fluffy fins and missing bits!

[matt_penny1]

Hi all,

managed to get my albino clarias catfish a new home after it devestated my tank, (i think thats how it is prononced), but his/her/it's legacy lives on!

It managed to decimate a group of 5 platy's leaving 1, which is now showing signs of damage, it's nipped fins have a white fluffy growth and there is a bit of flesh showing, some kind of infection I guess.

I don't have a second tank so have taken the fish and put it in a breeding cage so at least it has no physical contact with the others, was this the right thing to do? whats the next step?

many thanks

 

[Fawke]

Hey matt_penny1,

Sounds like you did the right thing on seperating the injured fish, at least he can't come to anymore harm there, although a cage may stress him out a tad.

I would recommend trying to setup a hospital tank, not quite sure what resources you have to your aid, but you could begin treating him there with a light dosage of melafix and maybe some methylene blue......

Melafix will help heal the wound, where the methylene blue (effective when used with aquarium salt) will help rid the light fungus (fluffy bits).....

If the wound is open and you cannot transfer him to a hospital tank, i would apply a salt bath to the wound and maybe dosing the tank lightly with melafix (check the other fish can't be effected first).

I do not know alot about Clarias Catfish at all, but after doing a quick search on google and Planet Catfish it seems to be quite big ??
Going by the size of it's barbels, the fish is predatory, and by the sounds of it... your fish are experiencing it's predatoryness
I would research that fish and see what it's potentials are before taking another course of action with regards to him/it/her...

Keep us posted...

HTH

EDIT - Typo

 

[matt_penny1]

thanks,

Just read your sig, are you a villa fan? if so, being a bluenose dunno if i should take advice from you

only Joking!

My catfish is now in the capable hands of Rhyl Aquaria who confirmed that it would grow to around 3ft, not good in a 2ft tank!

It was brought with 5 Cherry Barbs and was not warned that it would eat stuff or grow so big!

so it has moved on, just leaving death and destruction in it's wake!!

I'd like to set up a second tank, one for use in breeding, nursing etc... but smaller than my main tank.

If i was to have it setup full time i would need heaters, filters etc... would this be neccesary for a hospital/breeding tank (considering the short period of time spent in there)

thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[Fawke]

Hi matt_penny,

Blue nose hey? il look out for you on December the 12th when you boys come to us...
Il be the one with "I 8 THE BLUES" on my back

Anyhow, glad to hear you got rid of that monster, indeed not a good 2ft community tank inhabitant

With regards to setting up a Quarantine/Hosptial/Breeding Tank - A tank can be set up and kept running all of the time or can be setup as needed. Requirements are a heater, thermometer, mechanical filtering and some method of biological filtering to eliminate the toxic ammonia built up through fish waste.
Here are three methods:

* Set up a separate tank using a heater and a simple sponge filter. Maintain this tank with a few hardy fish such as Zebra Danios or White Cloud Mountain Minnows. The hardy fish will develop and maintain the bio filtration that will cultivate in the sponge filter. This method essentially requires that the tank be setup and running all of the time.

** If you don't want to have the tank up and running all of the time, you could have an extra filter running in the main tank and transfer this filter to the quarantine tank. When the new fish arrive or a diseased fish requires medication, you can use the water and the extra filter from the established tank. This would give you an instantly established tank ready to use.

*** Still another method that would not require running the quarantine tank all of the time would be to use Zeolites or another type of ammonia toxin remover. The Zeolites will absorb the toxic ammonia produced from the fish waste.

I personally use the second method - setting up a tank when needed. Simply run a spare filter on your main tank for a week (to establish b.bacteria) and then transfer it to a QT setup ready for use.

Gravel is not usually required in these tanks. In fact, I would recommend not using anything for a substrate. This makes cleaning much easier.

Water changes should be small and frequent to maintain water quality. Daily would be ideal.
Clean the sponge filter with chlorine free water at the same temperature as the aquarium. Use the water from your main tank is an excellent way of achieving this. This will keep the bacteria that have formed in the filter alive, eliminating the need to cycle or recycle the tank.
Thoroughly clean and disinfect the tank after using for treating sick fish.

If you are introducing new fish, keep them in the quarantine tank for at least two weeks, three weeks would be ideal.
Observe them daily for activity and any signs of disease. If diseases do appear, treat accordingly and keep the fish in the quarantine tank an additional two weeks after any signs of the disease have disappeared.

A note here. Don't medicate new fish just to be sure, medicating healthy fish weakens them and reduces their resistance to the medications. Only treat them if they are showing signs of disease.

Hope thats enough info, a Google Search will reveal much of the same info

HTH

 

[matt_penny1]

Thanks again,

setting up a hospital tank is not an option in this case, so would any of the treatments u suggest affect the other inhabitants of my tank.

I have:
1 Silver Shark
3 Cherry Barb
9 Zebra Danios
4 Dalmation Molly's
2 Ghost Shrimp, and
1 Mountain Shrimp.

thanks.

 

[Fawke]

Hmm, im not too sure about the invertabrates (shrimp).
I would personally to a small salt bath for the ill fish.

Methylene blue will stain the hell out of your tank, and without aq.salt, is pretty useless on all but the smallest of fungii.

Salt bath -

Have a look at this site for info on salt treatment. Aquarium salt is pretty cheap too.

Anybody else have any ideas?

 

[matt_penny1]

Thanks,

had a look, think i will take that route, doesn't say how i set it up? do i take a water from the tank and disolve salt in it and let the fish swim in that for a bit? keeping an eye on tempreture of course?


cheers

 

[Fawke]

Sorry for getting back so late, had a manic few days.....

Salt Bath
I would dissolve te salt first, in dechlorinated water, then add it to some tank water and maybe an air stone.
The larger the container the better.
Use the dosage written on the packet or on the link i gave you, start off with a little and slowly increase it to the dosage so the fish is not shocked. Leave him in there for 30 mins or so.

Melafix
I would also look at getting some melafix. This (if you prefer) could be used as an alternative to salt. It is an all round healing treatment and pretty effective.
Alot of ppl on here swear by it, including me, for healing.
It's basically tea tree oil and water, it's pretty potent (smell) and helps healing well.
Or you could follow the salt bath with a low dosage treatment of this.

Melafix is pretty safe to use with any fish, including scaless. Invertabretes and marine corals are also safe, so i presume your shrimps would be fine....
This would mean you could treat the whole tank, which would not stress the fish as much as a salt bath in another container would......

How is the little guy doing?

 

[matt_penny1]

hi,

latest news,

all the fluff/mould/whatever has gone, the nasty red patch of flesh has cleared up, and what looks like a little bit of fin is growing back!

still in isolation in the main tank in a breeding cage, just to protect hime from nips, he's swimming about well and looks reasonably healthy and is eating.

thanks for all your help.

 

[OzzieGirl]

Hi Guys,

great thread, just what I needed to know about, really informative. Going to get some aquarium salt tomorrow and give my angel a salt bath and hope for the same results.

Cheers

Steph