Help sick fish.

[rama]

I have been treating this fish for two weeks with "TC Tetracycline" and it's not getting any better, pic coming.

[fshfrk]

Try some binox.

[Mzungu]

Umm, you're gonna have to tell us a LOT more about the fish and his/her condition in order for us to help.

[imagirlgeek]

Wow! What happened to him? Is it a fighting injury or just an ulcer you saw appear? In the first picture it looks like something hanging off...is that a piece of skin? Or is it a parasite? I can't tell very well.

Okay, first, be careful about treating fish with meds before knowing (for the most part) what the problem is. That's how a lot of parasites and bacterias have morphed and become resistant to meds.

Is it getting worse?
Is the fish showing any other signs of distress?
Are any other fish affected?

Let's start with those questions and I'm sure I'll have more.

[rama]

When I bought these fish, they came in very weak and were not looking good. These fish came from Africa and then were shipped to me. I treated all the fish with salt and they kept getting better, except one. After three weeks I took this one out and started to treat it with a medication called TETRACYCLINE. After two weeks its still not getting any better. If anything its getting worse.

[rama]

Wow!
(A) What happened to him? Is it a fighting injury or just an ulcer you saw appear?
(B) In the first picture it looks like something hanging off...is that a piece of skin? Or is it a parasite? I can't tell very well.

(A) I received her like that maybe not that bad.
(B) It's a bone.


1)Is it getting worse?
2)Is the fish showing any other signs of distress?
3)Are any other fish affected?

1)If anything its getting worse.
2)No.
3)No.

[FrontosaurusRex]

take those pictures over to a website called Frontosa.com

Those guys on there eat, sleep and breath Frotosas and somebody will be able to fix this fish. Have you ever kept Fronts before? Who did you buy these fish from? Why did you accept sick fish when you bought them?

[imagirlgeek]

FRex, are you saying you think it's an illness specific to Frontosa?

[myjohnson]

wow, sorry to hear the bad news Ram!

Could it be worms?

[geoff_tropheus]

I would use erythromycin to treat open sores, or the Furan-2 for red swelling

[rama]

I would use erythromycin to treat open sores, or the Furan-2 for red swelling

Do you know off any LFS i can buy erythromycin?

[rama]

wow, sorry to hear the bad news Ram!

Could it be worms?

Thank you,

I don't think it's worms.

[geoff_tropheus]

you should be able to get it rather reasonably at most stores but it comes in a small pack that would treat like a 20 gallon tank for a week.

For a 240, you need to get the $100 bottle that is 850grams which treats like 3,200 gallons. This would treat your tank for like 10-12 days.

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16818

[tbui1178]

Good luck Ram. Keep us posted.

[rama]

Let me know what you think.

http://thegab.org/Illness-and-Treatm...h-illness.html

Finrot

• Symptoms: Fast eroding fins (often tailfin). The fin tissue gets red and then sloughs off leaving the rays (which later break off). If you have clean white (non fuzzy) edges, keeping your water pristine should be all you need. In the pic below:

1 redness 2 red area has sloughed off
3 healing

• Treatment: Check your water parameters, vacuum well and do a partial water change. Clean the fin with 3% hydrogen peroxide and apply triple antibiotic creme. If that doesn't stop the rot: Feed Medigold medicated food. If Medigold is not available use one of the following water antibiotics: Kanamycin, Spectogram, Maracyn 2 or or Antibac. (Maracyn 2 is not compatible with Medigold). An alternate treatment (which should be done if any of the above methods are ineffective) would be to treat the fish with Tricide Neo dip.

Septicemia

• Symptoms: Redness in blotches and streaks on fins or body often near the base of the fins and tail. These are signs of an internal infection. Note that red streaks on fins can sometimes be due to poor water quality.
• Treatment: Feed Medi-Gold or Metromed

Ulcers and Sores

• Symptoms: Open sores that are red or have white centers.
• Treatment: Clean the sore once with either 3% Hydrogen Peroxide or iodine and apply triple antibiotic creme. Feed Medigold. Dip the fish in Tricide Neo dip (sources: PondRx, Aquatic Eco-Systems, etc) or Neocide 3. Because ulcers are often triggered by parasites it is good to check for flukes and other parasites. If a microscope is not available give the fish a short salt bath (0.6% - 6 teaspoons per gallons for 5 minutes) and raise the salt-content in the tank water to 0.3 until the ulcer has healed. Also, consider treating with praziquantel for flukes.

Flex

• Symptoms: cottony like growths, sometimes moldy looking (if your fish is in a pond, white fuzzy growth could also be a fungus, Saprolegnia.)
• Treatment: Despite its fungus look, flex is caused by a bacterium. It will respond to Medi-Gold or common water antibiotics like Kanamycin, Spectogram or Maracyn and Maracyn 2. (Remember Marcyn and Maracyn 2 are not compatible with Medigold). Adding salt to the water (3 teaspoons per gallon) also helps because it keeps flex from being able to stick to the fish.