessary to save an infected fish. You have several methods of treatment available -- though stress coat is not among them. Still, the presence of body fungus requires also that you take several steps to improve the aquarium environment, and stress coat can play a role in that process.

  1. Body Fungus

    • Body fungus is an fungal infection caused by any of various related fungi in the genera Saprolegnia and Achyla. These fungi are prevalent in aquarium water, but they cause disease only if something else has gone wrong. Scientist call infections like this "opportunistic infections." Body fungus resembles fuzzy white cotton growing on fish, though it sometimes looks slightly tinted by debris caught in the strands. Body fungus needs to be treated immediately, since it can quickly kill a fish by damaging tissues.

    Stress Coat

    • Stress coat is not intended to treat disease. All bony fish have body slime that protects them from infection. However, stress makes them produce less slime, and physical abrasions can remove it. Stress coat is designed to replace this slime coat when fish are stressed, such as after a fight or after transporting them from the pet shop. However, this product is designed to prevent, not cure, disease. It can help prevent diseases like body fungus from occurring during circumstances that would stress fish, but it can't do much against an infection in progress.

    Treating Body Fungus

    • Two simple ways to treat body fungus exist. You can add about 1 teaspoon of rock salt, kosher salt or aquarium salt per gallon of aquarium water -- but know that many fish, such as cory catfish, cannot tolerate salt. You have the option of treating with antifungal drugs. You can pick these up at pet shops. Follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully. Some fish, like tetras, cannot tolerate copper-based drugs. Since most fungus treatments can harm certain fish, and body fungus rarely spreads from one fish to another, treat affected fish in a separate quarantine aquarium to avoid complications. Both salt and antifungals typically clear up body fungus within a week.

    Preventing Body Fungus

    • Body fungus cannot get a foothold in a healthy, uninjured fish. Often, overcrowding or other poor aquarium conditions can make a fish less healthy, making him more vulnerable. An overcrowded aquarium typically has dangerous amounts of ammonia in the water, which can damage fish's skin and allow the fungus to get started. Additionally, injuries from fights or handling can injure a fish. Even as you treat the fungus, you need to figure out what allowed it to get started -- and correct it. Stress coat can help in this situation, since it can help replace a slime coat lost to injury and stress. It's just one measure, though, among many.