Bristlenose Won't Eat. Almost 3 Weeks

[Akasha72]

have a read at this - it might help http/www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=49
 
pH 5.8-7.2 

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Thanks for the link! I read it and bookmarked it. I think when I was looking for an algae eater for this tank I found that they were smaller and that's all I looked at. So thanks for the info. Now I have to go buy some Indian almond leaves....good luck to me! I also have melafix and pimafix on hand but I've never had luck using those for some reason.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Update...what to do....

The vet took a loot at two videos(I got a slightly better one today) and he said that it probably isn't normal but he didn't think it's a water quality issue. And he could only advise treatment if he was able to knock her out to look at her.

This is the problem....he is an hour and a half away from me(one way). Would you take her that far? She still won't eat because her mouth hurts. (I did ask how much it would cost for this too...waiting in reply.)

I just wish I could tell if it's something stuck. It almost seems to be but I'm just not sure. If it was that and I could find a way to safely knock her out myself I could probably remove it. But I just...don't know. Here is the second video of it.

https/youtu.be/T1whN_NxF4Y

 

[Akasha72]

I can see what you mean now ... that doesn't look right. She's also breathing far too fast. I don't know what to suggest other than to let the vet look at her

 

[cowgirluntamed]

She's stressing out when I shine the light on her. She's calmer when I first start but I wanted to get the better video. I try to leave her alone otherwise. So would you drive an hour and a half away then? I'm kind of leaning towards it. If I could figure out how to plug a heater and air pump into my car everything should go well. Still waiting to hear back from the vet on price though.

 

[Akasha72]

If it were me I would ask a vets advice yes, but if it were very expensive then I'd let nature take it's course. 

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Thanks Akasha. I know most people around here(where I live,not the forums here), would say I'm stupid..that she's "just a fish". And why would I go to these lengths? If it was any of the tetras or the guppies...I'd probably have put them down already. If they wouldn't have died...But Spots just seems to be a huge fighter. I mean...almost 4 weeks now with no food? And she's got a great personality that I hate to just throw it all down the drain...I've watched her grow from a tiny 1-1 1/2 inch little thing to what she is now in 2 years. I can't believe myself that I got this attached to a fish...and to a fussy, princess type attitude one at that...lol. But I did...Anyway, thanks again. I'll let you know what the vet says when I hear back from them(I may have to email again for the price as they didn't get back to me yesterday). I'll keep you updated though.

 

[Akasha72]

I know what you mean. I was like that with my curviceps cichlids. I cried when the female jumped out the tank and died and I cried when the male died too. I miss them both so much. I didn't think I could get attached to a fish either but I did to curviceps. Some fish just capture your heart and that's that. 
 
Keep me posted with how you get on with her. I'm hoping this is something an nothing and can be cured easily

 

[cowgirluntamed]

I decided to go ahead and get her to the vet. Waiting on an email or call back from them to make an appointment. I'm hoping for Wednesday. I know it's a little bit a way but due to my working overnights and it being an hour and a half away...I'm hoping I can get her in then if they can fit me in. It's only going to cost $25 to have him look at her. Anesthesia, if needed may be around $35, and extra for any other treatment. I did buy a power converter for my car so I can plug a heater and air pump in while we're traveling there. I think...depending on the day I get in...I will catch her the day before and put her in that little shoebox size container in clean water to let her settle. Before leaving for the vet I would change at least 50% of the water if not more. Do you think this would be acceptable? She hasn't been eating of course and I haven't seen any poo for a while now. I just don't know how long it would take to actually catch her and I wouldn't want to be late for the vet.

 

[Akasha72]

that all sounds acceptable to me. Another option would be to add her to plastic storage box with a heater and internal filter (with a lid of course) that way she can move around and you won't have to start pulling anything apart to catch her when your on a deadline.
 
I've had to use plastic storage boxes as emergency fish tanks before and it works okay so long as they are strong enough not to bulge when full of water

 

[cowgirluntamed]

This is a 7 quart/6.6 liter plastic storage box, latch top, that they have a picture of shoes in. It's not really big enough for a filter. That's why I was wondering if it's OK for her to be in it for a day since she's not really moving around much anyway. Also easier to heat as well.and there would be a small airstone in there as well. But I figured to catch her the day before, so I can take time if I need to. Then just do a water change before I leave the vet which wouldn't be hard or take long for that.

I also plan to get a bigger size tote so I can set up a small sponge filter (about 10 US gallons of water) in case she needs to be quarantined and have some meds added at all after the vet visit. I would be using the same heater for this small one as well as this bigger one but I will test it to make sure it can handle heating that much water. If not I will get a bigger heater.

 

[Akasha72]

the only problem I can see is you might have issues with ammonia. All fish produce ammonia all the time via resperation, and the bigger the fish the more they'll produce. Leaving her in a tub over-night may leave you dealing with ammonia by morning making her even sicker. This was why I suggested using a larger (deeper) storage box as a temporary home to keep her in over night - one that is big enough to hold a heater and small internal filter. This way you can rest assured she's not being poisoned during the night. Come morning you can add some water to your smaller box and add her to it. For the journey she should be fine ammonia wise.
 
If you have a seperate container set up for her at home and she needs meds she can go back into her temporary home, take her medicine and rest and recover (dependent on what the vet advises) 
 
If it were me I'd look for a container with a lid that holds around 8-10 litres. If it turns out she needs special care for a week or so and can't go back into the tank and you have something like this set up your prepared. Does that make sense?

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Got an appointment made for tuesday!

I'll look to see what we have. If I can find something a bit bigger I may go ahead and get it. One that can hold the 10 gallons I was talking about wouldn't be for traveling. I know what you mean on the ammonia. I figured to if before I go to work(and maybe even one before I went to bed), to do a water change and then again before I leave for the vet. But I'll see what we have in the morning. Thanks for the tips! I'll keep you updated as things progress!

 

[Akasha72]

please do. I'm so hoping you can get her well again

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Well, got her caught this morning. And it wasn't catching but the releasing that was the problem. Both of her gill spikes got caught in the net. One came off fairly easy and the other took a minute. Any time I look in on her she has the spikes out. Is this normal? Did I accidentally hurt her or is she just maybe sore? She didn't like being put in this container. It's got 2 gallons of water, a heater keeping it at 75F and a bubbler. Unfortunately it's too short for an internal filter to work in it with the lid on and I have to keep it on due to cats. I'm going to check the ammonia levels before I go to work tonight and probably just do a water change and add prime. Then I will do the same in the morning before I take her in. My power converter works so she'll have the heater and bubbler on the way there and back. i have the container covered with a towel so hopefully she won't be as stressed. And it seems to have persuaded one of my cats to back off so he won't be scaring her now. Anyway, I'll update tonight with how she's doing.