sick angel

[klasikb]

I've had this scribble angel for about a month now. She has not taken any frozen food but about 2 weeks ago started eating fresh oysters and mussels on the half shell that are soaked in garlic and selcon. At this moment she is being treated for the second time with maracyn-two for the cloudy eye. She was treated about a week and a half ago, it went away and came back. I guess I should have done a second treatment right away to be sure. My new concern is the substance that is eating away at her fins. I'm not sure what is is or how to treat it. She is swimming around like normal and does not scratch herself on the rocks.
Thanks for any help with this beautiful fish.
Sheila

[leebca]

You've caught me at an inopportune time. I'm rushing to catch a plane and then flying nost of the morning.

The bacterial infection you're struggling with is secondary to the other condition. Until the first condition is treated, the secondary bacterial infection will likely continue.

Ideally I would need a scraping from the fish fins to determine what you're dealing with. It is unusual enough so that a photo doesn't do well for diagnosis. However, after saying that, it could be a fungal form of attach. Antibiotics won't affect it (as you've already learned).

While treating with the antibiotic, you want to add a medication that contains Nifurpirinol. Nifurpirinol is also known as Furanace. A particularly good antibiotic used with this is Neomycin. That one-two punch should clear this up.

[klasikb]

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

[klasikb]

I did the first furanase treatment yesterday. Last night I noticed the angel was only swimming at the top of the tank. Almost as if she was not gettiing enough oxygen. This morning she was floating upside down and breathing is labored. She is now setting down on the bottom of the tank, nose down. I was thinking I need to do a major water change, but that will take a little while to get ready. Do you think it will help or is there something else I should do? I could catch her and add to my main tank, but would the other fish catch the infection?

[leebca]

Putting the fish in the main display is risky. It risks the health of the other fishes and likely won't help the sick fish.

It may be just too late to help this fish. I didn't want to alarm you nor take away hope, but the photos plus the fact that the secondary infection has such a good foothold, indicate the fish is nearly overwhelmed by the 'attacker.' That is, near the end of its struggle to keep the problem at bay.

You can make the fish more comfortable and to conserve its energy by lowering the specific gravity to 1.018. But when you do this, you want to reduce the quantity of Furanase. Actually, just slowly add RO/DI or distilled water adjusted to the right temperature and pH and not add Furanase. Reduce the specific gravity 'smoothly' over the next 30 hours to the above number.

Do not alter the antibiotic. So if you are still treating with an antibiotic, the antibiotic should be added to the dilution water to hold the antibiotic concentration the same in the QT.

What are you using for a biological filter in the QT? If it is a corner sponge that is air driven, that would be best. If not. . .If you are using a filter/mechanical device, put an airstone into the QT and bubble air slowly into the QT -- just enough to gently disturb the surface of the QT.

Watch pH carefully. Do a water change after the QT water has gotten to its new specific gravity. Keep the specific gravity, temp and pH as constant as you can.

Lastly. . .pray, if you believe in that. The state of depleted energy usually leaves a fish unable to recover. The medication you are adding to the water, try to keep in mind, is not to cure the fish, but to allow the fish to cure itself, by reducing numbers and strength of the offending organisms.

Please keep us informed.

[klasikb]

The angel didn't make it, passed away a little while ago. I've never had a fish that went so long without eating anything. She didn't even eat the sponges or the zoos in the tank. It makes me wonder if there was something wrong from the start. It's too bad, she was a gorgeous fish.

[leebca]

Sorry to hear of the loss. There are many stressors a wild-caught marine fish has to go through to make it to the home aquarium.

Their energy reserve will usually hold them for up to several weeks without eating, but that is assuming when captured their energy was 'normal and the fish was healthy.

[zhenya]

Sorry to hear of your loss, Sheila. Such a beautiful fish...

[klasikb]

Thanks Lee and Gene, it is always hard to lose a fish, even worse when you have to watch it waste away.
Sheila