Sick Pleco - Help

[ChantalC]

HELP!!!  My pleco may be dying.  It started over the weekend, with a swollen belly, so much that i thought it would have babies, but a few hours later a fews scales lifted from his belly.  Now, on its back all around the scales ...the color red appeared  - poop seem white coming out and liquid.   I went to Big Al's Fish and they told me that he may be infected with a bacteria.  So i am treating the water (set the fish in my bath that i don't use - same set up as my 150 gallon tank).  It's now day 3 of treatment, and nothing seems to change.  (sorry if the wording is not the perfect one - i am francophone and don't know all the proper terms in english)
thanks for your help.  not sure how to add pictures on this site.


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[the_lock_man]

Bonjour Chantal, et bienvenue a TFF.
 
Je pense que votre poisson a hydropisie - en Anglais c'est "dropsy". Je n'ai jamais entendu d'un poisson qui a servecu a l'hydropisie.
 
Plus de details en Anglais (parce que mon Francais n'est pas tres bon)
 
Dropsy happens when the internal organs of the fish fail, and it cannot keep a balance of fluids, so the fish swells up (and you see the scales sticking up. We call this pineconing). It is caused by a number of different illnesses, some are bacteria infections, others aren't. Even if your fish does have a bacterial infection, the fact that the internal organs have failed means that it is almost certainly too late for the fish. I would suggest you euthanise it.
 
Si vous avez des problemes avec les mots Anglais, si'l vous plait dites-moi, et j'essaie d'ecrire en Francais pour vous.

 

[ChantalC]

So basically my fish is dying. Someone told me about Maracyn Two from the company Mardell to treat internal bacteria.  I can't seem to find the medication for it.  
How do you euthanize a fish without suffering?
 
Thank you for your effort in French, you are very good.

 

[the_lock_man]

Sadly, that's right, there is very little hope for it. Maracyn may help, if the original problem is bacterial, but even then it is probably too late. If the original problem isn't bacterial, then Maracyn won't help at all.
 
There are a couple of methods of euthanasia that are generally recommended. I use the clove oil method. Clove oil is a natural anaesthetic, normally available in pharmacies, as it can be used to help humans with tooth-ache. Place the fish into a small container half-full with tank water. Mix some clove oil in water as best you can, and pour the mixture in to the container, such that it will go close to the gills. The fish is effectively put to sleep, relatively painlessly.
 
The other method is quicker, but is not liked by everyone. Place the fish in a sealed bag, then place that bag in another. Use a blunt object to strike the fish hard on the head. Death is instantaneous. I'm not too keen on that method, as you have to take the fish out of water first, and I personally think that increases suffering.
 
But you choose whichever suits you most.

 

[GuineaPigster]

I'd say it sounds like Dropsy.  Some info on dropsy is on this site: http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-health/disease-prevention/dealing-with-dropsy.aspx%C2

 

[TwoTankAmin]

If you have not euthanized the fish, There are two things to try. One, as mentioned, is antibiotics. The other possivilityt is the fish is plugged up and Epsom salt in the water might help. I would suggest treating the fish in an H tank, bare bottom with heat an ait, it need not be cycled.
 
If you are interested in trying the Epsom, PM me for instructions- it is inexpensive and readily available at most pharmacies and big stores with drug depts.

 

[ChantalC]

Thank you for your help.  As you mentioned, it was too late for my 9 year old pleco to survive this ordeal.  As euthanizing method, my husband put the fish in the freezer (which i believe is still a slow death).  However, I think it's better than to see him going even more slowly to his death as the two kind of medication that I tried didn't work at all.  Don't know why they add "Dropsy" on the box in all the illness that it cures.
 
Again, thanks a lot.  I was so in a hurry to have help for my fish that I totally forgot to introduce myself a a new member.  Will do that.
 
Chantal.

 

[the_lock_man]

Yeah, the freezer thing is a painful death, it freezes the water in the body, which expands as it freezes, it is not a method that's generally recommended.
 

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I do believe the fish is dead before it actually freezes. Most tropical fish are not going to survive water temps in the 50s F/10-15C. Here is a table from a study done on cardinal tetras. Its purpose was to determine the effects of temperature, pH, ammonia, nitrite on the fish to find out what levels were harmful/fatal. It was motivated by the ornamental fish trade in Brazil to help improve shipping methods.
 
Note in the first 2 columns it shows that 100% of the fish were dead at 15C. That is well before water is actually freezing.
 
"Temperature can influence fish in multiple ways, affecting biochemical and physiological activities and can act as a lethal factor when its effect destroys the integrity of the organism (Currie et al., 1998). In the present study, the LT50 of cardinal tetra to low and high temperatures were 19.6 and 33.7 oC, respectively. These findings showed that fish mortality increased at temperatures below 19 oC and reached total mortality at 15 oC (Table 2)."
 

from http/www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0044-59672008000400023&script=sci_arttext&tlng=.
 
Bear in mind we are talking about tropical fish, arctic fish would have much different responses.