Home-study of fish disease/parasites

[GHsaltie]

Hey! I'm late again... been working non stop lately! Looks like you've got things under control. Great job and keep us updated!

Haha I was wondering where you had gone. Still working on getting the copper lvls up, I think I'm going to have to stay up late so I can take my time with it and not rush. I don't want to stress him out by raising it too fast. No changes as of yet, good or bad. Second dose of kanaplex is due tomorrow and I'm also going to do a wc, ammonia badge is starting to change color. I'll try to get a video of him tomorrow before I head off to work.

 

[melypr1985]

Haha I was wondering where you had gone. Still working on getting the copper lvls up, I think I'm going to have to stay up late so I can take my time with it and not rush. I don't want to stress him out by raising it too fast. No changes as of yet, good or bad. Second dose of kanaplex is due tomorrow and I'm also going to do a wc, ammonia badge is starting to change color. I'll try to get a video of him tomorrow before I head off to work.

I've been working a lot more lately so I'm only on here if I have time in the morning and then in the evening after diner has been cooked, served and eaten. I need a day off where I can just hang out of R2R all day! lol

Make sure to change the water before you go off to work all day so the ammonia doesn't climb higher while your gone. The copper levels are the only thing that will protect him from further infestation so it's important to get it up quickly. It will probably stress him but he will probably also die from velvet before he dies from copper sensitivity. It's a crappy situation to be in, but it happens and we deal with it the best we can.

 

[GHsaltie]

Water change is finished and I just got done feeding him, he ate a bit more this morning since I added some garlic. I changed out 5g of water, although for some reason the ammonia badge is still showing green. Second dose of kanaplex has also been administered. I'll have to post the video later when I get home as my phone doesn't want to upload it :mad:.

 

[Humblefish]

I changed out 5g of water, although for some reason the ammonia badge is still showing green.

It can take awhile for the alert badge to change back to yellow.

 

[GHsaltie]

Well I was going to post a video of him this evening, but I can't figure out how . Anybody have any tips? I don't have a youtube account setup as of right now.

 

[Humblefish]

Well I was going to post a video of him this evening, but I can't figure out how . Anybody have any tips? I don't have a youtube account setup as of right now.

Youtube is how I'm able to post videos on here. It only takes a few mins to setup one and its free.

 

[GHsaltie]

Yay! It worked! @Humblefish How would you rate the oxygen exchange in the QT? Does it look okay or does it need improvement?

 

[Humblefish]

It's saying, "Please sign in to view this video."

I think you have to make the video available for public viewing.

 

[GHsaltie]

Ugh, why am I so technologically challenged? I think I got it fixed now.

 

[melypr1985]

He's looks pretty good considering. He's not breathing rapidly or floating around willy nilly. Not out of the woods quite yet, but it's a step in the right direction.

 

[justingraham]

Great job @GHsaltie
The world needs more people like u

 

[GHsaltie]

He's looks pretty good considering. He's not breathing rapidly or floating around willy nilly. Not out of the woods quite yet, but it's a step in the right direction.

I'm surprised myself, he still looks like crap but he seems to be feeling alright. And he's eating good still as well which I'm stoked about. We'll see how it goes, hopefully he doesn't take a turn for the worse.

Great job @GHsaltie
The world needs more people like u

I was only able to start this because of all the knowledge that @Humblefish puts out there for us to read. I'm really grateful for all the advice.

 

[Humblefish]

He's looks pretty good considering. He's not breathing rapidly or floating around willy nilly. Not out of the woods quite yet, but it's a step in the right direction.

^^I agree. Also looks like you have plenty of gas exchange going on in the QT! Good job!

 

[justingraham]

Yeah they both helped me with my sick fish and if u could see him now he's mad he's in a 30 gallon tank but o well has two weeks left of copper treatment then another month in qt for my DT tank to be fallow. Then all my fish get there home back.

 

[Valkyrie]

Poor little guy. Such a pretty fish, too. I love all the angels. I don't think there's an ugly one among them.

