any type in particular?Infblue;1976106; said:sorry for your loss
you're probably right in assuming the fins are torn because of the puffer. But a torn fin can turn into fin rot if infected.
i don't know if yours is infected or just torn. But if it's infected, imo it's too late for melafix (only good as prevention or general tonic). what you need is antibacterial meds or antibiotics.
Worms on Bichirs?
- Thread starter IITUFFTOBEATII
- Start date
kanamycin and tetracycline are two that i use most often. there are other antibiotics as well, both generic and brand name (such as Mardel). i buy the generic from LFS as they are cheaper.IITUFFTOBEATII;1976153; said:
there are also non-antibiotics antibacterial meds, like those containing sulfur, malachite green, etc., but i don't remember what works for what.
you should also add salt too.
and do a water change first before treatment and keep the water good. i think the bacteria causing fin rot etc is a normal part of the system, having a torn fin makes the fish susceptible, but they don't necessarily become infected unless the condition allows the bacteria to multiply in huge numbers.
have you finished your treatment of parasite clear?
also is your other endli having fin rot or other infection? if it is, i'd switch to tetracycline and salt. if you don't see signs of fin rot or other bacterial infection, then it's not necessary to use antibiotics at this point. just make sure you do frequent water change to keep the water good, and add salt.
if you're really worried and wanted to treat with tetracycline just in case (e.g. if it acts or looks like something is developing, but it's not obvious yet), you could do that too. i normally don't suggest this since overuse of antibiotics is a real concern (not in terms of harming the fish, but in terms of bacterial resistance). But you're the one who knows the condition of your fish the best, i thought i'd mention this as an option, in case it's warranted. If you are to do it, make sure you complete the full course of treatment (for me, each treatment lasts at least a week, and i repeat if necessary, with a water change in between).
also is your other endli having fin rot or other infection? if it is, i'd switch to tetracycline and salt. if you don't see signs of fin rot or other bacterial infection, then it's not necessary to use antibiotics at this point. just make sure you do frequent water change to keep the water good, and add salt.
if you're really worried and wanted to treat with tetracycline just in case (e.g. if it acts or looks like something is developing, but it's not obvious yet), you could do that too. i normally don't suggest this since overuse of antibiotics is a real concern (not in terms of harming the fish, but in terms of bacterial resistance). But you're the one who knows the condition of your fish the best, i thought i'd mention this as an option, in case it's warranted. If you are to do it, make sure you complete the full course of treatment (for me, each treatment lasts at least a week, and i repeat if necessary, with a water change in between).
if you haven't done so already.. remove carbon from your media while treating your fish. It's common knowledge but sometimes we forget.
just to clarify, for me each treatment lasts at least a week, and since i do weekly water change, i just re-dose according to the amount of water changed out if i need to treat for longer. you can do water change sooner too, just redose accordingly. imo water change should be done at least once a week while treating, unless otherwise noted. clean fresh water really helps and makes the meds more effective. also the med breaks down naturally with time, and it's good to do a water change so you can redose.Infblue;1977473; said:
tetracycline turns the water yellow at first, but i read somewhere that tetracycline is light-sensitive, and as it decomposes it turns brown, which is what i noticed by the end of the week when i was using it. i don't really know if its due to light or just natural decomposition, but just to be safe, i now turn off the lights when i'm treating with tetracycline. and just to be fair, most places actually don't mention anything about light-sensitivity with tetra, so may be that website i saw that from was inaccurate...who knows...
most of his fins look the same as the other one, but his tail fin has blood red stripes at the base, septicemia? (new condition as of this evening). I'll get a picture as soon as he is in a good spot.Infblue;1977473; said:
The parasite clear instructions said 2 treatments in 48 hours, second dose was yesterday evening.
I dont think I do know the condition of my fish the best, I dont think I know the condition of my fish at all. The other one looked and was acting normal, and then dead. The one that is left (of the two new ones, all others appear to be normal) is the one with all the symptoms.
All the medication at the store said a minimum of four doses was necessary, there wasnt enough of the tetracycline to treat their tank for four doses so I got all the erythromycin that was there (5 boxes, 10 x 200mg packets each). It is a broad spectrum anti bacterial treatment and the directions for use and conditions treated were the same as the tetracycline.
Thanks again for all the help, please post anything you think might be helpful, I cant do this without you guys/gals.
hard to say if the red streaks are necessarily septicemia....a broad spectrum antibiotics should be able to cover it and the fin rot, but of course effectiveness varies depending on the specific antibiotics and the specific strain of bacteria and the tank condition. Since this is something most of us can't tell ahead of time, you just have to give it a try. if one med isn't working, switch.
anyway just to further add to what i said about water changes, just follow instruction of the meds, and work your water changes around it.
good luck!
anyway just to further add to what i said about water changes, just follow instruction of the meds, and work your water changes around it.
good luck!
Thanks Infblue.
will do on the WC's.
Is 1 tbsp/10 gallons sufficient?
Heres pics as of 5 min ago, def has gotten worse.
will do on the WC's.
Is 1 tbsp/10 gallons sufficient?
Heres pics as of 5 min ago, def has gotten worse.
Reduce lighting, turn off UV if you're medicating, feed moderate amount to keep water in superb parameters, and try not to disturb the environment such as doing a rough water change or moving decors around. Add salt. I've had success adding salt and waterchange to solve a lot of fish disease.
