Treatment killing fish???

[Zagz]

He is definately not doing great. Is he breathing fast? I assume he is not eating at all anymore? Can you QT him and treat him with Jungle's fungus eliminator? It clears both fungus and bacterial infections. The black spots around his mouth are worrisome.

 

[JasonC]

Seeing as how the Gourami is the only fish in the tank now, can I treat in the main tank, or is there something else to be gained by shifting to a QT?

Hmm... wonder if my LFS will actually give me what I ask for this time... thats how I ended up w/ the BiFuran in the first place...

Is there anywere online that is good for this type of product shipped fast and cheep?

Also, under the circumstances, should I be doing anything else for him? Elevated temps? Daily x% PWCs?

Thanks again for your help through this trying time...

 

[JasonC]

Oh... should mention that after yesterdays 60% PWC, he did eventually perk up, and now seems to go back and forth between hanging out at the bottom and top. Couldnt really tell you about his breathing though as I am not sure what tempo regular fish respiration is at...

 

[Zagz]

Glad he is perking up a bit. I was just thinking of the cycle more than anything. Keep doing what you are doing and watch him. If the spots changes at all I would consider medicating him.

 

[JasonC]

Well, got home yesterday and was pleasantly surprised! Looks like the little guy is doing much better. He had a lot more energy than he has had in *days*, the black spots are gone, the white stuff on his side is gone, and his dorsal fin has completed healing! The only change that I am not sure about is that the white stuff over the scar has tightened up again instead of being ragged and looking like it is sloughing off. The scar itself looks more pink than red though.. so maybe I am seeing new skin growth?

My big problem is that he is not eating at this point... been about 3 days. I have tried flakes, floating pellets, and dried blood worms.

So unless you all see the sore as still being a serious problem, I think I am going to hold off on any more medicine treatment for now... it seems that getting the BiFuran+ out of the water has done miracles. May still order a bottle of the Jungles Fungus elim. though to have it at the ready... depends on how much it costs.

 

[Zagz]

Sorry haven't checked on you in a couple of days. Thanksgiving for us Candians this weekend. I would not continue treatment at all anymore for now. I am so happy he is doing better. You have fought like a trooper to save him.

 

[JasonC]

So an update... things seem to be *much* better now. The sore is gone, he is much more active, though still has moments of lethargy, and as of yesterday he has started to eat again. Now all I have to do is to wait for the tank to cycle again... though the odd thing is I still have not seen any ammonia show up on my daily tests, and the NitrAtes have gone up 3ppm from my tap water level. Is there any way I could still be cycled even after the BIfuran+?

Best,

Jason

 

[Zagz]

Yes it is possible. Just keep an eye on the parameters and hope that you retai ed enough cycle.

 

[JasonC]

How long do you think I should wait before declaring the tank safe?

It has been 2 weeks today since I terminated the Bifuran, but I would say that the first week of that time was spent doing 50%+ PWC's every day... hardly a time for ammonia to build up to any measurable level... So I guess really a solid week at this point.

Thanks again for all your help!

Jason

 

[JasonC]

Dont know what to do...

Day 16 since halting the Bifuran+ treatment... Not sure whats going on with my re-cycle... my numbers have halted for the past 11 days... 0 Ammonia, 0 NitrItes, <10 NitrAtes... I have yet to see Ammonia in the tank since I started the re-cycle...

Do I need to wait longer to see the ammonia spike, or is it safe to assume cycling is complete? Is there any way to safely test a cycle when there are fish in the tank?

thanks!

 

[gzeiger]

I'm not sure how big a fish we're talking about here, but one by himself might not be enough of an ammonia source to make a noticable buildup. I would expect to see non-zero ammonia readings if your filter had been destroyed, but if the filter is still good I can believe that you might not see a noticable increase in nitrate from one fish, since algae could take up some of it and the test isn't really sensitive to the level you'd need to see it.

I would mostly assume the filter is ok, though to be safe you might do more frequent testing than normal. I would be cautious adding new fish, as the bioload from the one won't have a huge bacteria colony supporting it, but I think you're safely past the panic stage.

I don't know of any safe way to test, though.

 

[Zagz]

I would also say it is safe to assume the cycle is still good unless you see some difference in your parameters.