View Full Version : Need gill curl HELP!!!
xxblwn408
04-13-2006, 11:20 PM
My 6" aro I picked up from a friend has gill curl. He had it in a 30g, I now have him in a divided 150g. He has about half the tank. It looks like the membrane has curled and is starting to curl the plate. Is this the beginning stage or advanced stage?
I have a powerhead in there, but where should i position it? On the surface with the discharge facing straight out?
How long should i wait until deciding to operate or not? If i do operate where do I get the Finquel (MS-222 or tricaine) the article in another post refers to?
if the hard plate is begining to curl it is the beginning of the advance stage so power head will not help.
in such a case you'll need to see if this fella is in good health (usually not when gill curl). if he's in good health transmore him and cut the soft membrane off.
else nurse him back to health and then do the opp.
oh and gill curl is caused when water parameters is bad. so try your best to keep water parameters in tip top condition.
viciousconvict
04-13-2006, 11:30 PM
yes i agree. it may be worth the risk to give it a week or two to stabilize in the new tank, depending upon how far it has advanced. But if the plate has begun to curl, surgery is necessary. You can also make a series of perpendicular cuts if its early. This will relieve the pressure from the edges and prevent curling for a time, which may be the edge you need to get ahead now that you're in the larger tank. MS222 is available from the vet or aquaculture supply store. I buy from carolina biological supply co. Oil of cloves also works.
xxblwn408
04-13-2006, 11:32 PM
The water in the tank he's in now is good. I have a silver aro on the other side of the tank.
He is very healthy, but a little stressed from the move.
Where can I get some transmore? How long should i give him to get acclimated to his new tank before putting him under the knife?
The water in the tank he's in now is good. I have a silver aro on the other side of the tank.
He is very healthy, but a little stressed from the move.
Where can I get some transmore? How long should i give him to get acclimated to his new tank before putting him under the knife?
take your time to evaluate the fish. perhaps it's good to wait for a few days to a week cos it usually takes that long for the fish to get use to the new tank. healthy fish will feed regurally.
you may want to check with your local fish shop to see if its available. and be careful with transmore. incorrect usage will kill the fish. :)
xxblwn408
04-14-2006, 4:29 PM
I ordered some Finquel from Argent-labs today. Just incase I have to step in and do the gill opps.
Has anyone personally done a gill operation to their Aro?
awesum
04-14-2006, 4:54 PM
i use to have an aro that got gill curl. so what i did was take it to the lfs, have them put it to sleep or calm it down (i forgot what the liquid stuff was) and then cut the gill curl part with a scissor (sharp scissor) and wahhla, aro is fine. the fish had gill curl twice. after the second time i was fed up so i gave it away.
i had 6 other aros with it that didn't get gill curl so i don't know what made it have that problem.
meiling
04-14-2006, 6:25 PM
I'd be interested in hearing how's he's doing after he destresses. Please post the outcome/progression for future. Mine kind of curls over when the tank is fully lit, when I switch to amber, he changes his behaviour, uses his fins fully, up down all over the tanks, full finage waving, practices speeding a fast stops, all along the parameters were consistantly good. I truly believe in habitat enrichment, subtle changes creates a natural curiosity/activity. Mine gets all involved in tank cleaning, stuff rearraging, he swims into the hoses and i have to push him away sometimes, he looks foreward to it. The way I set up lights and h20 circulation completely can determine what his behaviour will be.
DeLgAdO
04-14-2006, 6:37 PM
*sigh* ok
from reading all these post, you guys are telling him how to treat it.
but we need to know what casued it and take care of it from there.
your 6 in aro was in a 30 gal and now is in a divided 150
not bad, as the 2 soarces of gill curl are insuffient swimming space and high nitrate levels or poor water quality.
well it seems space is not the problem, so it has to be your water thats the problem, check all the water parimeters and corrects them through lots of water changes. hearing you say "the water is good" isnt convincing enough.
for all i know you could be a dumb noob that thinks clear water is clean water :ROFL:
no offense of coarse :)
xxblwn408
04-14-2006, 7:12 PM
:ROFL: No offense taken. The problem (gill curl) started from my friends tank. I just transfered him into my tank yesterday. I have another aro on the other side of the divider and have never had a water problem. I do a 50% water change every 2 days.
The aro has very good form and color, it's a crime to see him with gill curl.
I want to fix what the previous owner has done. :D
DeLgAdO
04-14-2006, 7:13 PM
:ROFL: No offense taken. The problem (gill curl) started from my friends tank. I just transfered him into my tank yesterday. I have another aro on the other side of the divider and have never had a water problem. I do a 50% water change every 2 days.
The aro has very good form and color, it's a crime to see him with gill curl.
I want to fix what the previous owner has done. :D
well i must say that is one fortunate aro :headbang2
loosk like your do everything right :thumbsup:
get pics of the gill curl so we can see how bad (or good) it is :)
yeah. please do post some pictures of the gill curl.
xxblwn408
04-15-2006, 2:07 AM
Something is wrong with my camera. I'll try to borrow one.
xxblwn408
04-17-2006, 8:14 PM
I am kind of skeptical about doing the gill operation. I have seen on other sites that sometimes the gill does not grow back. Should I just try to net him and try to flip the gills back the correct way?
