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fcmf fcmf
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Posted on: 12/9/2016 20:34
Re: Very bloated fish #861
Sorry to read about this.

I would strongly advise that you read this thread http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... =&mode=0&start=0including the advice suggested in it about what to try. Hopefully you will have a better outcome than in this case.

Feel free to ask further questions and let us know how the situation is progressing as you try the various suggestions.


fcmf fcmf
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Posted on: 10/9/2016 11:03
Re: Fantail swollen body (rear) #862
Very sorry to read about this but thanks for letting us know. At least you have the consolation of knowing that you tried all you could for him/her.


fcmf fcmf
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Posted on: 4/9/2016 21:20
Re: Fantail swollen body (rear) #863
Although I've had good results with Interpet products, I agree that a broader-spectrum treatment is the better way to go now (and better than repeating the same treatment). A similar alternative to eSHa 2000 is Waterlife Myxazin.

The advantage of having eSHa 2000 to hand is that, as well as treating a wide range of conditions, it can also be used alongside eSHa Exit if ever required.


fcmf fcmf
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Posted on: 28/8/2016 11:35
Re: Black Moor with strange black eyes #864
Whereabouts on the fish's body are the white spots? The reason I ask is that male goldfish tend to develop breeding tubercles which look like white spots on their gills and sometimes pectoral fins, when they're ready for mating. If the white spots are only in those locations, that might explain it, but if they're elsewhere/all over the body, then it could well be ich/whitespot.

Salt (and gradually raising the temperature, if you had a heater) might very well help - you might find this helpful http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... mid=88&keywords=whitespot

Your other option, if you preferred to treat the whitespot with medication rather than just salt and heat, is to buy eSHa 2000 (which treats fungus, finrot, bacterial infections) and eSHa Exit (which treats whitespot) - these two medications can be used together. Looking at Interpet's "Guide to Fish Health", it looks as though the various Interpet medications can't be used together.

You would need to work out how long it would take to get the two eSHa products eg if not available locally and you'd need to send off for them, then, by the time they arrive, you'd be better off just administering the second dose of Interpet No.9 and treating the whitespot with aquarium salt and heat, then possibly moving on to whitespot medication. On the other hand, if they were available locally, then it might be better to do a big water change (maybe 70%), then start the two eSHa treatments.

Edited to add: If it's different fish with the whitespot, then the other option, provided that you had a separate tank (or bought a large, clean container eg a Really Useful Box - they can come in 80-litre size or even larger) and a separate filter and spread the filter media out between the two filters to minimise the likelihood of a mini-cycle occurring, would be to treat the fish separately ie one tank with No.9 anti- bacterial infection treatment, the other tank with whitespot treatment.


fcmf fcmf
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Posted on: 25/8/2016 22:53
Re: Fantail swollen body (rear) #865
Goodness - that first pic in particular does indeed look incredibly swollen, although I need to add the caveat that I'm only familiar with the fish I've kept myself and there may be "normal" variations given how these fish are bred.

I would be inclined to treat with the anti-bacterial treatment again.

I'm hoping someone else on here may be able to provide their opinion too. If not, then it may be worth contacting a fish vet for advice - http://www.fishvetsociety.org.uk/inde ... =40:ornamentals&Itemid=79 may be helpful, or alternatively, I've actually used and would thoroughly recommend USA-based aquatic vet staff on www.justanswer.com and found them to be incredibly helpful as they're very experienced. These pics are very good, so I'd recommend attaching them to your posting if you do use the latter.


fcmf fcmf
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Posted on: 23/8/2016 20:05
Re: Black Moor with strange black eyes #866
This might be a sign of prolonged exposure to high nitrates or possibly a bacterial infection.

Great that you have an ammonia test - that is the most crucial test to have - but it would be worth getting a nitrite and nitrate test too to monitor water quality on all 3 measures, and increasing frequency or percentage of water changes accordingly.

It might also be worth treating with Waterlife Myxazin, eSHa 2000, Interpet No.9 anti- bacterial infection treatment or Aquarium Munster MediMor, to see if this addresses/solves the problem.

Good luck!

You might also find this http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... esheet.php?caresheetID=50 helpful to ensure that you're giving the fish the care that s/he requires.


fcmf fcmf
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Posted on: 23/8/2016 20:01
Re: Fantail swollen body (rear) #867
It would be helpful to see a photo if that's possible?

In case it is some sort of intestinal blockage and not eggs, then it might be worth going for stronger laxatives - live or frozen food (eg bloodworm), spirulina or even a morsel of papaya (with a very strong warning that it causes a faecal explosion!).

If Bob is egg-bound, I've had no experience of massaging a fish and I don't think many people do, so probably best avoided as you say and given what you've read. Some fish do re-absorb their eggs, though. Is Bob on his/her own? [If so, fine; if not, I'm wondering if removing her from the presence of another fish might make it less likely that more eggs are produced...]

