Black Moor emergency!

[chrisnield]

Hi everyone

My Black Moor Regine isn't doing too well.

For the past couple of weeks I've noticed her getting more and more lethargic and bottom sitting for at least half the day.

Having not seen her poop for a while I presumed she was simply constipated and added more high fibre foods to her diet to try and flush her out so to speak.

With nothing natural seeming to work I decided to try a med and picked up some Interpet Methylene Blue as I now believe she has an internal infection (having seen white stringy poop some days).

I treated the whole tank with MB been as she is on her own in a 65 litre aquarium with PF 2 filter and air stone.

I was alarmed at how blue the water went but almost instantly it made Regine act like she's in a trance - sat at the bottom, breathing very slowly, and only moving occasionally across the pebbles, not what you could call swimming.

I did a 40% water change last night and have done a 25% one just now as well as replacing the carbon media in a bit to try and remove the blueness and the meds as i believe she's had a pretty bad reaction to it.

I'm worried sick that I've poisoned her with MB and also that she won't be able to eat as the water is so dark and she won't see the food. She's not eaten for 36 hours now.

Just done a water test which is hard with the blue tint to the water but it looks as though ammonia has crept up to 0.25 although I don't know how much the blue dye is affecting the water colour on the test.

Can anyone at all offer some help?

Thanks!
Chris

 

[jlk]

I am sorry to hear this about Regine!! Ok, bad news first- you are likely seeing spikes in toxins. Mb is a potent oxidizer and likely sterilized your good bacteria. With the exception of it destroying good bacteria, it is a very safe med to use unless you overdose in extreme. How much did you add?

Do you have access to any other med options such as metronizadole? I am guessing that you do not as Interpret products are common in countries that have strict limits on antibiotic availablity. As she is not eating, treating the tank or seeking a vets help for more direct treatments are options to consider here. That said, if she was simply bottom sitting, I would not be as concerned as not eating which indicates she really does not feel well.

 

[Fishguy17]

I agree with Jilk on this if you over dose it could harm your fish just like any other med would.

 

[Berylla]

I agree with ilk, meth blue may have killed off your good bacteria. It's only good in quarantine. Test to see if you have an ammonia spike and keep up with the water changes.

 

[chrisnield]

Thanks for the reply, guys.

OK by literally dropping some soaked pellets on the end of her nose I got her to eat yesterday and this morning I mushed up a pea and dropped it close by and she went for it. The fact she's eating is a huge relief!

I also did another 25% water change this morning before leaving for work to further dilute the remaining MB in the tank. I think it will be at least a week until the water loses its blue-ness.

So I'm hoping she's on the mend and over the worst if the eating is anything to go by. She's still bottom sitting but breathing more steadily and occasionally goes for a mini swim before sitting down again.

I will keep doing daily 25% changes and tests to monitor any spikes.

 

[chrisnield]

Oh, forgot to mention - I followed the recommended Interpet MB dosage of just over 10ml for the size of her tank and diluted it in warm water first.

 

[jlk]

65l is @17g. I am not sure what the strength is of this MB product but generally, the dose is 5ml/10g as a tank treatment. If you added over 10mls, I would say this was too much considering theres water displacement for substrate and decor. I would have dosed based on 15g (or 7.5mls). Just keep a close eye on your parameters and continue with water changes as needed. I am glad to hear shes eating!!!

 

[Berylla]

Sounds like she's on the mend (yeah!). keep us posted.

 

[chrisnield]

Thanks! Sounds like it was my fault for overdosing her with it in that case. Lesson well and truly learnt.

If she makes a full recovery which I'm feeling more positive that she will now, will there be any lasting harm caused from the MB?

 

[Berylla]

MB is a really good chemical bath for most diseases because its both a fungicide and bactericide. It even has some effect on ich. However, it kills your good bacteria in your tank. When you have another fish that is not feeling well, a MB bath in a QT is highly recommended.

The only lasting effect is that you will need to check your ammonia for the next 2 weeks to ensure there isn't a spike.

 

[jlk]

No lasting harm, so do not worry!! I use MB frequently but I only use it as a bath at a much higher concentration than you added to your tank. Any med can be harmful when used in excess but as you did water changes since adding it, I would not be concerned at all. You just need to keep an eye on your parameters. Also, if there is anything in your tank that looks blue (ie, decor, substrate etc), it will be permanently blue- this stuff stains really bad!

 

[chrisnield]

Great, thanks. So even an overdose won't be harmful to her barring the 'drugged' reaction she's had over the past few days which is starting to wear off?

Regine lives on her own in the tank so I suppose it's been a quarantine in a way... just on a larger scale!

 

[jlk]

Dont worry! I think you will see improvement of the 'drugged' effect with each water change. Shes eating which is very important indicator here of how she feels!

 

[chrisnield]

Phew! Thank you so much for the advice and reassurance!

 

[chrisnield]

Regine update: She's on the mend! Daily 25% water changes, plenty of aquarium salt and good food.

We're still a little blue but it's clearing

 

[jlk]

Glad shes feeling better! She really is a beautiful fish!