Could He Have Something Stuck?

[oneponygirl]

Seahorse, on a side note, my husband was born and raised in Michigan (near Jackson) and went to college in the UP.

 

[Seahorse]

College in the UP eh That narrows it down a fair bit.

Let's see... NMU or Lake Superior is my guess A bunch of small ones throughout the towns though.

 

[BettaMomma]

Hmm - you know, that might actually be a good idea.
Give him a break from the meds.

One thing I should say, my Mermaid Man's fins started looking very stiff and brittle, almost kind of leathery too - and that was at the point where he had parasites. I got out a flashlight and was checking for velvet when I spotted the microscopic little white specs all over his face. I would have never otherwise suspected parasites because he wasn't rubbing or scratching on anything.

Give the flashlight a try - I can't remember if you said you'd already done that in looking for velvet or not, but you can check for parasites that way too in some cases.

Tell him to hang in there!

 

[black angel]

what temperature is he at?

 

[oneponygirl]

Seahorse, it was Michigan Tech, can't remember the name of the town although he took me there last summer and it was very pretty.

Bettamomma, I was just going to finish this round and give him a break the meds. Saturday AM (before we left for an overnight) he had a very long string of white "poo". Parasites maybe??? I'm hoping that means the meds are working. He looks less bloated anyway and was swimming around and flared at me when I got home today. Yeah, that's more like it! Although he still didn't eat when I offered him a pellet. I did another 25% water change tonight and I have to check the med bottle to remind myself how many days to treat. I haven't tried the flashlight thing but I might give it a go. Tomorrow though, right now fishie and my son are nightie night.

Black Angel, I'm not sure the temp because that particular tank doesn't have a thermometer, nor does it have a heater. Both are on my list to get ASAP (probably midweek next week). The tank stays on my sons tall dresser not near a heat/vent register or the window.

Thanks guys, I'd be a wreck with worry over this guy if I were at this alone.

 

[BettaMomma]

The white stringy poo could be from internal parasites.
I'd get him some maracyn 2 asap, and get him a heater so you can get his water temp up into the low to mid 80's.

Good luck

 

[black angel]

I think the main problem might be hes too cold to eat and his immune system is going downhill fast. I would stop the meds and concentrate on keeping his water really fresh and getting the temperature up as soon as you can.

 

[oneponygirl]

Bettamomma, the med he is on is for parasites. It's PraziPro (praziquantel), I know that when dogs and cats are dewormed they will often pass the parasites that have been killed. Isn't that what he is doing? The bottle says a standard treatment is 5-7 days and I think today is day 5. I won't be able to get him a heater (if even I can find one for a tank that small - 2 gallons) until Tuesday or Wednesday but it is on the top of my list.

Bettamomma, let me know if you think the Maracyn II would still be a good idea. I think though that I will still give him a few days with the new heater and fresh water before I start.