- Have you tested your water?
- Yes
- If I did not test my water...
- ...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.
- Do you do water changes?
- Yes
- If I do not change my water...
- ...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.
I mentioned in a recent thread that my RTGG injured himself, possibly on driftwood or rock. He lost a couple of scales but he's done this before. Usually he heals pretty quick and all's well after a few days, no medication needed.
But not this time!!
His latest injury has got gradually worse, not helped by my bala sharks picking at the wound. More surrounding scales have become dislodged and it looks quite a mess now. I started a 3 day treatment of Melafix on Wednesday. The idea, I believe, is to treat for three consecutive days and then do a water change on the fourth. So I treated Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and this morning was my usual water change day.
The wound currently, see pic below, looks quite bad. Though it is looking a little less angry than it did before the treatment started, so I'm confident he will gradually mend.
I believe the idea with the Melafix is to carry on treatment as required, not just the three days. Obviously I'm going to have to do a lot more than just the three days thus far, so I've bought TWO more 1890ml bottles of Melafix. Those two, at the dosage required will give me 22 days treatment.
I very rarely use medicines, I hate introducing chemicals into my tank, so this really is unknown territory for me.
I have to treat him where he is, I don't have a smaller hospital tank. My main concern is that, as long as the other fish keep picking at him, this wound is never going to heal, and Melafix is damn expensive!!
I feel all I can do at the moment is blocks of three day treatment, then water change, and continue until these two large bottles of Melafix run out (about 3 weeks). I'll further assess his situation in three weeks, and hopefully I'll have some positive news.
In the meantime, have any of you guys better versed in medicating tanks got any pointers, any tricks of the trade as it were?
Below is a pic of the wound taken this morning. The white area is where scales are missing completely, usually these grow back pretty quick. The reddish area, I reckon, is where more scales may come away, I don't know at this point. And the darker area is where the healthy scales are.
But not this time!!
His latest injury has got gradually worse, not helped by my bala sharks picking at the wound. More surrounding scales have become dislodged and it looks quite a mess now. I started a 3 day treatment of Melafix on Wednesday. The idea, I believe, is to treat for three consecutive days and then do a water change on the fourth. So I treated Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and this morning was my usual water change day.
The wound currently, see pic below, looks quite bad. Though it is looking a little less angry than it did before the treatment started, so I'm confident he will gradually mend.
I believe the idea with the Melafix is to carry on treatment as required, not just the three days. Obviously I'm going to have to do a lot more than just the three days thus far, so I've bought TWO more 1890ml bottles of Melafix. Those two, at the dosage required will give me 22 days treatment.
I very rarely use medicines, I hate introducing chemicals into my tank, so this really is unknown territory for me.
I have to treat him where he is, I don't have a smaller hospital tank. My main concern is that, as long as the other fish keep picking at him, this wound is never going to heal, and Melafix is damn expensive!!
I feel all I can do at the moment is blocks of three day treatment, then water change, and continue until these two large bottles of Melafix run out (about 3 weeks). I'll further assess his situation in three weeks, and hopefully I'll have some positive news.
In the meantime, have any of you guys better versed in medicating tanks got any pointers, any tricks of the trade as it were?
Below is a pic of the wound taken this morning. The white area is where scales are missing completely, usually these grow back pretty quick. The reddish area, I reckon, is where more scales may come away, I don't know at this point. And the darker area is where the healthy scales are.
