Emergency: help needed with swelling on disk

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

Guys I really just have no clue what to make of this. Here's a better pic from tonight.

It's not very swollen, it doesn't look painful, it doesn't effect his behavior or appetite in any way. I'm honestly not even sure what else to do at this point. Up the temp? Salt? Tank is at 79°F

None of his 3 angelfish tank mates seem off or effected by anything.

I'm at a loss here and worried I'm going to wake up to a dead fish. A very expensive dead fish.

 

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

Decided there must be some type of secondary fungal or bacterial infection going on here.

My plan tomorrow is to bump the temp up a few degrees, add about 4.5lbs of salt (150 gallon grow out tank), and dose with Melafix and Pimafix.

Hoping that helps.

 

[cigars]

Keep up with the clean water, if the appetite is still good thats always a good sign.

 

[TwoHedWlf]

Decided there must be some type of secondary fungal or bacterial infection going on here.

My plan tomorrow is to bump the temp up a few degrees, add about 4.5lbs of salt (150 gallon grow out tank), and dose with Melafix and Pimafix.

Hoping that helps.

If it's fungal or bacterial wouldn't you want to drop the temp to slow its growth?

 

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

Keep up with the clean water, if the appetite is still good thats always a good sign.

Will do

 

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

If it's fungal or bacterial wouldn't you want to drop the temp to slow its growth?

In my experience this is a bit of a double edged sword. Increased temps may increase growth but they also help the fish to recovers bit better.

 

[Ray-z]

If it's fungal or bacterial wouldn't you want to drop the temp to slow its growth?

Actually I think it’s the opposite, I may be wrong but I thought the reason you raise the temp is because actually bacteria is quite delicate and it can’t handle temperatures as high as what fish can. Raising the temp helps the fish heal and also kills off the bacteria(or part of it). Somebody please correct me if I’m wrong..

If the fish is still eating I’d be confident he’ll survive but if the wound is getting worse you definitely need to do something. I would raise temp for sure. 79 is ok but I would bump it up a bit. Make sure there’s loads of oxygen and surface agitation and keep the water spotlessly clean. Keep us posted

 

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

Actually I think it’s the opposite, I may be wrong but I thought the reason you raise the temp is because actually bacteria is quite delicate and it can’t handle temperatures as high as what fish can. Raising the temp helps the fish heal and also kills off the bacteria(or part of it). Somebody please correct me if I’m wrong..

If the fish is still eating I’d be confident he’ll survive but if the wound is getting worse you definitely need to do something. I would raise temp for sure. 79 is ok but I would bump it up a bit. Make sure there’s loads of oxygen and surface agitation and keep the water spotlessly clean. Keep us posted

Definitely will do.

Today was day two of the Pima/Mela/Salt treatment.

Parameters look good, plenty of surface agitation and water movement between my ph, output, and airstones.

His appetite seemed a bit stronger today.

Blotch seems a bit better but it's hard to say after only a day. I've been taking pictures each day.

I plan on treating for the suggested 7 days. If that doesn't work or if it's not quite gone I'll do a big water change and repeat treatment with a bit stronger dosage of Pima/Mela as suggested on the bottle.

 

[Dieselhybrid]

The belly is pink. Are you confident you don't have lingering ammonia or nitrite issues? Are you testing and tracking that daily?

I have never seen this before. It is getting larger which is of concern. If it is a fungal/bacterial infection, You'll likely need to treat with something stronger than pimafix and melafix. It's hard to advise that at this point, can you ensure that your water quality is consistent?

 

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

The belly is pink. Are you confident you don't have lingering ammonia or nitrite issues? Are you testing and tracking that daily?

I have never seen this before. It is getting larger which is of concern. If it is a fungal/bacterial infection, You'll likely need to treat with something stronger than pimafix and melafix. It's hard to advise that at this point, can you ensure that your water quality is consistent?

I'm positive my water quality has been good. I've been keeping up with water changes, tracking parameters before and after, and treating daily with prime just to be safe, and removing any type of waste or debris in the tank.

His belly really only seems to be pink when I have the flash from my phone on or when a brighter light is shining on him. I was very concerned about it at first but it's a very faint pink. It's not red or inflamed like I've seen on rays with ammonia burns or irritation from sediment.

I'll do some more research into different medications/treatments. I want to see this one through though for sure. Hopefully (fingers crossed) this does the trick. What's really throwing me off is that he behaves as if nothing is wrong. He's active, alert, begs for food, glass/current surfs, eats plenty (despite being a little picky), everything you would expect from a happy healthy ray.