Goodbye bowfront/Chunk's sick

[DMD123]

Update on the Chunk. I stopped the baths for a while and decided to just treat the tank again. My mix of meds is Triple Sulfa, Kanaplex and Paragurad. Like the first time I am seeing a reduction in the spots but a day or two more will tell me if it is working since the last time it worked for a couple days and then stopped. According to my research: "These drugs are bacteriostatic, meaning they inhibit the growth of the bacteria but do not kill them." I have another round of meds in the works when Im done with the Sulfas. Hopefully that will stop this in its tracks.

 

[bassetman]

I would sure like to know what is going on with this fish.

 

[Betty]

We need a fish vet.

My heart skipped a beat when I glanced at the title. I saw Goodbye and Chunk and thought the worst had happened. Get well soon, Chunk!

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

Have you tried triple sulfa with kanamyacin or kanamyacin with doxycycline combos?? I know other people who have used those two combos and they had good results from it.

 

[DMD123]

Have you tried triple sulfa with kanamyacin or kanamyacin with doxycycline combos?? I know other people who have used those two combos and they had good results from it.

The Kanaplex is kanamyacin which last time I did not use in combination with the triple sulfa. Last time I did try the kan/doxy combo and it was ineffective. I am going to go with a Maracyn/Maracyn Two combo after a 9 day treatment of the sulfas. This would be an erythromycin/minocycline combo which I have not tried yet. I think the time off antibiotics and anti bacterial while I was on vacation actually made it easier to treat since any tolerances to these was gone and it was like a fresh start. I still have some doxy and kana left to go that way also. I guess as fish keepers we always want to be able to put a name to what we are dealing with and at this point I am just going to say an infection of some sort.

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

Yeah it sucks not being able to know what is going on. I was that way until I found out the copper/lead problem. Sometimes meds take longer to work too than we wish they would. I found sometimes the recommended isn't always enough. Sometimes longer stints of serious meds up to weeks are needed. Hopefully you get it figure out.

 

[DMD123]

Its a tough call on how much is too much with meds. Last time when I treated with triple sulfa I had been reading up and it was recommended not to mix an antibiotic with it and I didnt. This time I found a reference to the mix I am using and decided to try it since other combos had failed. So far so good.

I was actually a bit inspired by the video madness recently posted with his festae. With it missing so much of its face I too would have thought it was time to put it down. But to see the time and dedication he put into that fish made me decide to keep plugging away at Chuck's condition.

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

I would do anything within my means for a fish like that. Especially since you have wanted Chunk for a while

 

[DMD123]

Update...

It really is frustrating! Today marks day 9 of treatment with the triple Sulfa, Seachem paraguard, kanaplex mix. According to instructions I should only have done three treatments of kanaplex and Ive taken it to five. Depending where you read, the triple sulfa needs 4 days minimum or 10 day max. I ran out of triple sulfa so 9 days is what I did. last time I did 6 days of treatment before I switched to another treatment. So the results? Not a huge improvement. The little spots are reduced but still there.

This pattern of treatment is going exactly like last time. So Im not going to waste time with the next step of doxy and kanaplex. I am going to try a different combo next. Im doing a MINOCYCLINE/ERYTHROMYCIN next. These meds have not been tried yet so hopefully will see some change for the better.

 

[lloyd378]

You can do it!

 

[Grimblegrumble]

Good luck chunk!

 

[DMD123]

Thanks guys!

Tomorrow a large water change and then throw in carbon to remove the last traces of this blend of meds. Then on Wednesday a water change, take out carbon and a new round with the MINOCYCLINE/ERYTHROMYCIN for five days. I guess I can also the coppersafe with these two meds if I think parasite but not thinking it is. Will likely throw it in for good measure at this point.

 

[anthony]

Getting enough meds to treat Chunk in a 75 gallon has turned him in to the million dollar Oscar! Pretty soon he won't eat pellets anymore only diamonds!! Good Luck !!

 

[Betty]

Fingers crossed! Hope this is the treatment that takes care of it.

Is she still doing alright?

 

[DMD123]

Chunk is still acting normal which makes this so difficult. Thanks for all the support guys! (and gals!)

 

[DMD123]

Woke up and did a water change before the next round of meds. Chunk looks the same, still covered in this stuff. You can not even tell that I just did 9 days of anything. If you were to look at him you would think I abuse him by letting it get so far, but I have been trying so many different treatments it is getting to the point where there are only a couple of options I have not tried yet.

Today with the first round of meds I had to put in the largest dose and tomorrow I do not change the water and add my second dose. I am supposed to treat for five days even if things start to look better. I am supposed to do the full treatment cycle, which I will do. Then if no results I am going for the doxy/kana mix again but this time force fed into the fish as opposed to water treatment.

 

[Betty]

I wonder if there is anywhere that you could take a sample scraping and have someone take a look with a microscope and give you an idea of what you are dealing with?

 

[DMD123]

I wonder if there is anywhere that you could take a sample scraping and have someone take a look with a microscope and give you an idea of what you are dealing with?

That would be an awesome thing.... Im sure it would not be cheap, but then Ive dropped a ton of money on this girl already.

Im super hopeful that this new round of meds might work, due to the fact this is one of the few I have not tried. Pretty sure I am not dealing with a parasite and it is an infection of some sort.

 

[DMD123]

Well only day 2 of this new mix of meds but pretty much is looking completely like its having no effect. I will run the full course of meds for five days but will likely not repeat if I dont see any change.

 

[DMD123]

I thought I would add this so any just joining in or seeing this for the first time dont have to go through the whole post.

This thing has been going on for three months, and these are all the meds or combinations I have tried

Showed some improvement:
Seachem Paragard (First started with this for about a week)
API Triple Sulfa + Paragard (6 days and stopped working, moved on to doxy/kana)
API Triple Sulfa + Kanaplex + Paragard (just finished 9 days of treatment)

Showed NO improvement or seemed to get worse:
Melafix + Pimafix - this combo was used at the beginning of the treatment process and also showed no signs of improvement. After a few days use it lowered oxygen levels to the point where fish were gasping. Large water changes were done to clear it out.

Salt-at rate of 2 Tablespoon per gallon
Tetra Fungus Guard + Seachem Kanaplex
Fritz Aquatics Malachite Green
API furan 2 + Seachem Kanaplex
Doxy + Seachem Kanplex
Tetra Parasite Gard (x2 treatments)
Peroxide baths (daily for at least 10 days with other treatments in water)
Fritz Aquatics Coppersafe (while I was away on vacation in tank for 10 days)
Clout - Trichlorfon (Dylox) Dimethyl (2,2,2,tricloro-1-hydroxthel) Phosphonate, just one treatment as per package instructions

Currently trying: (showing no improvement)
MINOCYCLINE/ERYTHROMYCIN + Fritz Aquatics Coppersafe

All medicine instructions were followed to the letter with water changes being done where necessary and large volume water changes and carbon being used in between changes in types of meds.

So any suggestions are welcome....