my big orino just DIED
- Thread starter dvsgp6
- Start date
Sounds like an internal parasite problem. I had my share of the same problem (banging, splashing, & wild fast runs in the tank that knocked the fish unconscious for a second or two), but came up short when trying to medicate my prized fish.. You may want to use a preventative as soon as possible, such as Prazi-pro made by hikari. which is effective for internal and external parasite's.
SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS... DON'T LET IT GET YOU DOWN... GROW ANOTHER. =-)
SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS... DON'T LET IT GET YOU DOWN... GROW ANOTHER. =-)
PROMETHEUS23;4438152; said:
PraziPro is really only effective on flukes and tapeworm. I've used it many times on discus, mostly to get rid gill flukes on wild fish. To effectively "deworm" a fish, Levamisol (which is sold as a pig wormer) is as good as it gets. Levamisol is also sold under the name of Vermisol for use on birds, but it's the same chemical. It's an old standby by hard core discus breeders and some public aquariums alike. It can be hard to find these days, but it's deadly to internal parasites of all kinds. Fish treated with Levamisol are generally total clean of parasites in 2 to 3 days. Fish can also get spooked while they are resting by another fish, or even a pet or person walking by the tank, and freak out. It's actually pretty common, and they do sometimes die from internal injuries caused by the thrashing. I've seen it happen to many species of fish over the years, not just cichla. Sorry about your loss. It's always frustrating to lose a prized fish.
They are dozens parasites that live in fish. Spironucleus , Hexamita, Turbellarians, Flatworms, and many more. Once a person sees some of these things under a microscope, they will never even think about eating sushi again! Little monsters for sure.
As of five years ago, when I first encountered a case of Hexamita, I was aware that it was a flagellated protozoan that would respond to Flagyl (metronidazole) but was unsure of much else. Now, with the hard work of the aquarium community I can offer a consensus for treatment that works most of the time. We have narrowed the species of Hexamita to two: H. salmonis and H. truttae. Both respond to a 25mg/gallon suspension of Flsgyl. Because of the different stages in the life cycle of the parasite, it is necessary to treat for 5 days, as like when treating Ick, only 1 stage of the life cycle is killed by Flagyl.
The following workers in the field recommend the 25mg/gallon dose which I also endorse: Monsterfishkkeepers.com, FishChannel.com, Simplydiscus.com, Wet Web Media.com, About Fish Online, and Aquatic Community. I suspect there are numerous others. I believe the 10 mg/gallon dose to be prophylactic but not enough to cure. As much as 40 mg/gallon can be used in a life or death case, but the drug does become renal toxic at excessive dosage.
The one controvery about water treatment id whether Flagyl in suspension stays in the water long enough for advanced cases to be cured. Some people say the concentration decreases after 6-8 hours. Others maintain it not absorbed. Most experts agress it is absorbed through the gills. Those who don't, about half who do , including myself, recommend oral administration as well. Unfortunately, putting it in a pea and trying to get an anorexic fish to swallow it often doesn't work.. I have come up with an alternate method of drug delivery. Take a 6 inch strip of plain aquarium tubing and put a dot of peanut butter on one end to seal. Measure out approximately !% Flagyl in accordance to the fish body weight, and suspend this a very small amount of water and add to the tube with an eyedropper. Secure the fish and stick the peanut butter end well down its throat and blow the antibiotic in. Repeat for 5 days. This delivery system essentially prevents anorexic fish from throwing up the medication. In ending, I should mention National Fish Pharmaceutical's formula for bulk food, which is 1 teapoon metronidazole powder per pound of food. I am unaware of a shelf life for such a product but assume what is not used in a week should be frozen.
The following workers in the field recommend the 25mg/gallon dose which I also endorse: Monsterfishkkeepers.com, FishChannel.com, Simplydiscus.com, Wet Web Media.com, About Fish Online, and Aquatic Community. I suspect there are numerous others. I believe the 10 mg/gallon dose to be prophylactic but not enough to cure. As much as 40 mg/gallon can be used in a life or death case, but the drug does become renal toxic at excessive dosage.
The one controvery about water treatment id whether Flagyl in suspension stays in the water long enough for advanced cases to be cured. Some people say the concentration decreases after 6-8 hours. Others maintain it not absorbed. Most experts agress it is absorbed through the gills. Those who don't, about half who do , including myself, recommend oral administration as well. Unfortunately, putting it in a pea and trying to get an anorexic fish to swallow it often doesn't work.. I have come up with an alternate method of drug delivery. Take a 6 inch strip of plain aquarium tubing and put a dot of peanut butter on one end to seal. Measure out approximately !% Flagyl in accordance to the fish body weight, and suspend this a very small amount of water and add to the tube with an eyedropper. Secure the fish and stick the peanut butter end well down its throat and blow the antibiotic in. Repeat for 5 days. This delivery system essentially prevents anorexic fish from throwing up the medication. In ending, I should mention National Fish Pharmaceutical's formula for bulk food, which is 1 teapoon metronidazole powder per pound of food. I am unaware of a shelf life for such a product but assume what is not used in a week should be frozen.
Addendum- The one per cent flagyl solution is based on food. For tube feeding, the variable is the fish's body weight. The solution is made by suspending one 250mg dose in 25 grams (1 ounce roughly) of water, instead of food. Based on the fish's size you have to estimate what would be 1 day's feeding. For a large Flowerhorn such as I am treating (over 1 pound) 7-8 grams of food a day is a respectable serving, so the fish is getting a sizeable dose of medication. For fish who do not appear terminal, the optimum tube feed dose is 50 mg/kg. of body weigjht. While tube feeding is effective, it should not be done on a regularl basis. Kidney damage will occur, but in a majority of fish the Hexamita will be cured in one session of a few tays tube feeding. I have seen recommedations of oral feeding for up to 10 days, but other authorities say to stop at 5, and I am inclined to agree.
