FRESHWATER HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

[Noob_Sam]

Looks like a bad case of drowsy and secondary infection
1 teaspoon of epsom salt per 10 gallons and use of maracyn 2 and/or tetracycline would be best bets
What armrest you using for filtration?

I have a hang on the back with media from my 220 and a big sponge filter.

 

[leighla wolf]

Yes I have carbon in my tank but I haven't changed it for months so its not active.

Please pull it. Any treatment you’re putting in water is getting pulled out by carbon... also it may help because HLLE (headband lateral line Erosion and hexamita - are debated to be linked to carbon)

 

[vetteguy53081]

Maybe metronidazole as well? What do you think? In case he has a secondary infection and because the tank is still cycling?

That may help also
Also a cold water fish .... temperature 74-76

 

[Noob_Sam]

Maybe metronidazole as well? What do you think? In case he has a secondary infection and because the tank is still cycling?

i dont understand how a tank can be still cycling after 2 years... and I had fish in there that had no issues.

 

[Noob_Sam]

Also i feed high quality food. Hikary Gold.

 

[Noob_Sam]

I forgot to mention. So my friend that breeds flowerhorns was actually at the store one day before I bought my FH ( same lfs) and he saw that flowerhorn and his friend asked if he should get it and he said that it was sick. So in other words I bought a sick fish. I did not know that because I am not an expert in Flowerhorns and he looked very very healthy at the store. But When I looked over the pics that I took when the FH was at the store his belly was a lite bit swollen; in other words he had internal parasites from my lfs...

 

[leighla wolf]

I guess it depends on how long you left it fallow (fishless)? Possibly also variations in temperature and water quality(like if you use sink water and don’t do prime in the summer especially chlorine). However... I don’t know your tank setups, i don’t leave fallow tanks either, i have specific tanks that I set up and break down completely and don’t leave them running 24/7 to save space/my electric bill lol. I also quarantine fish so once a fish/cuc leaves the tank it’s completely emptied and all equipment is sanitized to prevent anything infecting the next tank member I may add

 

[leighla wolf]

I forgot to mention. So my friend that breeds flowerhorns was actually at the store one day before I bought my FH ( same lfs) and he saw that flowerhorn and his friend asked if he should get it and he said that it was sick. So in other words I bought a sick fish. I did not know that because I am not an expert in Flowerhorns and he looked very very healthy at the store. But When I looked over the pics that I took when the FH was at the store his belly was a lite bit swollen; in other words he had internal parasites from my lfs...

‍ If i were you i wouldn’t go back to that lfs ever again.. my lfs wont sell sick fish (he goes so far as to turning lights off tanks where sick fish are so you know you can’t but from them) and has quarantine tanks if he sees fish sick to separate them from the rest of livestock. However if little guy is still eating, there’s still a chance. Once they stop, imhe, it’s the end.

 

[leighla wolf]

That may help also
Also a cold water fish .... temperature 74-76

Could there be a pH issue as well? I don’t keep cichlid family sort of fishes (too aggressive for my fw tanks and I don’t remember their ph for tanks) but I do know my Corydoras are quite sensitive to PH and salts and little fluctuations in ph cause issues too.

 

[MadeForThat]

EVERYTHING BUT THE INTERNAL ISSUE is irrelevant at the moment, if other fish are not also struggling, the water quality is clearly fine. Is the fish eating? If not, an injected treatment might be necessary. A veterinarian might be a good person to contact asap to see if they can get you the meds to do this. If they are eating, you need to investigate what the worm is that you are currently facing, and feed a medication that kills it. It looks as though it is currently passing some dead worms, so they may already be dead, but now your fish needs to pass a big pile of worms that were likely imbedded in its digestive tract, and are now starting to decay inside of the poor fish. To aid this, you need to attempt to reduce the risk of infection by giving antibiotics as someone mentioned above. I would not stress the fish anymore than you need to at this point, I would say avoid cleaning the tank or adjusting parameters until you see it pass more of the worms. If other fish are just fine, then the environment isn't the big source of stress, and changing it just adds stress.

 

[MadeForThat]

stop commenting things that are irrelevant to the OP, it just adds to the confusion and worry as they try to save their fish.

 

[vetteguy53081]

stop commenting things that are irrelevant to the OP, it just adds to the confusion and worry as they try to save their fish.