Is Bob distressed or still otherwise acting quite normally ie interested in foraging round the tank, exploring the environment and moving around? If so, then I wouldn't unduly concern yourself.

My fantail fish spent most of her final year upside down and rolling around - I just had to "manage" this as best I could by continuously monitoring what gave her some relief for a few days eg increasing the number of days per week on which she was fed peas, dosing with Epsom salts every week or fortnight (when the situation was particularly bad), or resorting to meds if that didn't help. It sounds like you've managed to work out what has provided at least temporary relief, so I think it'll be a matter of using one of or several of these measures as and when required to keep the situation under as best control as possible.


fcmf fcmf
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Posted on: 19/8/2016 20:02
Re: wcm minnow with lump on jaw #868
If I were you, I'd strongly advise treating with eSHa 2000 or Waterlife Myxazin, which can treat for fungus, finrot and bacterial infections - this should avoid it getting worse / taking over the fish. If you have a spare tank and filter, then it would probably be wise to treat it on its own than treat the whole tank. If you don't have a spare tank and filter, then you could always treat the tank with a milder medication like API Melafix.

It's also important to keep ammonia and nitrite at 0, and nitrates under 20 if at all possible (or no more than 20 above your tap water level) - more frequent and larger water changes should help you achieve this.

Hope this helps.


fcmf fcmf
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Posted on: 19/8/2016 19:58
Re: fish keep dying #869
Hi,

Sorry to read about your fatalities.

You mention you'd had your "tank set up for about 3 weeks" - do you mean that you cycled the filter beforehand, then added the fish 3 weeks ago, or did you just set up the tank and add the fish all within the space of a few days? The reason I'm asking is that before adding fish, the filter needs to be cycled in order to be able to process the waste from the fish. This process takes 4-6 weeks although can be shortened if you were able to get hold of some mature filter media from another fishkeeper. This article http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles ... hless-cycling-article.htm should explain the process and rationale for cycling the filter for you.

If you didn't cycle the filter beforehand and therefore are doing a fish-in cycle, then this is a very "hit and miss" method and is without doubt the most likely cause of your fatalities. Fish can survive a fish-in cycle, but only with very careful monitoring of water (twice daily) and daily water changes over the 6ish weeks, to keep ammonia and nitrite at 0 and nitrates under 20ppm, if at all possible. If ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are above these levels, they're toxic to fish and so result in illness and death, often quickly. Seachem Prime is a good water conditioner, especially for during a fish-in cycle if you've found yourself doing that - as well as dechlorinating water during water changes, it can detoxify the toxic effects of ammonia, nitrite and high nitrates on the fish.

Although you did a water test, it's only valid on the day and time you did it, and a reading later on in the day could have had much higher results for these crucial tests - ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. [Additionally, and this may not apply in your case, but worth other new fishkeepers knowing, is that multi-test paper-based test strips don't actually include ammonia which is the most crucial reading of them all, so some new fishkeepers think their water is ok when in fact they have no idea what the levels of ammonia are.]

Aside from this, the tank will need to be a suitable size for the fish. You will need to work out what fish you have/had, and read the Caresheets and Articles (left-hand-side of this forum) in order to see what the requirements of the fish are in terms of tank size, diet, minimum numbers of each species, etc, otherwise they won't fare well. As a starter, guppies and mollies are hard fish, so require hard water. You'll be able to find out if your water is suitable for them either by a test kit or by checking your water hardness level on your water supplier's website and inputting your postcode.

Hope this is helpful, but, once you've read the link above, looked at the caresheets and articles, and checked your water hardness, do feel free to come back with further questions and we can advise further.


fcmf fcmf
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Coldwater Adviser
  • Posted on: 16/8/2016 19:21
Re: Fantail swollen body (rear) #870
Sorry to read about this problem.

I agree that it's very likely an internal bacterial infection or dropsy. Dropsy, at least in its later stages, usually has pineconing of the scales ie you wouldn't fail to notice the strange angle that the scales are sitting at. Swimbladder problems usually result in the fish unable to maintain its buoyancy, rolling to one side, floating downwards and nose first or else upwards like a helium balloon and having to fight to maintain the usual position in the tank. Another possibility is that Bob is actually a female and is egg-bound.

Whatever the reason, either dosing the tank with salt or else an Epsom salt bath is a good route to take, so well done for trying that.

It might also be worth feeding peas (shell off, chopped into small pieces) or live/frozen food (eg bloodworm) to encourage a laxative effect in case the dried food is causing an internal "blockage".

Interpet No.9 treatment is excellent. If it says calculate water for dosage, then put in that amount, and do the same again when the time comes for the second dosage. [No, you don't use half of the dosage now and the second half at the later stage.]

Hope this helps. Best of luck!



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