This thread has me extremely interested. I would adore it if I could help sick marine fish. It would take my vet tech abilities to a whole new level, not to mention I think the little guys need to have people in their corner fighting for them when they can't. I'm very excited to see where this goes and if things turn out. Even if things go south, the amount of information that we get vicariously is of great value.

It seems like the fact that he still eats is a huge plus. Now my question is, if there's any correlation between their ability to digest food and the temperature of their water? I know with koi it's a big thing.
Does a sick fish need a higher temperature than a healthy one or is it best to maintain normal temps?
There was mention of oxygenation. I noticed what looked like a hang on back filter system (if I'm wrong, then what is it?) is that enough oxygen for a sick fish or would a air stones or other methods of getting oxygen into the water needed?
How does temperature affect the "chemicals" that are introduced? Do you have to step up the oxygen, decrease/increase temps?
When it comes to hospital tanks, I understand that we don't want live rock/sand since the medications will kill any of the beneficial bacteria & such, but is there anything other than filtration, heater, and pvc hidey tubes necessary? Does light stress them when they're ill or should there be light?

Last question. I have an amazing book on koi medicine written by a vet. Is there one that is out there for marine fish? Not just about diseases, but treatment of those diseases.

I hope my questions aren't bothersome, because this really hits home for me and I want to be a part of helping sickly fish. I have a 20g that I'd like to set up for that purpose.
Thank you.

 

[GHsaltie]

Yeah they both helped me with my sick fish and if u could see him now he's mad he's in a 30 gallon tank but o well has two weeks left of copper treatment then another month in qt for my DT tank to be fallow. Then all my fish get there home back.

So glad your fish are on he mend! Only a little bit longer to go for them.

@Valkyrie its not a bother at all. This thread is meant for people to learn and ask questions . Hopefully someone will chime in with answers to your questions, as I can't answer most of them.
To one of your many questions, yes I've got an Aqueon power filter and a powerhead in there. @Humblefish had made a thread here recently on the importance of oxygen exchange in a medicated QT, let me see if I can find it so you can read it too.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/oxygen-while-using-meds.258949/
If you haven't already you should take a look at the stickies that are at the top of this forum. There's an abundance of knowledge in them.

 

[Humblefish]

Does a sick fish need a higher temperature than a healthy one or is it best to maintain normal temps?
There was mention of oxygenation. I noticed what looked like a hang on back filter system (if I'm wrong, then what is it?) is that enough oxygen for a sick fish or would a air stones or other methods of getting oxygen into the water needed?
How does temperature affect the "chemicals" that are introduced? Do you have to step up the oxygen, decrease/increase temps?

Most meds will deplete oxygen in the water, plus if parasites/worms invade the fish's gills it becomes that much more difficult for them to breathe. In addition to increasing gas exchange for sick fish, you can also decrease SG/temp (for increased O2 saturation) and there are other techniques listed here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/alprazos-salvage-protocol.213599/

When it comes to hospital tanks, I understand that we don't want live rock/sand since the medications will kill any of the beneficial bacteria & such, but is there anything other than filtration, heater, and pvc hidey tubes necessary? Does light stress them when they're ill or should there be light?

It's important that the filter contains bio-media capable of housing nitrifying bacteria (for breaking down ammonia). But that bio-media should also not absorb medications, which is why I prefer to use a porous sponge in a HOB. I only use ambient light for QT (fish with velvet become light sensitive), except once a day I will put an aquarium light on the QT to give the fish a good look over.

Last question. I have an amazing book on koi medicine written by a vet. Is there one that is out there for marine fish? Not just about diseases, but treatment of those diseases.

Fish Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment by Dr. Edward J. Noga

Captive Seawater Fishes: Science and Technology by Dr. Stephen Spotte

However, using Google Scholar for marine biology papers will yield more recent info.

 

[revhtree]

Bump!

 

[GHsaltie]

Dinner time! He was actually waiting at the front of the tank this time when I came into the room with his supper.

 

[melypr1985]

Dinner time! He was actually waiting at the front of the tank this time when I came into the room with his supper.

That's awesome!