Datnioides undecimradiatus - PLEASE HELP!!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Hi,

thanks for all of the great info there. I should clarify a few things. Ro water has brought about huge improvements in my tigers. They are currently all lump free. The water is pH6.8. and is soft. I keep discus and stingray, which are even more sensitive to correct water. The marine salt added is at a very low dose. Salt is replacing some of what RO unit strips out, and it seems to help heal wounds more quickly. I was using tonic salts, but they didn't seem to be as effective. i switched to RO water because my household water isn't safe for any fish - too much chlorine, chrolamine, flouride, etc.

i am going to give antbiotics a try, but no, it doesn't look good! but i refuse to give in!!

You sound very knowledgeable. i am glad i have found this forum. I also agree with you about all NTT dying small - they don't - i have a 3 year old nine inch fish, and another the same age at 8 inches.

From what i have been advised Datnioides disease is rare, and is just plain bad luck if it occurs. i will however diwcuss the RO water with a leading ichthyologist i know,

Thanks for all of your advice,

Mike
 
Discus and marines are the only fish I would say to use RO with

Rays no need for RO
Tigers no need for RO
Not to mention many many other fish that don't need it

RO units are a waste of water you can get good enough water from a good HMA filter for rays and tiger fish not to mention all the other fish

A HMA filter is far cheaper to run than a RO unit and no waste of course shops will tell you to use RO water to sell you the water or the bits needed to run the unit

You can ask you friend about tigers and RO and will tell you yes use RO with all fish but unless he has kept a certain type for fish for over 10 years in tap water it's not fair for him to comment without 1st hand experiance

I also used seachem prime to remove all the stuff you mentioned for years before using a HMA filter and found it just as good as a HMA but shops won't recommend that tap water conditioner because they like to sell and get better deals from selling other brands ask anyone on this forum which tap water conditioner is best and most will tell you seachem prime

What's the point in taking all that stuff out of tap water only to have to put stuff back in then dump waste water down the drain

Tigers are in general a strong and hardy fish yes thin bars (the type you have) are a bit more sensitive than others but they do not need RO or salt that's for sure

Also what foods are you feeding your probably going to say prawns mussel and other sea food get them on pellets ASAP it's much better for them as one thing I noticed was the less sea foods you feed the less they scratch rub themselves

I can't say I know anyone keeping their tiger fish in RO

I have been keeping tiger fish for over 10 years and grown my current big ST from 2 inch to 20 inch + without a drop of RO water he has never had a lump in it's life

What is the gh and kh in your tank

You say you are using the marine salt to help heal wounds what wounds do you get ?
 
T1KARMANN;4896184; said:
Discus and marines are the only fish I would say to use RO with

What's the point in taking all that stuff out of tap water only to have to put stuff back in then dump waste water down the drain
This is the problem I have always had with these systems and why I never got into them.
 
Hi T1karmann,

thanks so much for your advice regarding Ro water. i have never been happy about using it because of the waste, so its good to know there is an alternative. I have also never been too happy using marine salt - even in low doses. Apparently i will be able to adapt my RO unit easily and cheaply to work like a HMA filter. I WILL be switching over this weekend. I firmly believe that the key to good husbandry of any animal is to try to re-create naturalistic conditions as much as possible. Marine salt and 'stripped' water aren't natural, so i am happy with your advice. As for feeding they meainly eat captive bred earth worms, occasional bloodworm, and very rarely the odd catfish, or hikari gold cichlid pellets. Very rarely the odd prawn. i am struggling to wean them on to other foods.

Thanks so much for the good advice,

Cheers,

Mike
 
I got my 11" Thinbar in Aug 2009-it was just under 3" at the time. A while back it developed a lump similar to yours by its gill plate. Kept growing and growing.
I eventually got a sterile 25G needle from work (I work as a Physio and part of my role entails administering cortisone injections) and lanced/aspirated the growth. Its been fine since and if it happens again I won't hesitate to repeat the procedure.

Of note was that I had a NGT (which I'd had for more than 18 months) which had the same growth a while before the Thinbar did. Despite quarantining the NGT and treating it I lost the fish
 
Hi,

thats interesting. I appreciate you taking the time to tel me about your experience. I am awaiting PM results, which will hopefully reveal more info.

Cheers,

Mike
 
you don't have to use RO water for wc's, instead you could use the waste water. I collect my waste water in a plastic barrel and use that for wc's. If you look at the lines coming from your RO unit, the waste water usually goes through all the particle filtration and is the result from the water not passing through the taste filter to your RO water tank. I use a 4 stage filter so this may be different from other units. Anways I havent had any problems using waste water and it's been about 1 year since I've used it. So drink your RO water and use your waste water instead.
 
Hi,

Thanks for that. You have just outlined my next move!!! I am currently in the process of re-configuring my RO unit to do just that!!

Cheers,

Mike
 
Hi Ade,

No not yet. The plot thickens!!! The guy examining my last poor fishy is one of U.K.'s leading Ichthyologists. I sent him all of the info from the website you told me to look at. Her was very concerned by what he had read because it suggested a bacterial infection that can lead to the development of Epizootic ulcerative syndrome, which is an awful illness which hasn't made it to the U.K. yet. The government are on the look out for it, and it is a notefiable disease. Which means that if it is found in the U.K./in the dead fish then things could get very nasty indeed for me. However, what my tigers have doesn't appear to be EUS, and my Ichthyologist contact doesn't think it is EUS either - here's hoping!!! The good news is as follows; my contact HAS to perform a full histological study in order to rule out EUS, so it is very likely that he will be able to identify the pathogen/s involved. He is exceptionally knowledgeable and he will be able to tell me if it is possible to treat the pathogen, and hence cure the fish. I am intending to write/publish an article on this at some point, and may do so with my esteemed colleague. it is so important that any findings are shared amongst everyone with an interest in fish. I will of course keep posting on here as we learn more,

Cheers,

Mike
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com