Please Help An EEL out!

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KCK

KCK

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jul 4, 2010
200
1
18
253, US.
Here is the scoop.
A few weeks ago I got a peacock eel.
He lived in a 5g for a week or so.
Then he lived in a 30g for a week or two.
One day his TAILfin lost all of it's color, and the very tip of the meat was a pale/blood red combination.

I put him in a bucket for a few days, where I was hoping stress coat and salt would do the trick.

His tail has now exploaded into a tailrot-looking cottonball.
Please help I don't know what to do..
Is this tail rot if it's basically a ROUND fleshy torn up ball?
I just put him in the 55g tank because I noticed he was cold,
realised it was a horrible idea when I saw his tail.
and right now hes very very pale and hiding underneath a pleco.

If this disease isn't tail rot, is it highly contagious?

Whats the best way to treat?
All I have on hand is Maracide but I don't know if thats for this situation..
 
Never use salt on a eel they hate it... GL
 
Loves severums;4527016; said:
Never use salt on a eel they hate it... GL
Click to expand...
That may be true for table salt or marine salt (I'm not sure I've never used either), but freshwater aquarium salt is fine, and should definitely be used in this situation imo.
 
Loves severums;4527016; said:
Never use salt on a eel they hate it... GL
Click to expand...

You get this info from the same place that informed you an eel would choke if fed pellets?
 
Not gonna touch the salt issue other then low amounts of salt, used correctly work well for treating many issues. my advise is leave him be.. do not stress him out anymore then you already have. TBH moveing him about so much likely has done more harm then the initial disease. Keep the tank lights off, keep the water quality high. avoid startling him and be careful of tank-mates picking at him. Likely the tail rot started and has developed solidly into a fungal problem. What amounts of salt have you used? what temp is the tank? Hopefully the lil' guy has survived the night. I have personally had great use in treating velvet and other disease with melafix and pima fix and scale-less fish. IN 1/2 Doses. I don't usually reccomend others to use it as it is a very aggressive medication. I keep my filter media in, leave my tanks temp ( raising the temp in conjuction with these meds will dissolve your O'2 levels to dangerous levels, that alone can kill fish) But IME has been the most aggressive, and useful med in treating spiney eels. also depending on what fish are in the system Pimafix is not safe for Labyrinth fish ( ie, gouramis, bettas, gar, arrowana, ect)
 
I avoid salt until needed,
but I use kosher salt.

The eel is really healthy and happy in the community tank and eating out of my hands like it's nobody's business.

His tail 'funk' got chewed off by a black skirt, but I don't really care..

Everything is fine and I don't think he'll die.

Thanks anyways though if this had gotten a little more serious I would medicate heavily, but I think stress coat + salt at least has him happy.
 
KCK;4529750; said:
I avoid salt until needed,
but I use kosher salt.

The eel is really healthy and happy in the community tank and eating out of my hands like it's nobody's business.

His tail 'funk' got chewed off by a black skirt, but I don't really care..

Everything is fine and I don't think he'll die.

Thanks anyways though if this had gotten a little more serious I would medicate heavily, but I think stress coat + salt at least has him happy.
Click to expand...
For future reference, if you ever have to use medication, make sure you aren't using anything with copper in it, and if you have to use copper-based medication, then only use half the recommended dose, but I would recommend only using medication as a last resort when frequent water changes and/or salt haven't fixed the problem.
 
You should try to get a picture.
The eels I have experience with usually have a mix of some sort of internal parasite and a subsequent bacterial infection when they arrive from Asia.
The disease sounds like it may a bacterial infection (true fungal infections are actually uncommon) that has gotten to the point where the cells in the tail area are essentially dead and tissue is exposed.
Alternatively, it could be hemorrhagic septicemia which is actually viral. I have seen it successfully treated with oxylenic acid.
But we really can't help without seeing the fish and a more clear description.
 
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