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Yellow Lab Had A Turn For The Worse! Need Help By Tomorrow A.m.

T

Tommy Gunnz

Fish Crazy
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Apr 30, 2006
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Wisconsin, USA
Hello everyone!

I had made an earlier thread on this topic, but things have gotten worse over the past two days for a yellow lab that I have. Long story short, it has had a sunken belly since I brought it home and added it to my tank. It always eats well and is still eating well today. However, it is now getting very very thin regardless of its appetite and is statring to appear bruised all over its body. It also has some reddish gills and this has gotten very much more pronounced since last night.

I have dug out an old Eclipse three tank that I had set up a long time ago. I have done a bunch of switching and swapping around of heaters and filters to get this tank cloned ASAP. It now has substrate (over two inches) directly from the tank that it is in now and a filter from a well established 10 gallon tank that hold yellow lab fry. I feel that by tomorrow morning, the water is going to be clear and ready to support this fish and I will quaranteen it the second that I wake up.

What I need to know is what meds or treatments I should go with here. I believe it is some sort of internal parasite. Wilder had asked me if it had any black spots on it and it does now and they are only one day old or so (I have been keeping an eye on it). Wilder also asked me what it's poop looks like and there is absolutely none coming from this fish so I think that it is not getting to eat the food it is putting in its stomach.

Right now, I have only some quick cure and in a very limited amount since I have not had any medicine required issues for months now. I have aquarium salt and that is about it. The QT is warming up to 75 degree (F) right now (23.8 C?) and the heater is large enough to increase that temp pretty quickly in such a small tank (it is my 55 gallon's backup heater and 150W).

Like I said, I don't usually have many problems at all as far as this one is concerned so any information or ideas are fully welcome and I will do what ever I need to in order to help this fish get through the problem it is having. Thank you.
 
I see. I had this problem in a Molly once (you brought it to my attention actually) but I really think this one is different. I have read the article (alot of good info in there, btw) and this fish has one or two of the symptoms but not most of them.

It is not sluggish at all and is still in fact, one of the more active fish in the tank really. It has no fin rot or clamped fins or lost scales or dropsy looking symptoms at all really. I think the black spots on it are more so from it getting so skinny. I tried to get a picture of it, but it wont stay still long enough to get a clear one.

I realize that it is going to be safer just to cut my losses hear, but I honestly dont think TB is the case. I also realize that it sounds like I am trying to not accept that answer, but really, I think this is more so a internal parasite/worm type thing. Is there anything I can do to try and treat for them and if no improvement is noted, then euthanize?
 
Wasting away is fish tb, internal parasites, to flukes can cause this too.
All symtoms don't have to be present and it can affect fish in different ways fish tb.
To be honest don't know which route to take, but I find it strange if its internal parasites that threre no long stingy white poo, when they don't go to the toilet more of a bacteria issue.

I would try that antibiotic if it was me first.

Can you load a pic up.
 
Is there a general type medication I might want to try like an antibiotic such as erythromyacin (sp?) or maybe another product like a melafix/pimafix that the LFS in my area are always touting as such a great, natural product to cover a lot of different things?

I am starting to feel like I am sounding desperate here and I guess I am in a way, but to me, it is worth it.

If this fish has had some of the TB symptoms since I bought it...wouldnt other fish in the tank possibly catch it as well or is it not as contagous?

Thanks for your help so far. Your recomendations, info, and ideas are not falling on deaf ears, I promise you.
 
It's bad news if its fish tb , read that last link very imformative.
Got to protect your self as well as if you have a cut on your hand you can get infected, but don't panic its rare.
You can save them up till they get a bent spine, and you have to be carerful if you have more than one tank as not spreading through equipment, so sterlise your equipment.
Med for tb are tetracycline and minocycline.
Melafix will do nothing for fish tb its internal.
 
I am working on a new picture of it. Going to try to catch it and put it in the QT right now. I think that the substrate and the established filter will be fine for putting the fish into an otherwise uncycled tank. Didnt want to risk it really since it is already weakened I assume but like I said, it is one fish and the filter is fast enough to filter almost 100 times the gallonage of the tank in an hour.

Will post a new pic ASAP. No visual spine differences at all in this fish compared to the other fish.

I have equipment for all of my tanks seperatly and will sterilize the best I can. Do you have any sites or advice on how to go about doing so without having the equipment like a doctor's office has?
 
I realize that about the antibiotic and am equipped to deal with it. I just put the filter media in another tank and let the filter running for gas exhange.

Anyways, I finally caught this fish and put it in the three gallon tank. I couldnt get a good picture of it but got this short video:

http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/tom...t=QTwithlab.flv

In the brighter light of this tank, it looks like the gills are more red than I thought at first but the black spots are really limited to its 'face' and it looks like it has a goatee. The fins are all well used and not clamped even though it is under obvious duress from the transfer to the small tank.

I have put some dense fake plants in the tank now so it can hide and I turned off the lights. The water temp is 80 right now and I will treat with whatever you think after seeing the video.
 
He never still bless him.
I would give it a shot with an antibiotic, the red gills can be many things but can be bacterial aswell.
Plus he's not going to the toilet not a good sign.


Took another look and he looks quite well apart from being thin.
At least if he was going to the toilet could scoop some poo and take it to be tested for worms.
 
I feel the same way about it being an ok looking fish other than being thin. Is there a way to treat for both a bacteria and possible parasite as sort of a precaution? I know there are many broad spectrum antibiotics out there, but are there any broad spectrum parasite meds?

Thanks for your quick replies. I really am impressed. You are an institution for this forum!
 
Thanks. I am going to start with antibiotic treatment using erithromyacin (sorry, still dont know how to spell it) and turn to the garlic treatment for now if this is a parasitic worm or nematode. This way I will not be using two meds at once.

Any advice or techniques for feeding garlic to a mainly vegitarian fish? I have a bottle of minced garlic and a blender right now. Just not sure on if I can mix it up with flake foods or if frozen food is better to do this with.
 
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