OMG need help bad something on FW fish
- Thread starter meagheavz
- Start date
Thats a fungal infection. Did he get caught in a net? His fin is badly infected to the pioint that you see the bone (white tip). If possible, QT him and treat him with Maracyn 2 by Mardel. You should remove your carbon before treating the tank.
I would avoid dosing the tank because Maracyn will kill your beneficial bacteria that helps filtration. If you have to, make sure to add carbon immediately after the treatment and use Cycle to help reseed your tanks bacterial colony. Don't forget to do several small water changes over a 2 week period.
*Disclaimer: Im pretty sure about the advice I gave you but I havent used any of those products in over 15 years. Check your LFS to see if they have any newer meds. You can also search for fresh water forums.
Good luck.
I would avoid dosing the tank because Maracyn will kill your beneficial bacteria that helps filtration. If you have to, make sure to add carbon immediately after the treatment and use Cycle to help reseed your tanks bacterial colony. Don't forget to do several small water changes over a 2 week period.
*Disclaimer: Im pretty sure about the advice I gave you but I havent used any of those products in over 15 years. Check your LFS to see if they have any newer meds. You can also search for fresh water forums.
Good luck.
i have melafix and pimafix.. IDK he hides out i hav a cave that he goes in like all day he only comes out at night and i he was in a diffrent cave that u can see it and i put a flash light and i was like WTF...im hoping that works..
Meg..if you have a QT tank, that would be the best place to treat him.
Melafix & Primafix won't help at this point as they are for minor things.
The Maracyn 2 would be a good treatment - follow the dosage instructions on the package carefully & do the water changes as instructed. I would suggest a large water change BEFORE starting the medication. It is quite unusual for this type of catfish to get a fungus infection like that as they are know as 'armor plated' catfish..the skin is very tough
If you put him in a QT tank to medicate..make SURE you have an airline in there.
If you don't have a QT tank & can't set one up, you'll have to use your current tank (forgot what size it is..) and DO remove the carbon (it will absorb the medication) as Leo pointed out. And he is correct about adding the product 'Cycle' after he is on his was to a cure as the medication WILL cause your tank to cycle again.
My other concern is that he is way too thin for what type of fish he is...(Gibbiceps Pleco) Are you feeding him the algae wafers? How many per day and are you putting them into the tank right before the lights go out?
Do you realize how big he will get when he grows up? I have 2 of them..one is 16" and the other is 17".
Please keep us updated on his condition!
Melafix & Primafix won't help at this point as they are for minor things.
The Maracyn 2 would be a good treatment - follow the dosage instructions on the package carefully & do the water changes as instructed. I would suggest a large water change BEFORE starting the medication. It is quite unusual for this type of catfish to get a fungus infection like that as they are know as 'armor plated' catfish..the skin is very tough
If you put him in a QT tank to medicate..make SURE you have an airline in there.
If you don't have a QT tank & can't set one up, you'll have to use your current tank (forgot what size it is..) and DO remove the carbon (it will absorb the medication) as Leo pointed out. And he is correct about adding the product 'Cycle' after he is on his was to a cure as the medication WILL cause your tank to cycle again.
My other concern is that he is way too thin for what type of fish he is...(Gibbiceps Pleco) Are you feeding him the algae wafers? How many per day and are you putting them into the tank right before the lights go out?
Do you realize how big he will get when he grows up? I have 2 of them..one is 16" and the other is 17".
Please keep us updated on his condition!
- Location
- Marine Park
Looks like he got caught in a net.
In all seriousness, fungus. I've treated fungus with salt in the past. Wouldn't hurt to add a bit of salt to the water in addition to the treatments already recommended.
In all seriousness, fungus. I've treated fungus with salt in the past. Wouldn't hurt to add a bit of salt to the water in addition to the treatments already recommended.
Not to disagree Fritz..but I need to ..Plecos don't deal well with salt and this fish is already way too stressed with that fungal infection. I'd almost like to suggest that she do a fast SW dip first...
Meg - I want to change something I posted here..use Maroxy instead of Maracyn2. It won't damage (as in kill) your tanks bacteria and you can treat him in the current tank, just remember you need to take out the carbon first.
You should be able to find it any any well stocked lfs.
Please don't delay, that is a nasty infection he has there!
