Problem with a datnoid.

[vaine111]

I have a datnoid that hasn't ate in a few days and has something that looks like dry flaky skin and occasionally breathes heavily. The parameters all check out fine:
nitrate 10ppm
nitrite 0
ammonia 0
ph 7
Sorry forgot the hardness.
This was all done with paper strips so not sure on the accuracy.

I constantlly keep a clean tank. Yesterday I did a 40% WC and I do small WC's occasionally after feedings and always do 25-40% every weekend. Thats not the problem.

I had some smaller datnoids in the tank and as far as I know they developed pop eye. I didn't actually see the eyes enlarged except for 2 of the 4 that died and were in the tank probably for a few hours before I came home from work, so that might have been to due decomposition, the others would just breathe heavier and heavier till they kinda just went limp and went with the flow. All thier bro's and sis's were dieing at the LFS and sure enough I went home and had one dead and one hanging on by a thread. Moved them all immediatlly to my 29g feeder breeder and treated with tetracycline.the other 2 would just breathe heavier and heavier till they kinda just went limp and went with the flow right before they died.

None looked nothing like this. My bigger dat had no prior symptoms and now has grayish circles outlined with this flaky skin. Is that his stress coat? So I figure Its some kind of bacterial infection?

My LFS wants me to come in and get some more tetracycline, and a buddy from work that also works at a LFS told me to also use copper sulfate. Any thoughts or other suggestions?

What about melafex and pimafex(I know I spelt one worng but you know)?

I need help people.. This is my dat that I thought would be there till he died of old age. Help me help him. He's my baby.

 

[vaine111]

bumping erase me

 

[vaine111]

cmon peeps I have 1 hour and 10 minutes till the fish store closes.

 

[bluehairman]

Well, I think it sounds very odd. I've never heard of this, but I don't think it is his slime coat. Slime coat looks more like the slime you see on food after it sits in water for a few days.

It sounds like a bacterial infection, but it could also not be one. It's very hard to say. Treat with what you were suggested and hope it works out

 

[Egon]

Buy all the meds you mentioned, maybe by the time you get back home someone will have an answer for you. Just return the unused meds tomorrow. At least you will have something for tonight!

 

[Egon]

sorry I don't have any experience it this area

 

[vaine111]

Yeah, will do. Not sure which one out of the melafex and pimafex does the bacterial infections but thats the one I'll get, and all else I listed. Anyone suggest a few more while I'm at it?

 

[vaine111]

And thank you.

 

[Lupin]

Vaine, I would insist getting a better test kit which is worth a long term investment than the test strips. Even if in some cases the test strips would prove themselves accurate, it is not all the time this happens and the questions keep hounding you whether the results were accurate or not. Always test with a liquid test kit. If you don't have the money, ask your store to do it for you but make sure they use the API liquid test kit and it has to be at least a year after date of manufacture. Observe how they are testing your water samples.

What filter do you use? Does it create enough surface movements at all?

I am not entirely convinced by your current water tests. If your datnoids suffered cloudy eyes, chances are it's injury, poor water quality (not from the way your maintenance speaks for itself) or improper water conditions particularly low hardness levels. Could you please test for the KH (carbonate hardness) and GH (general hardness)? Your datnoids did not come from the soft acidic waters (which your pH being at neutral is almost close to acidity already). Many fish from hard alkaline to brackish waters suffer as a result of the low hardness levels which they were not completely accustomed to due to the different level in how their osmoregulatory system functions.

Your fish appear to secrete heavy slime coat. The water conditions may not be right for them especially the possible low hardness levels. Please test your tapwater for pH, KH and GH as well so we can see the differences between it and your tank water. I would not rule out the possibility of flagellates occurring. See sticky thread for costia, tetrahymena and chilodonella. Other skin diseases are also probable but without the skin scrape, it would be very difficult to determine the exact problem with the flaky skin.

Dead fish do not get bulging eyes. Their eyes become glazed rather than bulge out of the sockets. If your fish had suffered protrusion of the eyes before, it is either injury, poor water quality or fluid buildup behind the eyes. The last part is very difficult to determine and signals another ongoing problem may be occurring already. If your fish has bulging eyes already, watch out for the protrusion of scales and distended abdomen. That is a classic case of dropsy which only epsom salts can resolve, not any other kind of salt.

You are treating your fish unnecessarily in my opinion. The tetracycline only works well with bacterial infection. Your case does not appear to be bacterial infection to me at all. Copper sulfate will only kill your fish faster than the current issue would. As for Melafix and Pimafix, none will work well with your fish. Melafix works best only for injuries and tattered fins whereas Pimafix works best as prevention of secondary infections such as finrot and saprolegnia infections when a fish is injured. If you plan to buy either of the two or both, you are only wasting your time here.

 

[vaine111]

Thanks for that lupin.

Well I diidn't get the copper sulfate cause it's not for bacterial infections and the LFS owner(which is very trustworthy) gave me enough tetracycline for a 2 day treatment. I think it's a teaspoon for every 10 gallons. He put it in 2 bags, one for today and one for tomorrow, then let the meds take full effect on the 3rd day then a 50% WC on the 4th. I asked about melafex and he said it would be ok to use it along with the tetracycline even though he feels I don't need it.

The water here in detroit is one of the best places for water for aquarium use. It is hard, always 6.8-7.0 pH. Can't remember what the test was cause it was the same color it always is(sorry don't remember the exact reading). As for a better test I don't know if it's pointless to do one tomorrow with the meds that I have already put in the tank but I'll call the LFS tomorrow about it.

I use a marineland c530 and also a marineland 400. I last cleaned out the 530 about 2 weeks ago as I always do monthlly. took everything out, rinsed the ceramic, and bioballs with tank water and gave the sponges a good rinsing. I have the 400 shut off right now but the 530 should be plenty for the 120. The spout points slightlly upward to make sure I have enough aggitation along with a air wand that is 24" at the end of the tank with no filter.

I do not use carbon.

When I returned home from the LFS his eyes were bulging and his mouth was wide open. I added the 1st days tetracycline and dosed the whole tank(120g) with melafex(LFS said if I see the fish acting funny do a WC). As soon as the medicine hit him he started moving his mouth alot like he was chewing on some food. And about a half hour later the eyes went down substantially, he isn't breathing AS hard, and he went back to his normal stable coloring.

Here's some pics I just took. the first two are when he really looked bad(eyes) and the others are when he started looking better. I know it's probably. As for that I don't know what else to do.