White crap growing in Amos' tank

Hi BettaMomma :)

I'm sorry to hear that he has not improved overnight. :sad:

It sounds like the bacterial infection has taken over. Keeping him in a high temperature will promote bacterial growth and it seems like this has happened.

There is only one last thing to try at this advanced stage. It might seem harsh, but it might save him if it works. Unfortunately, he will probably never be the beauty he once was, but if you are like me, that will not really matter.

I would gradually drop the temperature to no higher than 95 96 degrees. Then clean his tank and add MelaFix. Give him salt baths to clean up the bacterial infections on his skin. We can only hope that the tetracycline is working on him on the inside.

To prepare the salt baths, dissolve one tsp. salt per 2 cups of clean dechlorinated water. Put him in and leave him for up to 20 minutes to 1/2 hour. If he rolls over, terminate the treatment and return him to his tank. Repeat this as often as you can, up to 6 times a day. Prepare fresh solution each time.

The concentrated salt solution will literally eat away the infection, much like when you pour peroxide on a wound. The MelaFix will slow it's regrowth between treatments. If he still has ich, this will help that too.

I have saved corys that I bought with bad infections, that did not respond to antibiotics, by doing this treatment. It's an old fashioned remedy and while it might seem harsh, it's worth trying if it can save his life.
 
also, that salt solution is extremely high - is it safe?
and do I need to scrub the tank in between the dips? or at least after the first one? or what?

thx for your advice - i'm willing to try just about anything at this point....
 
Thanks laboul - i'm a freak about tanks and stuff once it's been infected with something. If something happens to Amos I'll probably throw everything that was in the tank out and start with fresh things - just sanitize the heck out of the tank.

I am going to go thru inchwormy's method here to try to save him.
Dammit, I'm going to try!

How much Melafix? It's a 2.5G tank.
 
Hi BettaMomma :)

The lowered temperature is to slow the growth of the bacteria, which thrives at higher temperatures. Also, keeping the water well oxygenated will do the same. Do not drop the temperature quickly though. You do not want to upset Amos any more then necessary.

The salt solution is concentrated, but it's what I use. He might not tolerate it for very long at first, but it will attack the bacteria, and you should expect to see improvement after just a few treatments.

I use MelaFix as directed on the bottle. That would be 1 tsp. per 10 gallons, so for your tank it would be 1/4 tsp.

Good luck. I really hope this helps him.
 
Right - but his temp is currently at 82 degrees - i'm confused about "dropping" it to 95 or 96???? Wouldn't he cook in those temps?? I'll leave it at 82 for now - then wait for your response...

And I should keep the water well oxygenated? Or not? (I'm sorry my mind is in another place right now and i'm not figuring things out very easily today)

I'm off to pick up some measuring utensils, a nice bath container, some more salt and MelaFix.
AND... if I can find a luck store on the way back, i'm buying all they have.

Be back later to report the progress.
thanks.
 
Hi BettaMomma

OMG!!!! :eek: I can't believe what I typed! :X

Of course, you are right that is way too high. What I actually meant was to lower it to between 75 and 76 degrees. I am so glad you caught that!

You should be commended on all the effort you are putting into saving Amos. Whatever happens, you will know that you have done everything that could have been done for him. Now it will all depend on how much strength and will to live he has.

I'll be watching for your posts and hoping I read some good news soon. :D
 
I thought you probably meant 75 or 76 degrees.
I'm back - I'm going to start his salt baths right now.
The poor guy is NOT looking good. he's laying on his side all the way now.
I'm heartbroken.

I'll be back soon.
 
Man, that stinks. :( I really hope he pulls through with the salt baths. Hats off to you for your efforts. :flex: I also struggle about how many meds to add. I just figured out today that there's a base level of ammonia! in my tap water, my fish have ich and now I think they have internal parasites, too. :rolleyes: Why does fishkeeping have to be so difficult?
 
I don't know.
and I CERTAINLY never knew that a person could get so darn attached to a fish.

Inchy - for the baths, how long would you wait in between?
i am sitting at my desk all afternoon (I do have a meeting in a bit but i'm dissolving the salt right now for his first one but after that I'm here all day)

Do I wait like 5 minutes between each one?
10?
1/2 hour???

how many do I stop at?
 
He freaked out when I first put him in there, now he's being still near the top. He's just kinda floating around. he's also giving me the evil stare. I don't think he's enjoying it nearly as much as he did his bath yesterday.

So, what's the dealio with this - will I see marked improvement in things IF this does work? And after how many baths? And what should change??
 
Hi BettaMomma :)

Ohh he's a strong little guy. What a great fish! :wub:

I would try to do it every few hours. What will happen, if all goes well, is that it will kill the bacterial infections and you should start to see them get smaller and eventually disappear. The MelaFix will help them from reproducing in between the baths.

It's all going to depend on whether he can hold on long enough for them to be effective.
 
Yeah, he's always been a really strong little guy.
I unplugged his heater a couple of hours ago and it's gone down a couple of degrees, so it's going down slowly - it's now about 79-80.

Going off to mix up another bath mixture.
He's still hanging on - laying on the bottom, not on his side anymore so I guess that's a step in the right direction. Crazy, but any little tiny step is a glimmer of hope for me.

Based on everything he's shown me in the past, he's VERY strong and he'll hold on as long as fishily possible. I have hope for him.

I'll be back in a while and update again.
 
Hope he pulls through, still fallowing his progress, bless him.
 
He's currently in bath 2. He's just floating around in there.
He looks so bad.

I'm trying to post a picture of him but it's not working.
Maybe someone's intervening - just don't think you guys all need to see his horrid condition. :/

I'll be back in a bit with more...
 

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