Severum with some serious issues

[pdbrady]

Over the past few days my big male severum has been hanging out vertically in the upper corner of the tank. I thought maybe it was the rambunctious tankmates finally getting to him (though they've been together for some time, but they are growing and getting feistier). So I moved him to my calmer 125. For the few days he's been there, he's done nothing but sit vertically on the bottom, with the only movement being fins, and mainly only pectoral. He hasn't eaten over this period. Today I come home to find what looks like fungus on the edges of his fins, with one pelvic being pretty bad. What am I dealing with? It seems as though what appears to be fungus (whether it is or not) is only a secondary issue, but I have no idea what to make of it. No meds have been used to now, as I thought he was only stressed in the beginning. I've been leaning toward swim bladder, but I need some more input. I don't want to lose this guy, but I don't want him to slowly suffer either.

 

[pdbrady]

Wow......nothing? Could a mod please move this to central/south americans? Maybe someone will have some input there....?

I've got him on pima- and melafix right now, but I don't know past that. He just acts like he's partially paralyzed. The more I watch him, the whole swim bladder thought is all but gone. I am at a loss.

 

[Lupin]

I'm sorry for the lack of response here, Pdbrady.

What are the water parameters? Do you have photos of the affected areas? Fungal infections are hard to come by especially on the fins. I do not believe what you are looking at, is fungal infection but most likely bacterial infection. Assuming we are dealing with this kind of issue, what you must do is isolate the fish already and don't let his tankmates pick on him constantly.

I do not think this is buoyancy issue to me. If anything, he may actually be going for the worse with constant harassments already stressing him to the point he may not have the will to live. I'd give him a break and get him out of the tank. Once isolated, keep up with the water changes and encourage him to eat. Garlic can be added to its foods to encourage it.

 

[pdbrady]

I'm sorry for the lack of response here, Pdbrady.

What are the water parameters? Do you have photos of the affected areas? Fungal infections are hard to come by especially on the fins. I do not believe what you are looking at, is fungal infection but most likely bacterial infection. Assuming we are dealing with this kind of issue, what you must do is isolate the fish already and don't let his tankmates pick on him constantly.

I do not think this is buoyancy issue to me. If anything, he may actually be going for the worse with constant harassments already stressing him to the point he may not have the will to live. I'd give him a break and get him out of the tank. Once isolated, keep up with the water changes and encourage him to eat. Garlic can be added to its foods to encourage it.

I know it's not fungal, I just didn't worry about updating this with the overload of responses lol. He's out of that tank, and meds are the same with improvement in the cosmetics, so it definitely wasn't fungal. I know fungus is very few and far between, but this one just looked weird. He's still very much awkward in his swimming and the way he holds himself, so that one has me stumped. He just drags his back end everywhere. Still not really wanting to eat. He'll reach for foods that might drop by him, but he just sits and stares at anything on the top or floating at a distance, like he just can't get up to it. So I really don't know.