New coral beauty has white mouth???

[LeanneP]

I bought a coral beauty recently who is still in quarentine. About a week after I got it, it developed what I thought was ick. It had two white spots on its fins. I left for holidays so I didn't treat it with any medications and hoped that it would get over it. Now I have come back it has developed a white mouth and it has stopped eating. I have been treating it with Lifeguard from Instant Ocean but it doesn't seem to be getting better. Is this part of ick or something else and what would be the best treament?
Leanne

[jtbadco]

There is a fungal infection called saprolegnia that appears as cottony tufts near the mouth or on the fins of the fish. Occasionally the growth around the mouth can get big enough to obstruct feeding and can cause starvation. Fungus infections can be very hard to cure with medication and care must be taken to keep it from spreading to the other fish in your tank. Fungal infections are transmitted by a fish actually eating the flesh of a dead or dying fish that is already infected. Be careful of what you are feeding. Raw fish flesh and some raw shellfish can be carriers of this disease. There is no good medication that will effectively treat a fungal infection. Given a good environment, very good water quality, and a good variety of high quality marine fish foods, a fish can usually lick a mild case of external fungus by himself. In really bad cases the fish may be treated by removing him from the water and swabbing the infected area with a cotton tipped swab soaked in an iodine medication, copper sulphate, or malachite green.

HTH
Blaine

[naesco]

Treat it with mardel maroxy now phone the lfs before you go to avoid running around good luck

[LeanneP]

Thanks for the replys. Hoping I can find the right medication before it is too late.
Leanne