Goodbye bowfront/Chunk's sick

[DMD123]

Yeah the doxy is about all that is left in the medicine cabinet so I will likely finish it off with that. The MB baths seems to have had the biggest effect with this medicine combo. I had seen a little progress with the peroxide baths but this has shown better results. Hopefully this clears it up finally and no flare ups again.

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

Hopefully! But if it does flare up you seem to have the combo down now!

 

[Cory]

how much salt, just wondering? I'd be using 1 tablespoon per gallon if I was treating this fish.

For the bath I went with a suggestion on another site that did 1 teaspoon salt per gallon and 1 teaspoon MB per 5 gallon. I do about a 2.5g bath. So far this combo of meds and bath are working so I am going to continue with it.

I am in contact with Steev also and have sent pics and a list if meds. But if this continues on the way it now is, I may be done with meds very soon! Progress at last! :cheers:

If you give up on using meds and it's not better. I'd recommend trying 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon. We use it here in the store's quarantine room and it fixes a lot of things for us. And we leave them in that for 3 to 7 days.

 

[DMD123]

Thanks for the suggestion but at one point in the treatment the fish had upwards of two Tablespoons of salt per gallon for over a week and no change.

I had contacted Steev about it and he thought this was Ich... but if that were the case it seems the 10 days of coppersafe treatment, the 7 days salt treatment, and seachem paraguard multiple times during this three months would have knocked it out. Ive treated Ich before quite successfully and this was something very different. Plus the nature of the parasites life cycle, would likely have infected the Australian rainbows and pleco in the tank, right? Nothing else has sown signs just the Oscar.

 

[Betty]

It certainly looks like ich from those photos. I've read about a super strain of ich that is resistant to normal medications, but it does seem like Chunk as well as the other fish in the tank would be showing signs of illness and not acting like nothing was going on.

It's hard to do any searching for those white spots and find anything other that ich treatments. Very frustrating.

 

[DMD123]

Today finished 8 days of treatment with erythromycin + minocycline + coppersafe. I also had been doing methylene blue + salt bath baths during this time. There are still spots but very much reduced. I did a large water change added carbon and will do another large water change tomorrow and try and figure out what is next...

 

[Betty]

How is Chunk? Did you figure out your next step? Hoping she's all better now!

 

[DMD123]

I was hoping that the antibiotics were going to kick in and all the clean water afterwards would effect a cure... not happening. Its still there and I am so tired of this situation that I think it may be time to put the fish down. If I do nothing it gets to be a horrible outbreak. If I use meds it seems to slow it down but lets face it at some point you have to quit since money is not endless. Im into this for 3 months and hundreds of dollars in meds. Plus all the time has become exhausting. Sorry for the rant, just got drenched by chunk trying to do another MB bath.

The one thing Ive come to realize is that any treatment done to just the water is useless. It seems to do nothing. The only real solution I see is to try and force feed some type of mix and try to heal the fish from the inside.

 

[Betty]

Sorry to hear things haven't turned around. I know it sucks to put all that money into medication and not see any real results. You've done more than most people would. I wish someone could figure this out!

 

[Cory]

As a last resort before you give up. I would still personally try 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon. Added to the water and let him sit in it for a week or so and see if there is improvement.

 

[DMD123]

As a last resort before you give up. I would still personally try 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon. Added to the water and let him sit in it for a week or so and see if there is improvement.

One of the treatments already involved salt at 2 tablespoon per gallon for over a week and zero change. Ive also had recommendations of a high concentration 'dip' at 15 seconds but like I said salt has proved ineffective so I am not wanting to go back down that pathway.

 

[Cory]

Ah I see, I didn't see that you had already done salt.

 

[lloyd378]

Before you put him down, I'd like to give it a whirl...( last resort style) let me know

 

[DMD123]

Before you put him down, I'd like to give it a whirl...( last resort style) let me know

I would let someone take a shot at it before putting him down but I would have to say there are not many options left....

I will let you know when Im done.

 

[anthony]

Is there any chance the fish has a condition vs. a disease??? Like when some one has spots on their skin ect. Like maybe the fish will live a normal life but just be ugly as hell. There has got to be a lot of different things that a fish could have besides the most common diseases . I have seen a lot of Oscars, Jack Dempseys, and Pacus that have been donated to pet shops over the years That have had tumors ,bumps and all kinds of ugly looking stuff all over them . Basically "frankenfish" status.

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

Have you tried changing food?

 

[DMD123]

Is there any chance the fish has a condition vs. a disease??? Like when some one has spots on their skin ect. Like maybe the fish will live a normal life but just be ugly as hell. There has got to be a lot of different things that a fish could have besides the most common diseases . I have seen a lot of Oscars, Jack Dempseys, and Pacus that have been donated to pet shops over the years That have had tumors ,bumps and all kinds of ugly looking stuff all over them . Basically "frankenfish" status.

I know what you mean. Considering antibiotics have not really worked I wonder if it is viral. Also with all the salt and parasites meds thrown at it I am fairly sure I can rule taht out espically since no other fish in the tank has got sick, it is just limited to the Oscar.

 

[DMD123]

Have you tried changing food?

He get Dainichi color supreme and freeze dried krill. With the daily catches and MB baths his appetite is reduced. He still eats but very lightly at the moment. I have other foods to try but I think the only real solution 'if' bacterial is a medicated food.

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

I just wonder if it's not like anythony mentioned and is maybe a condition brought on by something allergy food related?

 

[DMD123]

I may just try and switch up the food and see what happens. He was at an earlier stage in life also being fed Northfin and NLS along with the Dainichi. These are all considered top quality foods, but I do have Omega One I can try out on him.

I have also considered that it might be the water conditioner (Seachem safe) and have experimented with water changes with and without conditioner. No change either way.

The numerous things that are frustrating about this include the fact the fish does not act like it is in distress, no tankmates are effected and two other tanks in the house have healthy fish that use the same water source.