Question About Medications

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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Read this before posting!!

Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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BrittPuffer
Puffer Fry
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2017 2:12 pm
Location (country): Florida USA

Question About Medications

Post by BrittPuffer »

Hi - I am new to the forum but have been lurking off and on for the past several years. I have a 10 yr old GSP named Brittany but who we affectionately call "Fishie". Fishie was fine up until last Thursday when I noticed. he wasn't eating and had a chunk of skin near his right eye missing. I initially started a treatment of metronidazole which seemed to slow the peeling progression but I did more research and believe Fishie has Vibrio. He Had some red streaking on his tail fin. Since Vibrio is a gram negative bacteria, I rushed over to a local fish store and picked up some Kanamycin. The question I have is whether to continue or discontinue the metronidazole since I am not 100% sure on the diagnosis. I will say this...Fishie has been more active, mobile, and alot of the white has returned to his tummy. He's not out of the woods yet...still bumping into things but gaining control. He has a big chunk of skin missing and the meat underneath is ulcerated. I haven't reintroduced food yet.
Any advice is appreciated.

https://myalbum.com/album/fc9Up4cSuU2f

30 gallon tank
Fishie only occupant
SG 1.008
PH 7.8-8.0
Nitrite 0 mg/l
Ammonia 0 mg/l
Nitrate 5mg/l
Temp 78 F
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Question About Medications

Post by Pufferpunk »

Awww... poor old fella! 10 years is a good long time to keep any fish! It is very unlikely he has Vibrio, as he would have had to catch it from an infected fish. It could be that he has come near the end of his life & his immune system is weakening. I do understand your wanting to do all you can for him. When using Kanamycin, you should use Furan 2 also. Add a Medicated Wonder shell to his tank. I order from www.americanaquariumproducts.com
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
BrittPuffer
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Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2017 2:12 pm
Location (country): Florida USA

Re: Question About Medications

Post by BrittPuffer »

Unfortunately, he passed. I was with him to the end. He was resting at the bottom with black tummy then all of a sudden spiraled up vertically three times with the belly turning perfectly white, puffed up completely and settled at the bottom anf the green health dot faded slowly. Our family had a memorial where we exchanged our favorite memories of Fishie and buried him under one of our palm trees in our front yard. His grave is marked by a stone as white as his belly when he was not stressed :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Another puffer group I belong to thought it might have been Septicemia.

I have been inconsolable the past couple of days and haven't quite brought myself to clean out his tank. I will be using a bleaching solution and throwing out the substrate. I did find a beautiful write up by someone else that I will share for others below that have lost their fish babies. It's given me a little peace <3

Rainbow Bridge:For all fish owners

Every day, in aquariums, pet stores, and private homes, fish pass away, often times largely unnoticed. Many suffered in their last days or hours, grappling with disease, being attacked by tankmates, or having their bodies trapped against filters when they grew too weak to swim. So few fish have lived well on this earth, being used as decorations or disposable pets instead of being recognized as the special individuals that each of them are.

Thankfully for them, there is a better place.

We've all heard about the Rainbow Bridge, where dogs and cats and other pets cross over into the next life, where they run and play healthy and whole until their special person comes to retrieve them one day. What most people do not know is that there is a beautiful, flowing creek running under the Rainbow Bridge, leading to many vast lakes, swamps, rivers, and even oceans, where fish can live in bliss and harmony after what is all too often a short life of suffering.

You see, when a fish passes away, his spirit leaves the pain of his body and enters warm, flowing waters. There, he finds himself whole; tattered fins are restored, fungus-clogged gills are free and functional, open wounds are healed, and "pinecone" scales lay flat. There are other fish there, but none of them chase, nip fins, or threaten. The current is never too strong, the water temperature is always just right, and there and plants and rocks to hide amongst - not that there is anything to fear. Social fish swim close with their peers, while solitary species always have enough space for comfort. They all travel through these peaceful waters in one great school towards their destination.

Eventually, the waters of the creek are illuminated with the technicolor glow of the beautiful rainbow arching high above. Cats, dogs, rabbits - every animal you can imagine - cavorts above them, but the fish needn't fear predation or harm. As they flow beneath the rainbow, they come to a crossroads; little streams leading to the ideal habitat of each species. There are warm stretches of rice paddies for the bettas. There are cool, vegetated ponds for the goldfish and koi. Bright, welcoming reefs greet the oceanic fish, and warm, freshwater ponds, rivers, and creeks spread wide for the tropical species.

The fish huddle at the cross-roads tentatively, nervous of what awaits them next. Maybe some are unused to wide spaces; others have never seen their natural habitat. Some are afraid larger fish will eat them if they break away from the group. But finally, one will swim fowards. His fins will wriggle with excitement, and he will zip through the water gleefully, towards his new home in the next life. There, he will find others of his kind, though a fight will never occur. Food will be plentiful and living, not freeze-dried or pelleted. There will be no harsh lights or noisy filters, because the waters here are always ideal for their inhabitants.

