Bala with red spots

[theharr89]

Hello, I was hoping I could get some input on what could possibly be wrong with one of my bala sharks. Some background: 3 weeks ago we treated the tank for Ich at half the recommended dosage and the Ich seekmed to be cured, did a 25% water change as per medication directions. 9 days ago we noticed that the balas started to have cloudy eyes and some fin rot so we treated with melafix at the regular dose and did a 25% water change after a week of treatment as per the directions. Today we have noticed that one looks much better and seems to be completely cured but the second has red eyes and red patches on his body along with some redness on his fins. We are using aquarium salt and they are in a 75 gallon tank with 3 balas (total) some danios, an oscar, and a red zebra (as far as we can tell). Water parameters are the same as they have always been and this tank has been established for 2 years now. We have seen no aggression and everyone seems to be normal except this one bala. Any suggestions?
p.s. sorry for the blurry picture, he is camera shy.

 

[jlk]

Hi and welcome!!! I am surprised no one has jumped in to help you here but I will try. First, what are your exact water parameters (amm, nitrite, nitrate & ph)? Second, what med did you use to treat the ich? Third, how much aq salt are you adding? Lastly, are the fish in question new & were they qt'd?

Although the pics are not real clear, I suspect they have ulcers if they are red, open sores. It could have been caused by the ich, ich meds, a water quality issue or a combination of things that allowed bacteria to penetrate the slime coat. You can try a basic treatment of swabbing the sores with hydrogen peroxide 1x a day & see if this helps but you will probably need to treat the water with a gram-negative antibiotic that is effective against aeronomas bacteria (kanamycin, triple sulfa or furan 2) or alternately feed a kanamycin-medicated food for atleast 14days. Continue to use aquarium salt to prevent fluid loss & limit infection along with lots of healthy water. Hope this helps!

 

[theharr89]

Hello, everything in the water was perfect when I checked it yesterday, except the nitrates were a little high. We used API Super Ich Cure at half the recommended dose as we were informed that the balas were sensitive to it. The aquarium salt we use is also API and we do 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons only at water changes. We just started to use just before the ich showed up and have done 1 10% and 2 25% water changes so it probably still isnt at full concentration in the tank yet. The one bala that is showing symptoms is over a year old and we have bala that was added at the same time that is showing no signs. To combat the high nitrates we have added some moss balls and are going to be doing some more frequent water changes over the next few weeks.

They do not look like open sores, just redness under the scales and it looks like there is some white stuff growing over the red spots.

If we were to swab the sores with hydrogen peroxide, how would you reccomend going about that? He is still quite active and from experience when moving the tank, they are very jumpy and active when taken out of the tank. I would not want to hurt the fish while trying to help it.

Thanks for your help!

 

[jlk]

Thanks for the info! Exactly how high are your nitrates? If they are above 20ppm, you will need to increase your water changes & up the amount of them (atleast 50%). You should be doing larger water changes weekly due to the number of fish you have as well. If you havent done anything to remove the ich meds, this will need to be addressed as well (water changes, running new carbon in the filter for a few hours- keep your old media in the tank while doing this & then place back in filter).

If there is white stuff growing on the sores, you will need to starting treating as soon as possible with either an antibiotic I mentioned or antibiotic food. If you are unable to swap the sores with peroxide, thats fine. Its actually easier than it sounds- set everything up (peroxide in cup with q-tips), catch fish & hold in towel damp with tank water & quickly dry the sore a bit & swab with peroxide & release back into the tank- it should take less than 10secs.

Keep the aq salt @ 1 tablespoon per 10gals- we are not treating ich any longer & its intended to be solely theraputic. As you had a much higher amount & have only done a few small water changes, theres probably still a sufficient amount in your tank. After a 50% wc, add back only half the dose I am recommending here. Good luck!!!

 

[theharr89]

Nitrates were showing between 10 and 20 ppm. So you are saying that I should be doing a 50% water change weekly? The ich meds were "removed" as per the instructions of treating once then again 48 hours later and a 25% water change 48 hours after that with fresh carbon in the filter. I did 25% on Sunday, should I go ahead and do another 50% today?

I will try to catch him today and swab using your recommended method. Can you suggest an antibiotic to treat the white stuff?

