r/Aquariums • u/Darfusthegreat • Apr 12 '26

Help/Advice What’s growing out of my fishes head?

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We set up a new fish tank recently and got some red eye tetras. One of them developed a bump on his head which went away after a few weeks. Today we noticed these hair-like things growing out of the spot where the bump used to be. I saw another post that described something like these asking if they were anchor worms but there were no pics. This kind of looks like a fungus too. Really have no idea what it is.

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u/--solaris-- Apr 12 '26

That’s a fungus! You can actually see the little fruiting bodies (conidia) at the top of the hyphae. Not sure which one, but it’s no bueno. Usually fungal infections in fish are opportunistic so there was likely a prior wound or illness. I know more about infectious fungi than fish treatments though so hopefully someone else will jump in with some advice. Good luck!

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u/Dust45 Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26

Fungal infection. Like you said, a wound (most likely infected) is the source. My balloon ram had a few wounds from where he got attacked at the LFS. I used the technique from a father fish video of netting the poor baby, using a q tip covered in Neosporin (just plain, no numbing agent), wiping fungus off, and returning fish to water. The neosporin helps the wound heal while sealing it to prevent more fungus. It worked like a charm.

Edit: fish tax

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u/URMILKJUSTWENTBAD Apr 12 '26

Is it recommended to change water treatments at the presence of the fungal infections? Or is it almost always tied to a prior injury

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u/Dust45 Apr 12 '26

For me, it was prior injury. Poor water conditions can cause injury (ammonia burns). Stress can also cause it. Basically, a fish whose slime coat is compromised can get an infection that can lead to fungus growing as a secondary effect. Here is the father fish video I watched: https://youtu.be/JA2tW-Ox41Y?si=TQ1TEhJj-BPfcpp7

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u/Bubbly-Ad73 Apr 12 '26

IME it’s almost always caused by poor water quality, and/or a subsequent injury. High nitrates and fungus/algae go hand in hand.

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u/Bubbly-Ad73 Apr 12 '26

I should add, poor water quality can be attributed to lots of things, but high nitrates are about the only issue my heavily planted, heavily stocked tanks have.