My angels don't look right. They just look dull, especially the blacks. Water parameters are fine. No raggedy fins. It just looks like someone dipped them in something. Not fuzzy. Whatever it is, is uniform across the entire body. All the angels look the same, its just more obvious on the blacks. They are a bit subdued, less aggressive then usual when eating. I haven't seen it before, so I don't know what to treat them with. Cory cats look normal. Recommendations please. Thanks!
Help? Sick angels
- Thread starter beckyd
- Start date
Worse now. They won't eat. I can see some red irritation on the tips of some fins now. They are all huddled together. I salted the water and dosed tetracycline and fungal medicine. Eyes are still clear. Breathing still normal. The medications are leaving a film on the top of the water, so I added additional aeration this morning.
Ammonia is zero, nitrites are zero, nitrates are barely detectable, maybe 2. The tank is planted.
What about protozoan parasites? One of the meds in the LFS describes this as a grey/white film of mucous. Sounds about right. It looks wierder today and even more so in the pictures. Nothing like a major zoom lens and a flash to show you just what they look like. Gross. Poor babies. The good news- most of them ate at least a little. I only gave them a few flakes to see if they would show any interest. That's better than last night.
What about protozoan parasites? One of the meds in the LFS describes this as a grey/white film of mucous. Sounds about right. It looks wierder today and even more so in the pictures. Nothing like a major zoom lens and a flash to show you just what they look like. Gross. Poor babies. The good news- most of them ate at least a little. I only gave them a few flakes to see if they would show any interest. That's better than last night.
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Do 25% water changes every other day and give each angel a bath in (diluted)methylene blue for about 20 minutes.
Dose the tank with ick attack. Kordon Ich Attack for Fresh & Saltwater Aquariums at PETCO
Also soak their food with maracyn.
Dose the tank with ick attack. Kordon Ich Attack for Fresh & Saltwater Aquariums at PETCO
Also soak their food with maracyn.
Where do I find plain meth blue? If I find it, how much do I use?
Dosed with antiparasitic last night. I'll do a water change now.
Does maracyn come in a liquid or do I put a packet of powder in a little water. I like the food soaking idea. I've seen antibiotic food before, but my fish have never wanted to eat it. I'll soak something they won't resist in it.
Dosed with antiparasitic last night. I'll do a water change now.
Does maracyn come in a liquid or do I put a packet of powder in a little water. I like the food soaking idea. I've seen antibiotic food before, but my fish have never wanted to eat it. I'll soak something they won't resist in it.
Lost my big silver male overnight. I didn't think he was going to make it. He was so lethargic yesterday. None of them are eating much, so soaking their food is pointless. However, something is going on. There is definite improvement in some. See how good this silver looks. The other silver has improved drastically also, and she's my tiny little runt. These two are looking like they'll pull through. The black on the right also looks much better. The one on the left, not so good. What IS that? Is she sloughing her slime coat, or whatever was on her? I don't know if this is a good or bad development. The scales that are clear of that gunk look great now. The little white dots are balls of whatever that is sloughing off. She is acting spunkier, but this is what the male that died looked like yesterday. She acts differently than him though, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.
I brought the water way down yesterday to minimize the gallons I have to medicate. I also did a water change of the resulting volume and retreated. Looks like a toxic waste dump in there from the meds. Such an interesting color and its got a nice green frothy foam on top. Gross. I am relying heavily on the appearance and behavior of the healthy fish in the tank to let me know if I am going too aggressive with the med combo. So far, so good. They are eating and acting completely normal. There are two cories and two small angelica botias in there. I also have a extra strong air pump with an open tube keeping the surface agitated to keep the oxygen levels up since there is a coating on top from the meds. The fish are not gulping and their breathing is normal.
I am still combining meds. There is a full dose of tetracycline, a half dose of fungal, and a half dose of antiparasitic because both of the latter include malachite green. It is also currently lightly salted and I am adding a slime coat booster. I know this amount of meds will give some of you heart palpitations, but I just didn't feel that I had time to experiment given the unknown and aggressive nature of their underlying problem.
I brought the water way down yesterday to minimize the gallons I have to medicate. I also did a water change of the resulting volume and retreated. Looks like a toxic waste dump in there from the meds. Such an interesting color and its got a nice green frothy foam on top. Gross. I am relying heavily on the appearance and behavior of the healthy fish in the tank to let me know if I am going too aggressive with the med combo. So far, so good. They are eating and acting completely normal. There are two cories and two small angelica botias in there. I also have a extra strong air pump with an open tube keeping the surface agitated to keep the oxygen levels up since there is a coating on top from the meds. The fish are not gulping and their breathing is normal.
I am still combining meds. There is a full dose of tetracycline, a half dose of fungal, and a half dose of antiparasitic because both of the latter include malachite green. It is also currently lightly salted and I am adding a slime coat booster. I know this amount of meds will give some of you heart palpitations, but I just didn't feel that I had time to experiment given the unknown and aggressive nature of their underlying problem.
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Holding pattern tonight. Did another water change. Offered bloodworms and got 4 of the 5 interested. They ate moderately though. Definitely not their normal piggy selves. The one that is sloughing the worst-her slime coat I am informed- is about out of gas. She wouldn't eat. I expect to lose her tonight
I am hopeful that she will be the last though. The others look much, much better. One black still looks dull and grey, but less than before. The other black looks pretty normal. The silvers look fine, but its harder to see on them. The little fish with the ratty fins has not had much worsening and nobody else is either, so we're good there. Keep your fingers crossed!
OK, so where did whatever this is come from? The angelicas. They are new. And they are perfectly fine. Go figure.