I was following the directions on the salt for regular use, and it said 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons, but if that is possibly causing stress then I will reduce to 1 per 10. For my next water change are you recommending 1 tablespoon per 20 gallons then 1 per 10 after that?

Thanks again for your help!

 

[jlk]

Nitrates were showing between 10 and 20 ppm. So you are saying that I should be doing a 50% water change weekly? The ich meds were "removed" as per the instructions of treating once then again 48 hours later and a 25% water change 48 hours after that with fresh carbon in the filter. I did 25% on Sunday, should I go ahead and do another 50% today?

I will try to catch him today and swab using your recommended method. Can you suggest an antibiotic to treat the white stuff?

I was following the directions on the salt for regular use, and it said 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons, but if that is possibly causing stress then I will reduce to 1 per 10. For my next water change are you recommending 1 tablespoon per 20 gallons then 1 per 10 after that?

Thanks again for your help!

Ok- the new carbon should have removed the ich meds so your fine! Your nitrate levels are good as well. I would personally do a 50% pwc once a week for maintainence- this will keep everything in check. If you permanently remove your original filter media, you will need to watch your levels of amm/nitrite for spikes due to the loss of good bacteria.

A 50% wc right now will reduce the salt to 1 tbsp per 10g- you wont need to re-add salt after the wc. For your next wc, only add back only the salt you remove (a 50%wc, add back 1/2 of rec'd dose or 1 tbs per 20gal).

Read back on my 1st post for antibiotic recommendations- most are available at lfs. Kanamycin (the best one) you would have to order online. Amazon & American Aquarium Products sells Kanaplex (kanamycin) or kanamycin is also available at National Fish Pharmaceuticals. Good luck 7 keep us posted!

 

[theharr89]

Ok, thank you again. He was a little squirmy when I finally caught and swabbed him but he seemed to recieve it well. I will do a 50% water change right now with no salt added and we will see where that puts us.

 

[theharr89]

He has started to float upside down at times. He can still swim around, but he seems more zoned out and will occasionally float upside down or sink down to the bottom of the tank for a few minutes, and then correct himself and swim back to his normal hang-out spot. Any idea if this is a really bad sign?

 

[jlk]

Thats not a good sign. Is he still eating?

 

[theharr89]

I saw him eat at least a little this morning. He does seem to only do it when he is picked on by our Red Zebra so maybe it is a defensive strategy, like playing dead? We are setting up a separate tank for our balas right now because we think the isolation might be helpful.

 

[jlk]

Do you have a Petsmart near you? They carry an antibacterial medicated food (i believe Jungle or Tetra makes it) that you can feed the sick balas that may help as well. Just make sure you treat for the full course of the med food & follow the directions for feeding.

 

[theharr89]

Yes there is. I swabbed him this morning as well and he lost quite a few scales in the area that is affected. I started melafix to try to combat the white fungus looking stuff. Would using medicated food overdose them? I am trying to reduce the stress and don't want to add too many chemicals at once. They are now happily in another tank so he doesn't get picked on.

 

[jlk]

The melafix wont do anything that healthy water cant do. They really need some antibiotics here to combat the ulcers & treat the infection. Medicated food is the best route to take with treating the water being your next best option.

 

[theharr89]

On the melafix it says that it treats bacterial infections as well as open red sores. Would it be safe to use along side the medicated food?

 

[jlk]

Yes, I am aware of what melafix claims to treat. I personally dont think its any more effective than healthy water. Your fine to feed a medicated food along with the melafix- just make sure the food is an anti-bacterial food & not an anti-parasitic med food.

 

[theharr89]

After searching and calling the pet stores, no one carries anti-bacterial food in town. I just got home and he is doing his floating upside down trick again now in the separate "balas only" tank. Things aren't looking good... I did manage to get a little better picture though...

 

[theharr89]

I am sad to say that he is giving up hope. He has stopped righting himself and is now getting stuck on the filter and in between some of the decorations. I guess it is time to say goodbye.

 

[jlk]

I am so sorry! How are your other balas doing?

 

[theharr89]

They seem to be just fine. Like I said at the beginning of the thread, one was in the tank just as long and the other is still just a baby. Both seem to be showing no symptoms so we moved them back to the big tank.

 

[jlk]

Ok- keep a close eye on them & be prepared to treat them if they start to show any symptoms. Good luck!