Recognize the Signs
Wasting (skinny disease) despite eating normally. Curved spine. Open ulcers that do not heal. Eye cloudiness. Long-term fin rot.
Fish often live for months with TB before dying. Tank infections are slow but inevitable without intervention.
Treatment Options (Limited)
Most treatments fail. Kanamycin and Erythromycin can reduce symptoms but rarely cure.
Honest answer: euthanize affected fish, deep-clean tank with bleach, restart. Most aquarists eventually face this decision.
- ✦Wear gloves when working in tanks — fish TB enters via skin cuts and causes "fish handler nodules"
- ✦Disinfect equipment between tanks: separate nets, hoses, buckets
- ✦Quarantine new fish strictly — TB symptoms emerge 4-12 weeks after introduction
Prevention
Quarantine all new fish 6+ weeks (not standard 4) for TB-prone species: gourami, neon tetras, livebearers.
Do not buy from tanks showing wasting fish — even healthy-looking fish from same shipment may carry TB.
Public Health Note
Fish TB causes skin nodules in humans, usually on hands. Slow-growing, hard to diagnose, treatable with long antibiotic courses.
Always wash hands after tank work. See a doctor if you develop a non-healing skin lesion after handling fish.