Infection on West African Lungfish

[Lupin]

You don't have to rinse the fish with clean water right after applying topical. You can put it straight to the tank. Can you get Biobandage at all? How about Jungle Fungus Clear or Kanaplex just in case? Not suspecting fungus. The JFC is still useful with possible bacterial infections.

 

[Wiggles92]

You don't have to rinse the fish with clean water right after applying topical. You can put it straight to the tank. Can you get Biobandage at all? How about Jungle Fungus Clear or Kanaplex just in case? Not suspecting fungus. The JFC is still useful with possible bacterial infections.

I'll check at the local LFS for those items the next time that I can make it there.

 

[Wiggles92]

The lungfish keeps covering the infection with a thick layer of slime. Will this be problematic for when I apply the Biobandage or will this make it so that Biobandage is unnecessary?

 

[calioutlaw1a]

Is your tank decorated? With what? Only injuries and parasitic infestations can initiate a bacterial infection.

What? There are a plethora of causes of bacterial infections. Essentially anything that causes stress or reduces the immune system can result in infection.

Any ideas as to what I could substitute for Biobandage? I got the hydrogen peroxide and a Betadine equivalent, so I just need something to seal up the affected area. Could I use the liquid bandage stuff that is used for people?

SeaChem StressGuard binds exposed proteins in wounds. Vaseline also works.

Well, when I went to pull the lungfish out of its aquarium, I noticed that it had developed some sort of fuzz (fungal ?) on the infected (?) area and the affected area had become inflamed and raised up.

The "fuzz" is likely necrotic tissue sloughing from the site.

So here's what I did:

1. I dried off the affected area plus some of the area around it.
2. I removed the fuzz without taking pieces of the lungfish with it.
3. I applied hydrogen peroxide solution (standard 3% solution) to the affected area and the surrounding area.
4. I rinsed the lungfish with clean water.
5. I applied Mercuroclear (Rite Aid lacked Betadine or any other iodine-based disinfectant; this stuff said it was an alternative to using iodine) to the affected area and the surrounding area.
6. I rinsed the lungfish with clean water.
7. I placed the lungfish in its hospital aquarium that contained clean water.

Does this treatment sound alright to you?

You did a good job. Just be sure that you don't remove newly forming tissue (I'm sure you were as gentle as possible). Stick with one antiseptic, and you don't need to rinse the fish after application.

It looks like it's healing. As long as he is eating well and behaving normally, all is well.

 

[calioutlaw1a]

The lungfish keeps covering the infection with a thick layer of slime. Will this be problematic for when I apply the Biobandage or will this make it so that Biobandage is unnecessary?

He is eating well, acting normally, and you have already cleaned and treated the wound which is healing. At this point I think you should hold off on the biobandage, as this will only disturb the wound, and go with a tank treatment like KanaPlex as Lupin suggested. Since he is eating you may also blend the medication with his food.

Just make sure you have pristine water conditions.

 

[Wiggles92]

Alright, sounds good. Should I reapply either or both of the treatments (peroxide and Mercuroclear) before I head to bed for the night?

 

[calioutlaw1a]

Alright, sounds good. Should I reapply either or both of the treatments (peroxide and Mercuroclear) before I head to bed for the night?

Again I would hold off on topical treatment for now. The wound is looking good, so you don't want to make it angry and disturb the progress that has already been made. Also, less handling = less stress. Just pick up some KanaPlex or something similar so you can kill bacteria without having to handle the fish and constantly disrupt the wound. Some SeaChem StressGuard could be used as well acting as a bandaid, without having to handle the fish.

 

[Wiggles92]

Sounds like a plan. I'm glad that the fish is recovering faster than I expected.

 

[calioutlaw1a]

Yeah, you are doing great, and so is the lungfish! Keep us updated with pictures.

 

[E_americanus]

hey ryan, sorry i got to this thread late - apologies if this is outdated advice, but here is what i would do, and what has worked in the past for me with lungfishes and similar infection/damage:

- i would bump up the temp to 82F, and you could also add some salt (1 tbsp per 10g water) - basic primitive fish first run treatments.

- keep an eye on the infection, if it doesn't get better then go with the treatment below:

- do the heat and salt treatment, but also take the lungfish out and literally gob neosporin on the infected area. you have to use a good amount (only on the infected area) so at least some will stay on/get to the wound. i have used this on several occasions and it helped every time. this was advice from an LFS i trust from years back. no need for fancier more expensive "fish-specific" treatments that many LFS try to sell.

i would also increase water changes to 50% with each water change, and while the lungfish is still sick (i.e. for now), i would do 50% every other day. lungfishes are quite resilient when it comes to water quality, so large water changes (slight shifts in chemistry) will be ok.

keep this up and the lungfish should be fine. i would also replace the triceratops skull with a regular heater guard...even my big aethiopicus has scraped himself badly on random tank decor.

good luck, and keep us posted on his progress--
--solomon