I recently picked up a single male h. psittacus that I'm keeping temporarily in a 90g. He hasn't really been eating a lot since I got him. I've tried all sorts of food, he would usually take a nibble and then ignore whatever else. he was munching on blood worms when I'd put some in, and the poo that I saw looked normal, not a lot of it though. Yesterday I noticed his mouth was a little extended. Today when I get home its stuck out even more. It might be swollen on the left side, its hard to tell, but I did notice last week that that side of his upper lip would always be darker than the right. What's going on here?
what's going on with this psittacus
- Thread starter jamntoast
- Start date
It's called an acute infection of Flexibacter columnaris (duck lips), a bacterial disease, most virulent above 82'F, usually fatal.
Fish usually hover in a small area refuse to eat, and the jaw continues to extend until death.
There are treatments, but ave never been successful for me, check the disease section.
Fish usually hover in a small area refuse to eat, and the jaw continues to extend until death.
There are treatments, but ave never been successful for me, check the disease section.
Yea unless caught very early it's usually a death sentence. I've had a low survival rate with kanaplex in the water and a salt+meth blue bath. The ones that survived had very early signs of saddleback marking and slightly swollen lips.
It has wiped out entire fish farms. be very careful with cross contaminating tanks. Scrub hands after touching the tank and bleach all equipment.
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It has wiped out entire fish farms. be very careful with cross contaminating tanks. Scrub hands after touching the tank and bleach all equipment.
Sent from my LG-E980 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
Agree, it is very contagious, the bacteria can reside in detritus, so if I see any signs, after euthanizing the infected fish, I lower temp to below 82'F, do a serious vacuuming, and treat the tank with hydrogen peroxide to prevent more infection from spreading.
OK guys, I've moved the fish to a smaller tank, heater is off, water at room temp. I'm currently treating with a furan 2 and api general cure (for the metro) combo. I will look for some kanamycin product as well, couldnt find it at the store I went to this morning. Hopefully this will get it in time.
Duane's, you mentioned peroxide to clean the tank, I saw in another post you said you used 1 litre peroxide per 50 gallons. Is this safe to add to a tank with fish in it as well? I want to make sure my other tanks don't get it also, I've been using the same equipment between them.
Duane's, you mentioned peroxide to clean the tank, I saw in another post you said you used 1 litre peroxide per 50 gallons. Is this safe to add to a tank with fish in it as well? I want to make sure my other tanks don't get it also, I've been using the same equipment between them.
http://www.thefishsite.com/articles/613/use-of-hydrogen-peroxide-in-finfish-aquaculture
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa157
This may give you some information.
Drstrangelove's is very concise.
With the last tank I treated, I figured all fish were goners anyway, so I dumped in a quart from Walgreens for 50 gallons.
3 of the healthiest fish survived, and one that looked marginal didn't.
And yes, and nets or tools should be soaked in either the peroxide or bleach to sanitize and prevent carry over.
It has been suggested (I don't remember off hand, in what study) that fish pass the bacteria by touching each other, and brushing against surfaces just touched by an infected fish.
I have had tanks on the same sump as an infected tank, not show signs of the disease.
And so the direct contact theory may be plausable.
With the last tank I treated, I figured all fish were goners anyway, so I dumped in a quart from Walgreens for 50 gallons.
3 of the healthiest fish survived, and one that looked marginal didn't.
And yes, and nets or tools should be soaked in either the peroxide or bleach to sanitize and prevent carry over.
It has been suggested (I don't remember off hand, in what study) that fish pass the bacteria by touching each other, and brushing against surfaces just touched by an infected fish.
I have had tanks on the same sump as an infected tank, not show signs of the disease.
And so the direct contact theory may be plausable.
thanks for the info. i'll update on how my parrot does. i'm keeping a positive attitude even though there are some negative experiences with this. I have treated columnaris (never had seen duck lips anytime though) before with my geos and had mixed results. fortunately the cases I had in the past were not an instant death so i'm hopeful this will be the same. I will definitely think more about my sterilization practices now though. this sucks.