And perhaps, if the fish had a special someone who cared in their life, that person will one day sit by the lake or shore or riverbed, where he or she will be recognized by a beloved pet. A flick of the fins and a friendly snout poking through the water's surface will reunite the two at last, with the message passed between them:
It's all going to be ok now...
BrittPuffer
Puffer Fry
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Location (country): Florida USA

Re: Question About Medications

Post by BrittPuffer »

And thank you for your advice. I would be open to giving another pufferfish a forever home sometime in the future.
BrittPuffer
Puffer Fry
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2017 2:12 pm
Location (country): Florida USA

Re: Question About Medications

Post by BrittPuffer »

You could be right about the age thing. He was sick only one other time in his life--7 yrs ago which I am convinced was from a bad snail (he did not touch snails after that). That time, he became emaciated and tried to swim to get food but was very weak so I gave him maracyn two along with a watered down paste of brine shrimp and some mashed peas and put in one if those plastic syringes you can get from dental offices. Put on gloves, held him, and gently force fed him in the tank. He ate it up, regained his strength and lived a happy healthy life until now.
Bleedingheartmommy
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Re: Question About Medications

Post by Bleedingheartmommy »

I agree here! Medicated wondershells, and regular wondershells have been a long term staple for me, and I swear by them both. I also agree with the one-two kanamycin and furanol combo, they work together to stengthen the other med (read vibrio and medications article below). If you feel he is strong enough to try the combo, AND the wound isn't healing much on its own- I would give it a try. Furanol (bifuran/furan2) is great for keeping wounds clean, especially mechanical damage and kanamycin (kanaplex) is a fantastic broad spectrum antibiotic. This combo also is very effective against columnaris, so that base is covered too. Make sure to keep up water changes regardless of medication or none.

With his age, it could be mechanical damage that got infected quickly, but I must admit- this is either vibrio or aeromonas. It can be caused by water and does not have to be introduced by another fish, though I am not sure vibrio needs more than a weak fish and the right environment (I should have asked Carl before putting my foot in my mouth, I will come back with his exact answer on this!) AAP has a brilliant library written by Carl Strohmeyer, and it has what I call my "med Bible" which is a four section beast of a fish medication breakdown, I eat, sleep, and breathe it. Between this site and AAP- I haven't lost a puffer yet! Also the best vibrio, aeromonas, columnaris, and ich articles I have yet to find, bc they are based on science, research, and controlled tests (not opinion). Take a look and decide for yourself!

(vibrio and aeromonas article)

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com ... monas.html

(The fish med Bible, with the other 3 sections (Antibiotics & Microbials, Parasite & Chemical, and Organic, in large blue sun sections below the heading)

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com ... ation.html

Kanamycin will be in section 2-Antibiotics/Antimicrobials #10, and Metro will be in the same section but it's #12!

Good luck- how is he doing today?
"Genetics loads the gun, and environment pulls the trigger."-Brené Brown
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Pufferpunk
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2 T biocellatus
C valentini
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C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
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suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Question About Medications

Post by Pufferpunk »

BHM, Scroll up, I didn't get a chance to approve her other posts until now. :(
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Bleedingheartmommy
Figure 8 Puffer
Posts: 185
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 9:39 pm
My Puffers: Honey (SIP Cantaloupe): C. Travancoricus
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SIP Orchid
Location (country): USA-Seattle, WA

Re: Question About Medications

Post by Bleedingheartmommy »

I loved the rainbow, I'm still in tears writing this now...

I am so genuinely sorry for his passing, after that many years together it feels like loosing family. 10 years is beautiful... ten wonderful, joy filled, memory stuffed years... that far too few of these type of puffers make it to celebrate.Those years were earned in sweat,hard work, and love...water changes, sky high seafood bills, and conforming to their eccentric personalities, it's no light fishkeeping! Being as such, we know how attenative puffer owners have to be to keep our water puppies healthy and happy, they NEVER survive or thrive by accident! So please: Do not shadow his memory by blaming yourself and falling into the old "shoulda coulda woulda" pot hole.... He loved you,and had a full life (both in happiness and in years) and loved the excellent care you provided him all those years... you did not cause his illness or his demise, and with his age- I don't think the meds could have changed or stopped it.

Please take solace in the fact that your being with him until the end both brought him comfort, and allowed him to let go in peace... he didn't die alone suffering. His body wasn't strong enough to continue being his vessel on this earth, and since mom was there he didn't have to hold on any longer or feel afraid.

I believe you will be a wonderful fish parent to the lucky bumble-blimp that chooses you next (I think it's them who choose us ☺️), but your heart will tell you when it's ready, and you will have Fishie smiling down on you with his blessing!
"Genetics loads the gun, and environment pulls the trigger."-Brené Brown
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