Very Sick Flowerhorn! Help!
- Thread starter yoyopeter
- Start date
I just thought about something here....
Why did you take the fish to your home instead of just making the changes needed in the tank he was already in?
Gradual water changes, with meds would have been less stressful.
Why did you take the fish to your home instead of just making the changes needed in the tank he was already in?
Gradual water changes, with meds would have been less stressful.
mshill90;4856797; said:
As I had posted, this is my girlfriend's dad's fish. He is unable to care for the fish properly. He has inadequate filtration for the fish and he does not do water changes. Why come over everyday when I can just bring it home where I have an extra hospital tank?
yoyopeter;4856872; said:
Like I posted, it would have been less stressful on the fish..
You may have just signed his death cert... He's holding on, but with it not looking like it's getting better you need to think about how much the fish is suffering, and if it's worth it.
Heat generally isn't good for bacterial infections, in some cases it just speeds up growth of bacteria. Salt doesn't do much either...
How old is the poor fella ? In general flowerhorns life spans are pretty short . Most of the info i have gathered on the net life span is about 5 years give or take. Having said that i have suffered through a few fish in that state (laying on its side curled up ) and the prognosis was never good for me . It sounds like your doing a pretty good job though you did the right thing.
Did you actually do this in your experience? Combine Quick Cure and salt together? The combination is horrible. Formalin-based meds should never be combined with salt. When combined, they can quickly kill your fish in the process.samplexample;4850666; said:
Let's take this slow! Some of you are not trying to analyze the issue further.
This fish has fin rot. The fraying edges alone would indicate bacterial infection. Aclockworkorange is quite correct in this case that high temperature is NOT appropriate. Bacterial infections do progress much faster when the temperature is high. An ideal temp range at this point would be 76-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Salt (at a teaspoon per gallon and additional set in the next 12 hours) will keep bacteria at bay but that's all it will manage at this point. Hopefully, there will be enough time to allow the fins to regrow before the bacteria can do further damage on the fins and any open areas.
We're seeing red areas on the edges. Clearly a result of bacterial infection. Even if poor water quality is involved, bad bacteria (aeromonas) that does exist in all tanks will infiltrate the exposed vessels and infect the fins rapidly. A topical treatment on the fins will work. Gently lift the fish and carefully dab hydrogen peroxide on the fins (only once as it burns away healing tissues). Don't let it seep near the gills, eyes and mouth. Once done, apply iodine solution (betadine or povidone iodine) and then Biobandage (get this online) or neosporin. Its fins may suffer a bit of fraying if it's sensitive to it but will regrow in time to avoid infection especially with salt around. Combine this with either medigold or Jungle Antibacterial Food. Medigold may be your best bet as it won't likely be resisted by the aeromonas.
No waterborne meds at this point. Your fish will unlikely to take any meds easily at this point. However, if the fin rot progresses, then we do need waterborne antibiotics here. Maracyn plus may be used.
Since you'll be trying medicated foods combined with topical treatments which I do recommend here, you cannot use any other foods. Do prepare liquid vitamins to soak the foods once treatment course is over. You can then address the HITH issue after the bacterial infection is over. Only through proper nutrition will you be able to prevent further erosion. Meds are temporary fixes but no more than that. Your fish has gone through a lot already so take things slowly and carefully.
My FH had fin rot for about 4 days. The first day I raised the temp, changed 50% of the water, and added a pinch of salt. Second day i changed 50% of the water added no salt. third day I removed my carbon did a 20% change and added quick cure. did the 48 hour instructions and the fin rot vanished. Did a 50% water change (2 days later), added a pinch of salt and fresh carbon. All 20 fish are fine and the one affected healed. maybe im lucky?
Pinch of salt? How much would that be? The amount of salt you added probably was not high enough to make any significant difference to your fish. It would be the QC that did most of the job.
