Sick clown

[ducks4rob]

Not sure what's going on with my little guy #25. Was at top of tank last couple days swimming erratically and breathing fast. In QT now with powerhead blowing straight at waterline and hob filter going. Has gone back to bottom and gotten into a tube. Other than very rapid breathing, he has bulging eyes and it seems a bloated belly. I freshwater dipped him yesterday because it looked like he may have had flukes, but nothing came off. He ate a little mysis afterwards. Today eyes bugged out, they weren't yezterday. Seems to be swimming ok, but obviously stressed. Tried to get video, but no way to post it. Couple of pics that may or may not help. Did a water change today.

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 2

Have filter media that came out of sump and some dr. Tims. All other fish he was with are fine and eating voraciously.
Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Big G]

Looks like your clown has a bacterial infection. Here's Humblefish's treatment advisory. Note the highlighted areas of text:

Bacterial infections:

Symptoms - Sometimes it's self-describing: Popeye/cloudy eyes, fin & tail rot, dropsy (bloated fish), etc. But some other bacterial infections, such as furunculosis, hemorrhagic septicemia, etc., can have varying visible symptoms. Any redness or open sores/wounds on a fish should be viewed with suspicion. Also, a white film or fungus-looking growth may denote a bacterial infection. It’s important to note that in many cases a bacterial infection is usually secondary in nature to a parasitic infestation such as ich, meaning if a fish has been battling ich for a while then his immune system has been lowered. This makes infection more likely for many opportunistic, harmful bacteria.

Treatment options - Broad spectrum antibiotic medication i.e. one that treats both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial diseases. Examples of this include Furan-2, Kanamycin aka Seachem Kanaplex, Nitrofuracin Green Powder, Triple Sulfa Powder, or a combination of using both Erythromycin & Minocycline. The latter can be accomplished (albeit expensively) by using freshwater Maracyn 1 & 2 and then doubling the dosage for saltwater use. When battling a particularly nasty bacterial infection, combining

 

[Crabs McJones]

i 100% agree with Big G and the info given is your best course of action

 

[ducks4rob]

Ok, thanks. I will try and find some of those meds. I will be limited to Petco and Petsmart. We only have 1 lfs and it's closed tomorrow. I can get erythromycin for sure. Should I start that until I can get some furan 2 or how should I go about it?

 

[Big G]

Erythromycin & Minocycline (Maracyn 2) can work really well for Popeye and swelling. Erythromycin by itself is used primarily for gram positive bacterial infections.

 

[ducks4rob]

Sounds good. I'll hunt some down. Thanks again.

 

[Big G]

Gotta be honest here. While Maracyn 2 is a wide spectrum that will work, it often causes cloudy condtions in the tank, which I do not like while trying to observe sick fish. And you have to make sure to use a powerhead aimed up to the surface so that it is actively rippling the water surface to help exchange O2 to help the fish breathe and you mentioned your clown is breathing rapidly already. So I'd much prefer you source Kanaplex or Furan2 if you can find it.

 

[ducks4rob]

Ok. I have the powerhead pointed up now. With the kanaplex or furan2, do I just need to use one of them alone? Or do I need to combine one of them with something else?

 

[Big G]

That's a great question. For a simple bacterial infection you can use just one. For more serious you can combine them. And for really nasty bacterial infections, the "Trifecta" of Kanaplex + Furan2 + Metro is the smart move. Just follow the dosage & method listed on the containers for 10-14 days.

 

[ducks4rob]

Roger that.
Thanks again.

 

[ducks4rob]

Noticed some looooong stringy poop this morning. Can't get meds till this evening. Ironically he is out and about swimming but won't eat. Still the ugly kid at the prom with bulging eyes and bloated belly. Protocol the same with furan, or add prazi?

 

[Big G]

If you dose the "trifecta" the Metro would take care of the internal parasites (worms).

 

[ducks4rob]

Got it thanks

 

[ducks4rob]

Got the clown going with general cure + furan2. Although he is swimming around he is mostly looking unbalanced, still breathing rapidly, has stringy poop, and won't eat. I had to dose the tank because he won't eat. Any further suggestions on how to proceed? Not sure what to do since it's obviously internal, but he won't eat.

 

[thabizness]

If dosing the "Trifecta" do you have to do the daily waterchanges for bifuran and metro? Kanaplex also doses every other day while the other two dose daily. Worried if I do water changes daily I may affect the Kanaplex dose.

 

[Big G]

Dosing the "Trifecta"

Day 1: Use recommended dosage for Metroplex, KanaPlex & Furan-2
Day 2: Use recommended dosage for Furan-2 only
Day 3: 25% Water change and use recommended dosage for Metroplex, KanaPlex & Furan-2
Day 4: Use recommended dosage for Furan-2 only
Day 5: 25% Water change and use recommended dosage for Metroplex, KanaPlex & Furan-2
Repeat this twice ( for at least 10 days)