A&P
We have a large calico fancy goldfish that had an open, red ulcer under his tail (from his anus to his lower fins & tail). We separated him from the rest of the tank, and put him in a hospital tank with tetracycline for 5 days and fed him an antibacterial fish food. The ulcers looked like they were healing, and the instructions on the package said discontinue after 5 days. So, we stopped treatment and now the ulcer is back. There is also pus coming from the ulcer when we cleaned it. We have started him on erythromycin and have cleaned the ulcer with peroxide (as per several fish websites) and are continuing to feed him the antibacterial food. Can someone please help us save our fish????
Our main tank is clean, very well balanced, tons of filtration, and the other fish are all healthy. We bought a plant from a local aquarium store and surprise! We found a lice on that fish pretty close to where the ulcer first formed. We suspect that the lice was the root of the problem (I removed it from him and there hasn't been any seen since), but now we need help healing this nasty looking wound. Any and all advice/suggestions are welcome.
Lupin
to MFK, A&P!
Please state exact tank size, tankmates, quarantine regimen, water change regimen, food regimen and exact water parameters and include photos of the affected areas and then the parasite. These variables are extremely important when it comes to health issues so we get a better and almost accurate diagnosis.
In concern to the fish lice, yes, this is quite a problem with most goldfish. Fish lice often happen in ponds more than aquaria but they can be introduced when a fish or any items coming from the pond is not quarantined properly. For plants, soak them in potassium permanganate to destroy the parasites that may harbor on them.
What you should do for fish is remove the adult and juvenile fish lice carefully from the fish. Use tweezers or forceps to do that job and dab the wound with iodine solution. Then treat the affected tank with organophosphates. My recommendation is trichlorfon, also known as masoten or neguvon. Coumaphos is too powerful so I would simply advise against it. When you use organophosphates, wear mask and gloves as the chemicals can seep into your skin and you may develop allergic reactions and poisoning in the process. Dimilin also works as this inhibits the chitin of the lice thus killing them in the process. Repeat treatment for 2-3 weeks on a 7-day interval.
I am not sure the fish lice have stopped infesting your tank yet. Once you see one, it is likely you may have missed several more. This was a mistake I did which prompted to treat the fish with organophosphates after more wounds appeared mysteriously. I am pretty sure the ulcer can only be aggravated by the presence of probably more lice. Fish lice are known for causing secondary infections by transmitting bacterial infections across the hosts.
Hope this helps!
Lupes
We have a large calico fancy goldfish that had an open, red ulcer under his tail (from his anus to his lower fins & tail). We separated him from the rest of the tank, and put him in a hospital tank with tetracycline for 5 days and fed him an antibacterial fish food. The ulcers looked like they were healing, and the instructions on the package said discontinue after 5 days. So, we stopped treatment and now the ulcer is back. There is also pus coming from the ulcer when we cleaned it. We have started him on erythromycin and have cleaned the ulcer with peroxide (as per several fish websites) and are continuing to feed him the antibacterial food. Can someone please help us save our fish????
Our main tank is clean, very well balanced, tons of filtration, and the other fish are all healthy. We bought a plant from a local aquarium store and surprise! We found a lice on that fish pretty close to where the ulcer first formed. We suspect that the lice was the root of the problem (I removed it from him and there hasn't been any seen since), but now we need help healing this nasty looking wound. Any and all advice/suggestions are welcome.
Lupin
to MFK, A&P!Please state exact tank size, tankmates, quarantine regimen, water change regimen, food regimen and exact water parameters and include photos of the affected areas and then the parasite. These variables are extremely important when it comes to health issues so we get a better and almost accurate diagnosis.
In concern to the fish lice, yes, this is quite a problem with most goldfish. Fish lice often happen in ponds more than aquaria but they can be introduced when a fish or any items coming from the pond is not quarantined properly. For plants, soak them in potassium permanganate to destroy the parasites that may harbor on them.
What you should do for fish is remove the adult and juvenile fish lice carefully from the fish. Use tweezers or forceps to do that job and dab the wound with iodine solution. Then treat the affected tank with organophosphates. My recommendation is trichlorfon, also known as masoten or neguvon. Coumaphos is too powerful so I would simply advise against it. When you use organophosphates, wear mask and gloves as the chemicals can seep into your skin and you may develop allergic reactions and poisoning in the process. Dimilin also works as this inhibits the chitin of the lice thus killing them in the process. Repeat treatment for 2-3 weeks on a 7-day interval.
I am not sure the fish lice have stopped infesting your tank yet. Once you see one, it is likely you may have missed several more. This was a mistake I did which prompted to treat the fish with organophosphates after more wounds appeared mysteriously. I am pretty sure the ulcer can only be aggravated by the presence of probably more lice. Fish lice are known for causing secondary infections by transmitting bacterial infections across the hosts.
Hope this helps!
Lupes
