Do I have more sick fish or am I paranoid?

[toomanypets]

I recently had a Boesemani Rainbow die after a six week plus battle with a nasty ulcer/infection. If you want to see details of that ordeal it is here:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ainbow-with-sore-for-a-month-plus-319853.html

That fish was in a hospital tank and out of my community tank for the last month. So since then I have been keeping a super close eye on my other fish. I came home today to see some scales flaking off my surviving Boesemani. Kind of hard to describe, hopefully the close up pictures help.

Also noticed some discoloration on my male neon dwarf rainbow. Here is my tank info:
29 gallon
1- 2.5 inch Boesemani Rainbow, 3-2 inch turquoise rainbows. 2 neon dwarf rainbows, 6 glass bloodfin tetras, 5 amano shrimp, and 4 small redfin corys.
pH 7.5, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, nitrate 10 to 20 ppm.
Weekly 35% water changes with gravel vacuum.

I actually think I have seen something like this on this fish before and it got better on its own. I am mainly freaking out because it is the same area that the other Boesemani had the issue start, top of the fish just in front of the dorsal fin.

Tank has been established for almost a year, no recent changes other than the removal of the first sick Boesemani a month ago. A few days ago I did notice the dwarf neon rainbow being a jerk, trying to pick fights with fish twice his size. Also have been seeing some flashing on the Turquoise Rainbows. Really cool to watch, I poked around online and it seems that is normal.

I did move the Boesemani to my just cleaned and put away hospital tank. Since I had it, I started a course of Triple sulfa antibiotic and tetra brand LifeGuard.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Delapool]

Yeah, I'd treat early as well given it is in the same spot as the other one. What's in the tetra life guard ingrediants?

 

[Mama Karoti]

Do some extra pwc's, too. It can only help. If I start to see something suspicious, it usually happens when I have gotten behind on pwc's and usually resolves itself when I step it up.


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[toomanypets]

Lifeguard ingredients listed as: 1-chloro-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-4-imidazolidinone

Community tank pwc 35% weekly. Hospital tank 25% every other day.

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[Delapool]

Lifeguard ingredients listed as: 1-chloro-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-4-imidazolidinone

Community tank pwc 35% weekly. Hospital tank 25% every other day.

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Can you keep us posted on how this goes? Really interested. I've read elsewhere to be careful not to overdose and it seems very good for external parasites like ich.

Not coming across much for bacterial infections. It sounds like it should be effective but still searching.

 

[toomanypets]

Update after two courses of antibiotics. In the first days of treatment the affected area got dark. Unfortunately the area on the top of the fish in front of the dorsal fin is now a red sore. This is the same are that the previous sick fish's sore started.

After reading many threads here looking for similar issues, I think i missed one symptom. I think that both fish may have had bloated bellies. I'm not 100% sure but they may have had this for some time and I just did not register it as an issue.

I think it may have been caused by eating habits. I drop sinking omega shrimp pellets in my tank for the amanos and corys to feed on. The two fish that got sick were the only fish that would eat some of these pellets whole. The pellets are appropriately 2mm in diameter and 8mm long.

I think I am going to give it another week and if the situation is not getting better I have clove oil to euthanize the fish.

 

[Delapool]

Bad news Was that treating just with the tetra life guard and for how long?

 

[MonkeyMonk86]

Wish I could help, but I'm not that advanced. I think I would treat the hospital tank 1st and if improvement, then, use what worked on the main tank.

Best if luck!


(Friend of Bill W., One day at a time)

 

[SNorlin]

I've tried really hard not to treat with medicine, but with temperature, water changes and aquarium salt when able. When I ever I have had to use medicine, it has never ended well.


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[toomanypets]

Bad news Was that treating just with the tetra life guard and for how long?

Also using triple sulfa antibiotic for 8 days. Also started adding Pimafix to avoid secondary fungal infection that I got with the last fish.

 

[Delapool]

Ok - I would keep temperature around 76F and try that for a week. Worth a try if it is an ulcer and not columnaris.

If no improvement - swap to kanaplax and furan-2 for a week and a half.

If there is improvement, would have to see how it is all going.

 

[toomanypets]

Sorry for the long delay for an update. I did do ten days of Furan 2. The outer signs of the issue got better but belly remained bloated. The fish started constantly gasping at the surface despite good water conditions. It turned upside down and continued gasping. I euthanized it with clove oil.

The dwarf neon rainbow turned out fine and is back in the community tank.

 

[Delapool]

Sad news