they just keep coming my way...

[patagonia]

i dont know whats going on with my tank...ive quarantined the neons already and now yesterday morning i woke up and looking at the remaining fish (which seemed to be healthy as of yesterday) i realised that now one harlequin rasbora is really swollen...literally she or he looks like a hatchet fish...so i fed them peas yesterday but today shes still the same...the scales ARE NOT sticking out and she doesnt have trouble swimming...she eats fine too...ammonia and nitrites are 0ppm...nitrates are 5ppm and pH is 7.6...i returned the temp back to 79-80F over a week period....i changed 50% of the water on wednesday when i transferred the neons to the 10gal QT...i havent added anything new to the tank since i first set it up almost a year ago...what should i do??? i have the QT with the neons already so....why oh why

 

[Devilishturtles]

Any chance for a picture? Could she have eggs? Have you noticed any friskiness (ie: mating rituals) lately with the rasboras?

 

[patagonia]

they do that all the time...these mating rituals...2 will get side by side and their dorsal fin really erected and then they kinda start shaking and moving together at the same time...a few times ive seen them going upside down underneath a leaf but...who knows? i would be the first one to be happy if she is really pregnant...i dont even know is SHE is really a she...and since my pH is a little higher than ideal for them i thought it just couldnt happen...ill keep an eye on this fish and see what happens...
about those antibiotics you suggested for fish TB i couldnt find them at big als...all they have is this erythromycin gel food kinda thing...and it comes in different flavors...lol...penicillin, neomycin, etc...so im not quite sure where to get the ones you suggested....
about the pic...ill keep trying...been trying pretty much all day but they move so fast....

 

[patagonia]

anybody knows where to get TB medicine? or any antibiotic other than streptomycin or kanamycin???

 

[Devilishturtles]

I looked around...and cannot seem to find any either. So, perhaps any antibiotic would work. I would start treatment with what you can find. Erythromycin is the main ingredient in Maracyn 2, and that should be easy enough to find.

*goes on a hunt for good TB antibiotics*

 

[Devilishturtles]

Oh, and about the rasbora...sounds like she could be harboring eggs. I'd keep an eye on them, but not worry at this point. Rasboras are leaf layers, so them hanging out around leafy plants may be a good sign.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

As for TB, this is all I could find....

http://www.thekrib.com/Diseases/fish-tb.html

 

[patagonia]

according to the article you can successfully treat TB with erythromycin...i have maracyn II and erythromycin gel food that the guy gave me for free at big als...because they didnt have the ones i was looking for...this gel food wont hurt your biological cycle...or thats what they claim at least...ill try that one and see what hapens...how can you tell when the fish are cured??? i dont think the one with the crooked spine is gonna straighten up...i dont know...im just scared of re introducing them into the main tank again...

 

[Devilishturtles]

I have never treated TB before, so I haven't seen first hand the total treatment. Rumor has it that it is completely curable, but I am not sure. IMO, if it doesn't get worse at all, then that is good. Perhaps you can stop the infection, but not cure the spinal deformation. I'd also add some of the Maracyn II to your tank, along with the gel food. You may hurt your Biological filter just a little, but better than spreading TB around.

Also, watch for cuts on your hands. If you have one, cover it with a bandaid before putting your hands in the water. Just as a precaution

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Or even use rubber gloves if you need to put your hands in the water. Some pet stores carry gloves for use in aquariums.

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/category.xml?pcid1=3347;category_id=2935

 

[patagonia]

can you use regular gloves? i work in a hospital so i have nitrile gloves...latex and powder free...i wonder if they are ok for fish tanks...