How to Proceed? - Symptoms Persist after Metro Treatment

[Revan]

Hey All,

My question is: how should I proceed with treating Hex (or what seems to be Hex) that has persisted after a 10 day Metro treatment? Full questionnaire below. Should I give it some time and start a Hex treatment again?
Something else? Thank you!

Disease Questionnaire:

1. Please explain the problems with your fish. When did you notice the problems and did anything unusual happen that you think started them?
- White, stringy feces, low appetite (but still eating a little), low activity, separation from the rest of the group (usually in corners), occasional clamped fins. Began about 14 days ago
- treatment detailed below, but after 10 days the problems still persist.

2. Symptoms (i.e. turning dark, excess slime, not eating, clamped fins, flashing, darting, clamped gills, white/yellow/green poop, hiding, headstanding or tailstanding, white on tips of fins, rotting or fungus, blisters/white zits on fish, bloated, cloudy eyes, wounds).
- same as above answer

3. What medications/ treatments have you already tried and what were the results. Include dosage and duration of treatment.
- Metro for 10 days. 1st 5 days at 20mg/gallon every 24 hours with 50% WC between. Kept temp at usual 83 F
- Lackluster results, so upped to 75% WC and added a 2nd, smaller dose in the mornings (10mg/gallon).
- on the last couple days, I increased the temp to 86 and upped the evening dosage to 30mg/gallon
- after 10 days, metro treatment has been discontinued. last day was 8/19.

Tank/Water

4. Tank size and ages, numbers and sizes of fish.
- 125g, BB, no decor, sponge and canister filter, usually 83 F, 14 fish, most around 4-5 inches, a few around 6 inches. The sick fish are the smaller ones.

5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often).
- 50% daily

6. How long has tank been running? Is it bare bottom? If you have substrate, what type and how deep is it?
- tank itself is ~3 months old, but all filtration came from original tanks which supported the same fish for ~6 months previously. BB.

7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing.
- aged/aerated for 24 hours. current PH change is an increase from ~7.5 to ~ 8.0

8. Parameters and water source;
- temp = 83 F usually
- ph ~8.0
- ammonia reading = 0
- nitrite reading = 0
- nitrate reading = range of 0-5 PPM
What type of water or combinations of water sources do you use? If it is an RO/tap/well water mix, please list percentages in the mix.
- well water = 0%
- municipal water = 100%
- RO water = 0%

9. Any new fish, plants or inverts added recently.
- two groups of 7 each combined about 3 months ago. before combining, a Hero fish was used for 3 months to determine no issues with mixing. the two groups lived well together then for over 2 months before symptoms appeared

10. Please tell us what you feed your fish and how often. This can be critical information for solving the problem so be as specific as you can.
- morning = home-made BH, shrimp, tilapia, veggie mix (King of DIY recipe)
- evening = Al's FDBW

11. Include any pictures or videos you have which shows the symptoms. If you can't add them to this post, please provide a link to them.

[Second Hand Pat]

Your dosage is 10mg per 10 gallons? That is way too low. Try 500mg per 10 gallons for 12 days and raise the heat to about 88. You will want to dose the entire volume of the tank every 24 hours right after a 50% or better water change. Maintain the temp at 88 until the fish are eating well even after the metro is done if needed.
Pat

[Revan]

Your dosage is 10mg per 10 gallons? That is way too low. Try 500mg per 10 gallons for 12 days and raise the heat to about 88. You will want to dose the entire volume of the tank every 24 hours right after a 50% or better water change. Maintain the temp at 88 until the fish are eating well even after the metro is done if needed.
Pat

Thank you Second Hand Pat!

No my dosage was actually 20mg/gallon initially. The 10mg was extra, when I didn't see results. Either way though, your recommended 50mg/gallon is definitely higher than what I was doing. I'll consider that approach, along with other feedback I get here.

If I do go your route of trying metro again, but at a higher dosage, would you recommend I wait a week or so before starting? to give the fish a break between treatments.

Thank you all!

[Second Hand Pat]

It’s not 50 mg per 10 gallons, it’s 500 mg per 10 gallons.
Pat

[RogueDiscus]

Just checking. How are you measuring the Metro?

[Paul Sabucchi]

It’s not 50 mg per 10 gallons, it’s 500 mg per 10 gallons.
Pat

He actually wrote 50mg/gal, that's = 500mg/10gal

[Second Hand Pat]

He actually wrote 50mg/gal, that's = 500mg/10gal

Thanks Paul, me bad
Pat

[Tuterosso]

use 1 tabs for 1 spoon of mix when eat. Granulate max 2 times day fot this method, if you buy powder metronidazole not tabs use 3-4gr on 100L, before you start clean all filters, uv off, light off for 3 days(everyday clean szit from tank bottom and no WC in 4 days make 80% WC and use salt for few days(ph not stable), start treatment again in 8 day