Help! Not eating and thin!

[edmlfc1]

They should have jungle fizz tabs for IP's.

[edmlfc1]

Look for something with the ingredient praziquantel.

[Starlet]

Praziquantel, ok, got it. I'll go see if they have anything and will be back in the next half an hour. Thanks for your help! I hope she makes it.

[Starlet]

Ok, got the parasite clear, put her in a 5g bucket (setting up the tank would take too much time). She's lying at the bottom now. I guess all I can do is wait...thanks for your help. She would be dead by now if it wasn't for you.

Edit: I also put an airstone in for temporary circulation. (Also had to screw it back together because I'm trying to fix that too.) Perfect timing, urg.

[Pufferpunk]

I just saw this. Man, that puffer looks really bad--I hope you can save it!

[edmlfc1]

While your treating with meds she won't eat. Mine refused food when treating for ip's. You will need to treat for at least 3 days. Hope she pulls through.

[Starlet]

I just saw this. Man, that puffer looks really bad--I hope you can save it!

Yeah, I guess when you see the same puffer every day, you don't notice how much they change. I was really freaked out when she stopped eating. Luckily I could come here for quick help.

She's kind of swimming around now. She floats to the surface and then floats kind of vertically back down. At least she's moving though.

[Starlet]

While your treating with meds she won't eat. Mine refused food when treating for ip's. You will need to treat for at least 3 days. Hope she pulls through.

Ah yes, good point.

[Starlet]

She's swimming a little more now. Is the "coughing" normal?

[edmlfc1]

If she were bigger I would say get a flash light and look in her mouth to see if something is stuck. I'm not sure if you will be able to do it with her being so tiny. If you can get a look inside without harming her try it. Try not to stress her out while doing it if possible.

[Starlet]

I saw into her mouth today while she was lying around. There doesn't seem to be anything stuck in there. She was in a tak with black gravel as large as her head and only got fed bloodworms. I'm not sure how many snails she ate (I guess not many since she's so thin.) I won't touch her now because she seems to be breathing hard; don't want to stress her out more than she already is.

[edmlfc1]

It may be a normal thing that she's doing. I'm more concerned with her being so skinny. Let's take care of that first then we can concentrate on the coughing if she's still doing it.

[Starlet]

It may be a normal thing that she's doing. I'm more concerned with her being so skinny. Let's take care of that first then we can concentrate on the coughing if she's still doing it.

Oh ok, I was just wondering if that was part of the parasite problem. Gah, I hate waiting, how long do you think it'll take for the meds to work or at least start to make her feel better?

[edmlfc1]

It's not an instant fix, but the quicker you start treatment the better off she will be. I'll be honest, she's pretty bad off.
Tomorrow watch her very closely to see if she pooh's. Her pooh may be white and stringy, this will mean she's passing the worms. It will be a good sign. You can try to feed her tomorrow and see if she will eat. I doubt she will, but it won't hurt to try. Just make sure you remove all uneaten food. After the third day do a large water change and try to feed. It may take her a day or two before she eats again but keep trying. As long as there is life there is hope. Another thing you can do is add a small amount of epsom salt to her qt to help her pass the worms. Use 1tbsp per 5 gallons, this will act as a laxative. When Annabelle had Ip's I used epsom salt to help her pass them. It worked within an hour. I would wait until tomorrow to add the epsom salt, give the meds time to start killing the worms.

[Starlet]

It's not an instant fix, but the quicker you start treatment the better off she will be. I'll be honest, she's pretty bad off.
Tomorrow watch her very closely to see if she pooh's. Her pooh may be white and stringy, this will mean she's passing the worms. It will be a good sign. You can try to feed her tomorrow and see if she will eat. I doubt she will, but it won't hurt to try. Just make sure you remove all uneaten food. After the third day do a large water change and try to feed. It may take her a day or two before she eats again but keep trying. As long as there is life there is hope. Another thing you can do is add a small amount of epsom salt to her qt to help her pass the worms. Use 1tbsp per 5 gallons, this will act as a laxative. When Annabelle had Ip's I used epsom salt to help her pass them. It worked within an hour. I would wait until tomorrow to add the epsom salt, give the meds time to start killing the worms.

Yeah, I feel pretty terrible right now because she's so sick. I wish I had paid more attention. Trial and error is the key in the fish hobby I suppose. I could slap myself for not being more aware of what's going on. I should know better, dangit!

I'll leave her alone for tonight, I might be up a little later because I haven't gotten my homework done so I'll keep an eye on her. If she makes it until tomorrow, I'll do the salt thing and a small water change.