It's folded over, and looks like i can just flip it back.
viciousconvict
04-17-2006, 8:17 PM
in order for it to stay and not flip the other way or retain tension, you need to make a couple small cuts in from the edge to the plate to relieve the tension. This does not require you to remove the mambrane/gill coveer that is affected.
xxblwn408
04-17-2006, 8:25 PM
I was hoping I could do it with out knocking out the fish. That part seem REAL scary to me.
awesum
04-17-2006, 8:34 PM
you can't do it without knocking out the fish. it's gonna keep on moving and when you cut it might move and you might poke its eye out or something. it's like running with scissors.
viciousconvict
04-18-2006, 11:33 AM
its not that bad. You are probably afraid of killing or hurting your fish, but if you follow the instructions on the tranquilizer it should be fine on that end. When you have the aro out of water remember that either you should only have it out as long as you can hold your breath, or that you should have a hose with water going into its mouth to keep it from suffocating.
xxblwn408
04-18-2006, 2:29 PM
Maybe I could go to the LFS and p/u some cichlids or something and try to tranquilize and revive them first. Then of course do what any aro owner would do. FEED them to my aro.:grinyes:
HONGKONGUY
04-23-2006, 12:28 AM
Use ice instead of medicine, don't depend on lfs and thats my advise.
kriztu
04-23-2006, 6:29 AM
dude, if the gills are really curling then i think its in the advanced stages. youll need to do the operation and cut the curled part off or your aro wont be able to breathe properly through the gills sooner or later
oscar300
04-23-2006, 8:23 AM
good luck with him...
xxblwn408
04-23-2006, 4:42 PM
Thanks. By the looks of it, the gills are starting to flip back to normal. I will wait a week and see. If it doesn't look like its getting any better, the operating room (aka the coffee table) is booked for next weekend.
My 6" aro I picked up from a friend has gill curl. He had it in a 30g, I now have him in a divided 150g. He has about half the tank. It looks like the membrane has curled and is starting to curl the plate. Is this the beginning stage or advanced stage?
I have a powerhead in there, but where should i position it? On the surface with the discharge facing straight out?
How long should i wait until deciding to operate or not? If i do operate where do I get the Finquel (MS-222 or tricaine) the article in another post refers to?
Bro...
here it go...hope u can understand....
Tilted (overturned) Gill Covers
Cause
Fouled water as a result of rotting food particles and excretions. The strong presence of NH3, NO2 and NO3 can reduce the content of oxygen in the water.
Space constraint - When the Dragon Fish is growing, it not only needs nutrition, it also needs a lot of room to move about. Otherwise, the gill covers may be affected. They may tilt over.
Change in temperature - The temperature of the water in the aquarium should always be maintained. The sensitive gills can be affected when it is either too hot or too cold suddenly.
Symptoms
At the initial stage, the movement of the gill covers is not regular and breathing is also faster and abnormal. Next, the gill covers may become concave and the edge may curl upwards, causing the gills to be exposed in the water.
Finally, at the serious stage, the fish pushes its head up constantly to the surface for air while at the same time loses its appetite. This means the internal gills have become damaged and probably infected with bacteria, affecting the function of breathing and this can lead to death eventually.
Cure
When it is first discovered that the Dragon Fish is not breathing properly, the water should be changed immediately. Every 2 to 3 days, 20% of the water in the aquarium should be changed. Air pump should be further activated and air bubble stones could be added so that oxygen level in the aquarium could be increased. Also, change the filter media to coral sand.
Next stage
When the edge of the gill cover is slightly curled but not yet hardened, other than changing water, and increasing air/oxygen supply, strong water current could be created. There may be 50% chance of a cure without the need to operate.
Final stage
When the gill cover is tilted and hardened exposing the gills, the only way left is to trim off the tissues of the tilted region. Tools needed are scissors, surgical spirit, gloves, plastic bag and a rubber sheet. Also water-proof fine sand paper to polish clean the gill cover affected by cut tissues. The above tools must be properly sterilised.
When all equipment have been properly treated, the Dragon Fish should be transferred to a smaller fish-tank leaving the original tank to be filtered and pumped with air to increase oxygen content. With 1/3 of water in the small tank, anesthesia should be administered within the plastic bag which contains the sick Dragon Fish. It must be established prior to the operation that the Dragon Fish has completely lost consciousness before it can be removed (take care not to cause dehydration). Then use a clean pair of scissors to trim the edge of the gill covers.
After cutting, it is necessary to apply antiseptic medications to the trimmed edges. The Dragon Fish should be promptly put back into its own aquarium to await its regaining of consciousness. More antiseptic medication may be added to prevent wound from being infected with bacteria.
When it regains consciousness, switch off all lights and allow the Dragon Fish to recuperate. Feeding can be stopped if it has no appetite. Additional equipment may be fitted to create waves in the aquarium. The cut portion must grow again before the operation is considered successful.