Before you make comment to others , note that they are merely trying to help. Any help is appreciated opposed to other sites which offer nothing especially seeing the amount of people offering suggestions considering this is a reefing community.

 

[vetteguy53081]

@Crabs McJones

See pm

 

[Noob_Sam]

EVERYTHING BUT THE INTERNAL ISSUE is irrelevant at the moment, if other fish are not also struggling, the water quality is clearly fine. Is the fish eating? If not, an injected treatment might be necessary. A veterinarian might be a good person to contact asap to see if they can get you the meds to do this. If they are eating, you need to investigate what the worm is that you are currently facing, and feed a medication that kills it. It looks as though it is currently passing some dead worms, so they may already be dead, but now your fish needs to pass a big pile of worms that were likely imbedded in its digestive tract, and are now starting to decay inside of the poor fish. To aid this, you need to attempt to reduce the risk of infection by giving antibiotics as someone mentioned above. I would not stress the fish anymore than you need to at this point, I would say avoid cleaning the tank or adjusting parameters until you see it pass more of the worms. If other fish are just fine, then the environment isn't the big source of stress, and changing it just adds stress.

no the fish is not eating that's why I am injecting the treatment. I already got the meds. But I think he has more issues than just internal parasites.

 

[Noob_Sam]

I guess it depends on how long you left it fallow (fishless)? Possibly also variations in temperature and water quality(like if you use sink water and don’t do prime in the summer especially chlorine). However... I don’t know your tank setups, i don’t leave fallow tanks either, i have specific tanks that I set up and break down completely and don’t leave them running 24/7 to save space/my electric bill lol. I also quarantine fish so once a fish/cuc leaves the tank it’s completely emptied and all equipment is sanitized to prevent anything infecting the next tank member I may add

wait even though I had my carbon for over 6 months does it still absorb medication? I only put prazi to kill the other worms ( the ones that turned out they don't bother the fish but still i did not want them, and they all died) but I will use General Cure by API now as well so I just wanted to know if the carbon can still above after 6 months. I read that it only works for one month max.

 

[vetteguy53081]

wait even though I had my carbon for over 6 months does it still absorb medication? I only put prazi to kill the other worms ( the ones that turned out they don't bother the fish but still i did not want them, and they all died) but I will use General Cure by API now as well so I just wanted to know if the carbon can still above after 6 months. I read that it only works for one month max.

It would absorb at a very low level.
Hats off for fighting to save this fish and restore to health and not giving up. We have a good clue as to issue - just getting it to respond to treatment.

 

[Lasse]

In a late stage - African cichlids like the Tropheus genus from Lake tanganyika and Mbunas from Lake Malawi shows up dropsy like symptoms after a hexamita (or more right Spironucleus) infections. Look for Malawi Bloat. After these pictures I´m more convinced that it is an Spironucleus (hexamita) infection. Its the same family of flagellates that cause Hole in Head among Discus fish. Do you know the name of pills you get from your friend? Flagyl is a trade name for metronidazole

Another effective drug is Dimetrizadole

Both this can be used as a longtime bath even in freshwater (In my earlier life - I was an Tanganyika Cichlid aquarist and treated African Bloat with success already around 1977) I´m living in Sweden - do not know which types of drugs that is available in the US that is effective but Waterlife octozin works - I have tested that.

This is a typical stress disease and many times caused by to powerful food. The "parasite" is normal in the gastrointestinal tract and different types of stress make it to take over.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

dont understand how a tank can be still cycling after 2 years... and I had fish in there that had no issues.

Do not worry about this - it is not your problem. I'm pretty sure it's a flagella based infection.


@Jay Hemdal any inputs?



Take away the carbon during treatment period

Sincerely Lasse

 

[GrapevineReefs]

I breed discus, angels and other SA cichlids full time as well as my love of reefing. flagellates is my guess i deal with it every 90 days in a few of my discus breeding pairs that only eat live black worms. I attribute my problems with the feeding of live black worms not sure what your feeding. My go to fix all for flagellates is Metro+ it has not failed me yet Furan-2 also a great med Discus are Cichlids as well. Carbon has to come out for anything to work. Salt and heat also are old school failsafes that I abide by while running meds.

 

[Noob_Sam]

@everyone Thanks for all the help He is not getting better So I called my lfs and he accepted to give me store credit. Thanks again. There is a lot of good info in this forum so people with similar situation will get their questions answered.