Sick Flowerhorn (Advice needed)

[yoshm0]

Hi guys,

Need some medical advice for my flowerhorn, “Big Nose”. Like most flowerhorns, Big Nose always greets anybody that gets close to the tank. Lately he’s super lethargic and doesn’t eat much. I also noticed that he would swim fast and quickly turn to his side and scrape the side of his body on the gravel or do quick swipes to rub himself on the heater. I assume he’s got some type of parasite on him? Another weird symptom is that he would swim to the top of the tank and then swim back down towards the bottom, but once he would get close to the bottom, it appears as he would just drop. Like his body was too heavy for him to gently and slowly land on the gravel.?. He also was losing his color. Then Big Nose got the dreaded white poop.

Assuming Hex, I treated Big Nose for 5 days with Clear. During treatment, every day I was changing about 40% of the water.

Normally, all I feed him is pellets. Hikari Bio Gold, Okiko combinations, and Ocean Free combinations of pellets. He wanted nothing to do with the pellets. Worried about him not eating, I bought him some live ghost shrimp. Never saw him eat one, but did notice the next day he was getting some of his color back. He got a little more active, but he’s still lethargic. Also, again, it’s as if his body is too heavy for him to carry. He’ll swim, then slowly drop to the bottom of the tank like a sinking rock. Once in while I still see him scrape his body on the gravel again.

Aquarium Specifics:

• 75 Gallon Tank
• Fluval FX6
• Fluval 303 to Coralife Turbo Twist 12x UV Sterilizer
• Temp: 82f
• Water quality tested and all good
• Typically, 30% weekly water changes ( I have a 20 gallon tank reserved for water changes. I add aquarium salt (2 tablespoons), Seachem Prime water conditioner and heat up to approx. 80 degrees F.)

Not sure what to do. Assumed my Coralife UV Sterilizer would kill any floating parasites? Apparently not.

Any help on treatment would be much appreciated!

Please help Big Nose!

Thanks in advance!

 

[HybridFinatic]

The rubbing against he rocks and heater is definitely a sign of parasites. Could also be bloat. I know okiko has way too much protein in their pellets and that could definitely cause some digestive issues. Personally I stay away from okiko/ocean free and some other flowerhorn specific pellets because alot of them have hormones and too many color enhances. This greatly lowers the lifespan of your fish and can cause health problems. I tend to stick to bio gold, New life spectrum, and omega one. Those all have the best ingredients for the health of your fish. Flowerhorn specific foods are all marketing.

 

[yoshm0]

Fish is still sick. Still need advice.
Not close to being dead, but not anywhere near normal.

Medications administered so far:
1) Clear for 5 days
2) API General Cure for 2 days
3) Melafix + Pimafix for 7 days

All 3 medicines mentioned above were not administered together. Each of them were administered solely during the recommended instructions. None of them seem to have made a difference and I’m not sure what to use now.

His Kok is depressed on both sides, like an indent on both sides of his head.

For the most part, his body is resting on the gravel, and on occasion he starts swaying it side to side. Unfortunately this swaying is ripping up the bottom portion of his body and fins on the gravel, which is why I used the Pimafix/Melafix combo to help fix the wounds.

Note, all medication sessions happened in a bare bottom 20 Gal hospital tank.

His stomach area looks sort of flabby, but it’s because it’s empty and skinny from lack of food. He’s eating a very small amount of pellets everyday. I have to coax him up from the bottom by using my fingers on the glass for him to chase it up to the top where the pellets are floating. He’ll take one gulp and sink back down to the gravel. When he sinks back down, his body sort of bounces off the gravel cause I assume he can’t control a more graceful landing.

I’ve read through a bunch of the threads on treating Flowerhorn sicknesses, but am hoping someone can provide specific guidance on what I should do now based on what I’ve already administered.

Yesterday, I went to my local fish store and he recommended soaking pellets using a combination of MetroPlex, Focus, and Garlic Xtreme. Haven’t done it yet.

Wanted to reach out to this forum for advice prior to performing this last recommendation.

I am attaching some pics of Big Nose so you can see his appearance. Any and all advice is much appreciated. Thank you so much in advance.

 

[kno4te]

The metroplex is a good idea. Usually mix the med with Epsom salt sol (1/2cup water and 3/4 tsp Epsom salt ) and food. Should help. Add some prazipro to the tank. Hope it gets better. Keep the water clean.

 

[yoshm0]

The metroplex is a good idea. Usually mix the med with Epsom salt sol (1/2cup water and 3/4 tsp Epsom salt ) and food. Should help. Add some prazipro to the tank. Hope it gets better. Keep the water clean.

I want to make sure I understand your recommendation. I’ll use the recommended dose of MetroPlex (per 10 gal) and add 3/4 teaspoons of Epsom salt per 10 gallons? Are you suggesting I mix this with the pellets? Seems like I would need to mix in a lot of pellets to soak up 1/2 cup of water.

The pellet with Epsom salt ingredient ratio was something I could not get a clear formula on when reading through all the threads.

Also, how does one measure MGs? I recall someone suggesting to add something by MG. The Clear medication came with a dosing cup that allows you to measure ML. Just not sure how to measure MGs?

Thank you for your recommendation.

 

[squint]

I would look for a vet at this point.

 

[kno4te]

I want to make sure I understand your recommendation. I’ll use the recommended dose of MetroPlex (per 10 gal) and add 3/4 teaspoons of Epsom salt per 10 gallons? Are you suggesting I mix this with the pellets? Seems like I would need to mix in a lot of pellets to soak up 1/2 cup of water.

The pellet with Epsom salt ingredient ratio was something I could not get a clear formula on when reading through all the threads.

Also, how does one measure MGs? I recall someone suggesting to add something by MG. The Clear medication came with a dosing cup that allows you to measure ML. Just not sure how to measure MGs?

Thank you for your recommendation.

Get a scoop of the metroplex and mix with Epsom salt solution. Can add food to it so the fish will eat the medication. Use seachem focus to bind it. Don’t need to use a pellet. Can use bloodworms or something easy to crush and can be mix and blend together.

The metroplex comes with a scoop in the cap. Use one scoop for a daily dose.

Then add some Epsom salt to the tank 1 tbsp per 5g.

Clear usually comes in capsules that has to be opened and mixed with water 1-2ml or 1-2cc depending on size IOC fish. Then given to the fish even with a syringe. But I’d try the metroplex and Epsom salt route.