Meg - I want to change something I posted here..use Maroxy instead of Maracyn2. It won't damage (as in kill) your tanks bacteria and you can treat him in the current tank, just remember you need to take out the carbon first.
You should be able to find it any any well stocked lfs.
Please don't delay, that is a nasty infection he has there!
Maroxy is for external parasites such as ick and velvet. It will do little to help out in this type of situation. You need a strong antibiotic at this stage of the game. If not the pleco will probably lose the use of the fin. This can lead to further internal problems. This might be the reason why it is so thin. Dont worry too much about treating in the tank. Cycling is not as detrimental in fresh water tanks as it is in our hobby. By know I hope you have done SOMETHING.
As far as the comment about armour plating, pleckos have hard scales that lay on top of each other that create the "armour". But this does not apply to areas where soft tissue connects, such as fins connecting to spines and the length of the bottom of the fish.
Leo...I respectfully disagree with much of what you offered.
http://www.virbacpets.com/mardel/product.php?pid=193
Sorry for all the quotes but Kathy is in a b!tchy mood tonight and I don't want to see this fish die....
Meg, I truly hope you have done a large water change. Your water quality is of utmost important right now, and poor water quality may well be what led to the development of the fungus, however the skin lesion originated.
Please tell us what you are treating the fish with??
No it isn't. It is an antifungal.
http://www.virbacpets.com/mardel/product.php?pid=193
She needs to get that fungus off the fish before it reaches his gills. In addition to that Maracyn 2 treats gram negative infections (if there is in fact an underlying bacterial infection). If the fish has a gram positive infection, the Maracyn 2 will be of no use at all. She would be far better off with a broad spectrum antibiotic if she chooses to use one.
Since when? Ammonia will kill a FW fish just as fast as it will kill a SW fish.
This one I wholeheartly agree with!
Sorry for all the quotes but Kathy is in a b!tchy mood tonight and I don't want to see this fish die....
Meg, I truly hope you have done a large water change. Your water quality is of utmost important right now, and poor water quality may well be what led to the development of the fungus, however the skin lesion originated.
Please tell us what you are treating the fish with??
Last edited:
ive done a water change.. i used pimafix melafix while lookin for the things u wanted me to get..i couldnt find wut you guys told me to get so thats why i didnt get it. my friend works at sea world in SD so he over nighted some pills they use..starts with an A i think.. i have to get him a dated the next time he is here..ehhh ill ask him wuts its called
Leo...I respectfully disagree with much of what you offered.
No it isn't. It is an antifungal.
http://www.virbacpets.com/mardel/product.php?pid=193
She needs to get that fungus off the fish before it reaches his gills. In addition to that Maracyn 2 treats gram negative infections (if there is in fact an underlying bacterial infection). If the fish has a gram positive infection, the Maracyn 2 will be of no use at all. She would be far better off with a broad spectrum antibiotic if she chooses to use one.
Since when? Ammonia will kill a FW fish just as fast as it will kill a SW fish.
This one I wholeheartly agree with!
Sorry for all the quotes but Kathy is in a b!tchy mood tonight and I don't want to see this fish die....
Meg, I truly hope you have done a large water change. Your water quality is of utmost important right now, and poor water quality may well be what led to the development of the fungus, however the skin lesion originated.
Please tell us what you are treating the fish with??
No problem. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But remember, there is a big difference between searching online for info on a product and having actually used it. I kept FW fish for over 12 years and had several boughts with infections. In the case of the now deceased pleco, Maracyn 2 would have done a great deal more for the infection in the stage that it was in than Maroxy. They both treat similar conditions but in different ways. Sometimes in life you have to go with gut feeling and I wish she would have done so in this case and took my advice. Regarless of what the labels/internet say.
I want to clarify something: Cycling is detrimental in ANY system. But the fact is that FW fish have a much higher tolerance for water parameter fluctuations than SW fish. Especially when you are talking about a pleco. Let me see.........how many of us have "cleaned" our FW tanks when we were young and removed the gravel to rinse it out, put in a new whisper filter pad, filled up the tank with tap water, put stress coat in the water and put the fish in? 9 times out of 10 the fish survive. Try that in our hobby and compare the two. Hopefully you now understand my comment.
As far as the b!tchyness, two things: First, I can suggest taking mydol or pamprin. They are not guaranteed to work but they might help a bit. Secondly, you shouldn't reply to someone's post when you feel that way.:headache:
Respectfully
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
