Is there an Ichthyo-Pathologist in the house?

[Menagerie]

I do not have a digital camera, so you’ll have to go by my description. My 7” pleco is hemorrhaging under the skin. It was noticed last night—right before bed. My fiancé and I could see that there was an evagination at his vent, which looked like a red balloon popping out. There was also some redness on a small portion of his side. We could do nothing last night, since our QT tank is occupied right now. The pleco was still with us this morning, so we spent all day getting and setting up a new QT tank (don’t worry—the pleco is in the old QT tank that is cycled). We had to move the pygmy cories (now in the new QT tank, which is using “old” water to seed the new filter) in order to accommodate the pleco.
After netting him, we did a through inspection. He was being helpful by hanging on the side of the glass. At the edges of his pectoral and pelvic fins and on his belly, the capillaries have burst. Furthermore, some internal organs (colon?) has evaginated out through the vent. He is still active—put up quite a fight—I had to remove EVERY rock from the 80 gal tank. Also, his color is still normal. My fiancé says it looks that a pressure problem, i.e. taking a fish from the depths and brought up rapidly.
What to do?

 

[Allivymar]

It could be a pressure problem if you moved the fish up from around 100 feet below the surface of the water. Chances are that hasn't happened

My guess is hemorraghic septicemia, caused by the aeromonas bacteria or Rhabdovirus carpio (a virus). If its Aeromonas, antibiotics MAY work, if the infection hasn't caused too much tissue damage. If its viral, unfortunately there's no treatment. I'd start a round of Kanacyn ASAP in case it is bacterial in origin.

 

[Menagerie]

8O OMG!
Any idea how this is transferred? There haven't been any new additions to the tank. Are my other fish at risk?

 

[Menagerie]

I have done some research, but I found out more on cattle and buffalo and nontropical fish. Then I read this http://www.geocities.com/shtinkythefish/diseases/septicemia.htm --at what point do you pull the plug on a fish that may be in pain (not really sure, since he isn't talking)??

As of this evening, the pleco is being treated and is still with us.

 

[Allivymar]

I'd give it a few days if he doesn't seem uncomfortable (not moving, not eating, clamped fins, breathing heavy). The antibiotics may turn the corner for him, and I hate to kill a fish without giving it a fighting chance. Here's why:

4 days ago I discovered one of my angelfish fry floating at the top of the tank with the mom picking at it. It appeared to have a defective swim bladder and had to use huge amounts of energy to get off the surface, so mainly it just floated there. I assumed it was either a genetic disorder or an infection; I isolated it, and when things didn't change in 24 hours I went looking for clove oil to euthanise it. Good thing I couldn't find any. When I got up this morning, I realised I had frozen daphnia in the freezer, and that its one of the recommended treatments for constipation (one of the main causes of swim bladder issues). I put some in the QT tank along with a little BBS. 6 hours later, the fish was swimming midtank. He got a little more for dinner, and if he's still midtank tomorrow he goes back with his siblings.

So as long as the fish isn't obviously suffering or at death's door, there's always a chance for survival.

 

[Menagerie]

BBS?

 

[Allivymar]

Sorry LOL Baby brine shrimp. Its THE food for most egg laying fish fry.

 

[Menagerie]

Thank you!

 

[Menagerie]

Well, the pleco is still with us. He is on both Melafix and KanaPlex. For the KanaPlex, the directions say to treat every two days up to a max of three doses, which would end tomorrow. My fiancé wants to continue treatment. I personally have not seen the pleco up close since Friday--he has been hiding in a fake log. My fiancé thinks he's getting better--based on the pectoral fins, but he has not seen the underside of the pleco.
What should we do about the KanaPlex treatment?

 

[Menagerie]

This pleco is a trooper. I am happy to report that he is eating and pooping as usual!
The evagination at his vent is gone, replaced by a yellow-orange spot. The pectoral fins look normal. The stomach area looks darker than the rest of him, but it's no longer pink. Hopefully, none of you will ever encounter this; however, if you do, here is the detailed treatment that began on Feb 28:
Melafix every night
KanaPlex every other morning
Changed the water (actually had to move him to a diff QT tank) March 5th.
The last dose will be given on March 13th. Then the pleco will be observed for an additional two weeks in QT.
I’ll update again next week.

 

[Allivymar]

Yay! I love positive news I'm glad you gave treatment a go before euthanizing him; looks like it was the right move.

 

[Menagerie]

looks like it was the right move.

It does now! 10 days ago, I would not have agreed. Plus, I had been talking to someone I feel is very experienced with fish and they told me the pleco was a goner. I hate to see suffering--my fiancé had to look at the pleco everyday and give me an update. The same is holding true for my diminishing number of Badis. There's one that lays on its side 8O , but the little guys still with us, so I won’t give up (even though I already lost two ).

 

[Christmasfish]

I wished I had peeked here earlier....loach #2 is gone and it bled out the gills as well as looked like it was splitting at the bely..no real bloating to do that.
I started suspecting Spring Koi Pond disease which is now known by the name of the cause....aeromonas bacteria. I started them on med..but tey are loaches..half strenth at this late date...
Glad your lil fella is pulling thorugh

 

[Menagerie]

The pleco is healthy and back in the 80 gal. Thank goodness! There was nasty brown algae on the glass. I thought there was no way the pleco had been keeping the tank that clean! Overnight, the algae was gone.
One odd occurrence--the two mature male cichlids have been picking on the pleco ever since his return last week :?