HELP!!!!

[riogal_11]

aww that is what I was afraid of..... He is really bloated today too, forgot to add that to the above post...... So there is nothing I can do for it at all.... Just watching him suffer is awful! They aren't even in the same tank, so what are the chances of both coming down with it at the same time! geez! horrible coincidence!!

 

[Viet]

...sorry to say but the best thing u can do now is .... .. put it in the freezer so it would not suffer anymore.....

 

[riogal_11]

I can't get myself to do that..... Maybe I can have one of my guy friends come over and do it, I know it's terrible to watch them suffer, but I can't even kill an insect............

 

[Andie]

There's actually some contention over how humane freezing a fish to euthanise it really is, since some fish have been observed to thrash about while they are being frozen, suggesting they actually do find it painful, for however brief a period.

If the fish is truly suffering and better off euthanised, I believe the method a lot of people use is a concentration of clove oil in the water. I do NOT know the exact measurements, but I think Synirr posted them at one point; you might ask her, or perhaps google it to find out what the recommended concentrations are, since as I recall this is a two-step process; first to knock the fish out, and then to kill it.

Before you go that route, though, there is a section at the bettysplendens website that details fish diseases, and under the dropsy heading she discusses some suggested cures that may or may not work. The page can be found here and dropsy is toward the very bottom. Who knows? You may just find it helpful, especially if this is going to crop up in any other of your fish *crosses fingers that it won't*

ETA: I found this on the website as well, under a section on culling unwanted fry.

I have used freezing as a method of euthanizing fish that were sick beyond recovery and suffering. Just place the fish in a small cup or bag of water, place him in the freezer, and try not to think about it too much. I know a breeder that culls all his fish this way, taking his young culls and putting them all together in a large bag and then freezing them. Supposedly their temperature drops and they just go to sleep. Well, it seems a blessed relief for sick fish (they truly do look like they just quietly and peacefully die), but keep in mind that young, healthy fish have been observed to struggle during the freezing process, which may not make this as humane an option as originally thought.

If you have access to clove oil, you can put the fish to sleep seemingly painlessly. Mix it with water about 3 drops oil per 1 liter of water. This is sufficient to put the fish to sleep, and once it is unconscious add 3 more drops to kill it. There has been some suggestion of using clove oil with vodka, but vodka is an irritant to the fish, it seems to hurt the fish, and it isn't necessary. You can get clove oil at your health food store, or in the toothpaste section of most pharmacies.
© Victoria Parnell of bettysplendens

 

[riogal_11]

Thanks a lot to everyone........ I wouldn't freeze no matter what, b/c I believe that it is cruel, but even more humane ways of euthanizing I couldn't get myself to do...... I checked out that link and one person says she believes it may be something that effects members of the same spawn, which is interesting b/c I got these two boys on the same day from the same LFS, and they go through one breeder, meaning that they are spawn brothers AND contracted the disease at the same time~

 

[jollysue]

Wash every thing in a 10% clorine solution or boil it. Anything you use between tanks: syphon, spoons, nets, scoops, buckets--EVERYTHING! Keep a pot on simmer. Keep a bucket with 10 % bleach to dip and another with water to rinse. Then air dry--or sun dry. Bleach/clorine/hydrogyn peroxide is the most effective disinfector.

If you use Mardel products: Maracyn Two is recommended for Dropsy. The problem may be that the desease will work faster than the med. Maracyn Two is a gram negative antibiotic. It is often recommended to use Maracyn, a gram positivre anti bacterial. in combination with Maracyn Two. Dropsy, according to Mardel's leaflet, is an internal infection. The problem is getting to the internal bacilli. Maracyn Two is absorbed through the skin and builds up in the body liquids. If the antibiotic in Maracyn Two is an antibiotic effective against that bacilli (don't forget drug resistant bacteria) it can reach the infection even if the fish isn't eating.

If you think there is cross contamination, consider treating everyone early with the company of your choice. You can also get help from USA company techs on 800 #not weekends.

 

[jollysue]

Missed this whole last section. Get clove oil to euthanize. All the mods recommendit as THE most humane way. I think it puts them to sleep peacefully.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Please do not ever, ever freeze a fish to death; it is a very painful experience, and is indeed quite cruel. It only looks peaceful because the animal is slowly being paralyzed by ice crystals forming in its tissues and organs. And, since this is a betta, it would not just suffocate before freezing occured.

Clove oil is the most humane way to euthanize a fish. I do not know exact measurements either, but when I euthanized my goldfish - who also had dropsy, and was taking long, slow days to die - I basically scooped him into a cup so that it was filled half-way with water, then took water from his tank into a bottle, added a TON of clove oil, and shook it until it was well dispersed, after which I poured it in to fill the rest of the cup. The fish was completely out in under two seconds, and died shortly thereafter. However, to make sure it is def. dead, I left him in the cup until his eyes glazed and slimecoat shed. Then I froze him while he was still under the effects to make extra sure he'd never wake up.
Clove oil contains an anesthetic, so your fish will not feel any pain. It is essentially like euthanizing.

Anyways, between the white fuzz around the gills and heads, the fin deterioration, and rapid onset of the illness (which has now gone so far as to be Dropsy) - as well as the fact that it seems to be contageous - I would make a strong guess at Columnaris. If you scroll down this board, I have a large thread on treating it, but sad enough to say, it is probably too late. I think the best you could probably do for your boy right now is give him a peaceful death. I'm so very sorry.

edit: wow, like... 50 people just responded in the time it took me to post that, and said everything I did. I feel stupid.

 

[riogal_11]

My boy Kip is still acting fairly normal. The patch I described earlier now is like eating away at him. I am over an hour away from a lfs? I added salt and melafix and it now looks like an open wound. Anything else I can do. He doesn't seem to be suffering at all, and if he does I think I am gonna get someone else to euthanize him(with clove oil). Anyone else have any other suggestions?

 

[WILDER]

He sounds in a bad way to late to start tetracycline now as it takes a while o kick in, and it's spreading fast, but you can give it a last try if he not suffering, with the teracycline as fish at times can surprise you.

 

[jollysue]

I'm so sorry, riogal

I hate sickness, desease, and death. I am so grateful that Christ hates it too and came to destroy it!

Try a store with a health rack for the clove oil.

 

[riogal_11]

Well Pedro just passed away. I'm glad that even though he looked really bad, he didn't seem to suffer, I mean I checked on him fifteen minutes ago and dropped a pellet in, and even though he didn't eat it, he was still swimming around like everything was fine. Now I just went and checked and he has died. It's really weird though, Kip acted weird for several days, but never started looking like he had dropsey until the very end. Pedro had a white spot on his head about a montha ago, which I along with the advice from others on the forum decided it looked more like a netting injury, well I gave him salt and melafix and it never healed, but in the last 4 days or so it started to look really bad. First it looked like it was pineconing, then today he was shedding scales so bad above his head that it almost looked like a large raw spot. Those two boys were my first two crowntails that I bought so this really makes me sad. Kip was my most beautiful boy, and even though I only had them four months I had become very attached to them....... Now I'm just praying that noone else falls ill and that my new red/gold boy from supersixone arrives safely tomorrow.

 

[WILDER]

Bless him, R.I.P.

 

[riogal_11]

here they are...... RIP little buddies.

Kip

Pedro

 

[WILDER]

Just read this to make sure
http/www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/d...columnaris.html