Possible Parasite?

[RD.]

FH are genetically weak fish, which is exactly why I no longer keep them. As to how best to proceed - your guess is as good as mine. Not all cases of prolapse will heal, some never will. If it was my fish, I would keep adding magnesium sulphate to the water, and his feed, but that's just me.

There is a TON of information posted here on MFK regarding the treatment of sick FH, some methods may work for your fish, some may not. Some medications may be available to you, some may not. No telling with any real certainty what your fish is dealing with, short of a smear/scraping, a quality microscope, and someone that knows what they are looking for, such as a qualified DVM.

Good luck

 

[hey_wood1981]

FH are genetically weak fish……

Good luck

Sounds like a plan. I’ll continue with the salt method, and do some digging around on here. I’ll see if the more frequent/less volume water changes makes a difference. I’m going to switch up my filter output and see if that helps reduce stress. A lot of FH setups I see tend to have low flow water current. I’m going to run a regular output the length of the tank, skimming the surface instead of the long spray bar, which creates quite a current, even with the canister output flow throttled back.

Is there a way to find a quality flowerhorn that’s been bred in a manner which would likely result in better long term health?

Thanks for all the guidance RD.

 

[RD.]

IMO & IME with flowerhorn fish, water changes, and the potential stress of same, really boils down to how different or same, the parameters are going out, as coming in. As an example, my tap water so closely resembles what I am removing, that even a 100% water change daily would not be an issue. Possibly with a sick fish it would bring on elevated stress levels, but otherwise never an issue. I always did massive water changes with every FH that I grew out. I also had high current filters, old school AC 500's, what are now sold as AC 110's. On my 90 gallon I ran two AC's, on my 6ft 125's, I ran three, and still do. Not a problem.

I never bought into a fraction of what FH fanatics had to say regarding tank temps, color of backgrounds, food, etc-etc. Most of it was/is just hobbyist hyperbole based on zero facts. Flowerhorn are cichlids, made up from some of the most bulletproof cichlids in the hobby - the problem is that while breeders selectively bred for looks, just like with other designer fish, such as designer discus, they didn't focus on overall health, or longevity genetics. These fish became a beauty contest, plain & simple, and if they die within the first 3 or 4 years, more $$$$ in sales for the people that breed & sell them.

Unfortunately, the only FH that are more stable, and hardy, are the ones that look like trimac throwbacks, and are usually frowned upon by most FH keepers, as well as cichlid keepers, alike. If that's what a person is looking for, they might as well just get a nice midas, or trimac, from a reputable vendor. That's exactly what I did, and not a single issue in that fish that is now going on 10 yrs of age. He will probably live longer than all of my FH put together.

 

[hey_wood1981]

Okay. I’m going to give the best possible care to this guy. I’m going to make a gradual change to NLS, and am looking at ordering some from Amazon as no where near me sells it.

Now, I want the pellet to be smaller than the medium Hikari blood red parrot+ that I’m currently feeding. I also want it to be floating since that’s what he’s used to. I suspect that the medium pellet might be harder on the digestive tract. Today, he ate 6 pellets in one gulp and seemed uncomfortable for a while.

The NLS floating has a different label than the sinking cichlid. It looked like it has a Marine fish on the label. Is this the one I should get? Is the medium smaller than Hikari pellets?

 

[TexasRanger]

my 4 inch love this ,you can get at petco . No need to wait .

I note feed him with small pellet let him eat faster and none coming out his gill . When I feed him bigger pellet . He break down into small peice and most come out his gill .

 

[hey_wood1981]

my 4 inch love this ,you can get at petco . No need to wait .

I note feed him with small pellet let him eat faster and none coming out his gill . When I feed him bigger pellet . He break down into small peice and most come out his gill .View attachment 1486432

The closest petco is a little over an hour away, and the local PetSmart doesn’t carry it.

I’m also looking for the floating pellet.

 

[RD.]

I have no idea regarding NLS floating sizes. Might be best to ask in the general folder here on MFK.

 

[hey_wood1981]

I tested my water after 8 days - I missed a day due to life.
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 20 ppm

For the prolapsed anus, I fasted him for ~48 hrs, and it appears it’s shrinking in size. As you can see in the pics I’ve already posted, it’s white. After digging through some threads it would seem that it’s fungus, and it could shed?
Do water changes make a difference when the parameters are in check?
I’ve read to do small changes every two days for the prolapse.

He has some minor wounds/scrapes on his body, after digging a big pit in the corner where I have anubias attached to dragon stone that I’ll be removing with tonight’s water change.

I ordered some Melafix for the wounds, and thought maybe it’ll help with the fungus on the anus?

I’m going to feed him a few pellets so he doesn’t become weak due to vitamin deficiency. I also don’t want him to get to the point where he won’t accept food. This is frustrating.

 

[hey_wood1981]

Figured out a main cause of stress. It’s the water from the tap. There’s large amounts of dissolved gasses that have gotten worse thanks to the winter months. So much that it clouds the tank when filling. This would explain the shedding of his slime coat, him not liking water changes, getting darker when the tank is refilling, and the flashing that follows.

The big question, now what?

 

[Bbuckley]

Figured out a main cause of stress. It’s the water from the tap. There’s large amounts of dissolved gasses that have gotten worse thanks to the winter months. So much that it clouds the tank when filling. This would explain the shedding of his slime coat, him not liking water changes, getting darker when the tank is refilling, and the flashing that follows.

The big question, now what?

Instead of filling straight to the tank fill a bucket and allow the water to sit for a bit to let the gasses escape. Than use a small pump attached to a hose to pump the water in.