I am hopeful that she will be the last though. The others look much, much better. One black still looks dull and grey, but less than before. The other black looks pretty normal. The silvers look fine, but its harder to see on them. The little fish with the ratty fins has not had much worsening and nobody else is either, so we're good there. Keep your fingers crossed!
OK, so where did whatever this is come from? The angelicas. They are new. And they are perfectly fine. Go figure.
Not a clue Laura. At least not a definitive one. I feel like it must be some microscopic parasite. It showed up so fast! Oddly, it has had no effect whatsoever on the cories or the angelicas. And the angelicas had to be the culprits. I just got them and you know how I am with my water. It isn't from poor water hygiene.
I spoke with a knowledgeable employee at Petco yesterday. He has lots of his own tanks and always has good advice. He said he has read about a strain of ich that the parasite experts are calling 'super ich'. He is afraid it might be that. I am not convinced unless this new strain shows no white cysts and does something to the fish to desensitize the skin to keep them from flashing. These fish have not and are not now rubbing on anything. And there are no white specks. That's pretty easy to see on a black fish. Now there are white balls of slime on the ones that are sloughing their slime coats, but its not a cyst. I took one off to make sure. (Yeah, she was thrilled with me for that, but its not any worse than bathing them in something. Tough times call for tough measures!)
My sickest one made it through the night. One more looks like she's going to start sloughing what's left off on her today. Everyone ate a few nibbles this morning except the worst one.
Now I am concerned about taking it to my other tanks with my python. Any suggestions for keeping that from happening are welcome. I turned up my water heater to scalding hot yesterday and ran alot of the hottest water I could get through it for 5 minutes before and after I did that tank yesterday because I had to do others. I also did it last. I hope that does it. I am considering running bleach water through it and dipping the end that goes into the tanks. Anyone object to this provided I let it all dry out for 24 hours after a thorough rinsing?
OrangeCones- thanks so much for the info and research you are doing for me. You're the best!
I spoke with a knowledgeable employee at Petco yesterday. He has lots of his own tanks and always has good advice. He said he has read about a strain of ich that the parasite experts are calling 'super ich'. He is afraid it might be that. I am not convinced unless this new strain shows no white cysts and does something to the fish to desensitize the skin to keep them from flashing. These fish have not and are not now rubbing on anything. And there are no white specks. That's pretty easy to see on a black fish. Now there are white balls of slime on the ones that are sloughing their slime coats, but its not a cyst. I took one off to make sure. (Yeah, she was thrilled with me for that, but its not any worse than bathing them in something. Tough times call for tough measures!)
My sickest one made it through the night. One more looks like she's going to start sloughing what's left off on her today. Everyone ate a few nibbles this morning except the worst one.
Now I am concerned about taking it to my other tanks with my python. Any suggestions for keeping that from happening are welcome. I turned up my water heater to scalding hot yesterday and ran alot of the hottest water I could get through it for 5 minutes before and after I did that tank yesterday because I had to do others. I also did it last. I hope that does it. I am considering running bleach water through it and dipping the end that goes into the tanks. Anyone object to this provided I let it all dry out for 24 hours after a thorough rinsing?
OrangeCones- thanks so much for the info and research you are doing for me. You're the best!
Oh my, so sorry to hear all of this. Hope things are going better. I would think that the methylene blue would help. If it doesn't, then you might be in real trouble. Let us know how things are going.
Laura, you are a true friend! Your response made me laugh out loud.
Things are looking up. They look about the same, but are clearly acting better. I did a water change and they were all coming over to see what I was up to and if I had food. I was SO happy. Now they seem to be resting from the excitement. They have no stamina, but at least they act alive and not so lethargic. That is an improvement.
Going to give bloodworms and see how they react.....
OH YEAH!!!! The 4 of them ate a whole cube of bloodworms! They were making smacking noises at the top again. We haven't heard that in a week. What a relief. This is the most normal they have acted and even though they tire easily, they clearly feel better. Wahoo!
OK, where does everybody find meth blue? I can't get it anywhere locally.
Things are looking up. They look about the same, but are clearly acting better. I did a water change and they were all coming over to see what I was up to and if I had food. I was SO happy. Now they seem to be resting from the excitement. They have no stamina, but at least they act alive and not so lethargic. That is an improvement.
Going to give bloodworms and see how they react.....
OH YEAH!!!! The 4 of them ate a whole cube of bloodworms! They were making smacking noises at the top again. We haven't heard that in a week. What a relief. This is the most normal they have acted and even though they tire easily, they clearly feel better. Wahoo!
OK, where does everybody find meth blue? I can't get it anywhere locally.
Oh Becky, I'm so happy to hear that things are looking up.
And I understand how maddening it can be to just sit there watching things decline. Just remember, there comes a point where you have to help yourself to help anyone else. (And I don't know many women in my world who aren't temporarily helped by either wine or chocolate unless they are on a diet which is just a stupid decision to make in the first place. *laughingc)
And I understand how maddening it can be to just sit there watching things decline. Just remember, there comes a point where you have to help yourself to help anyone else.
(And I don't know many women in my world who aren't temporarily helped by either wine or chocolate unless they are on a diet which is just a stupid decision to make in the first place. *laughingc)OK, here come the secondary infections. Not an unexpected development. One fish has some cloudy eyes this morning. The tank is relatively med free, so I dosed with triple sulfa. Looks like a good match according to the box, but that's all I have left. I'll get more medications after work. I'll try to use another dose of sulfa(if I can find some more) and probably some more Lifeguard unless anyone has a better idea?
They still are acting better. All ate some flakes just now. Not much, but some.
Chocolate is fine for breakfast, right?
They still are acting better. All ate some flakes just now. Not much, but some.
Chocolate is fine for breakfast, right?