What is this?

[bluelagoon]

Looks like the eyes are starting to pop. Most likely there is internal damage to tissue that you can't see. I wouldn't send too much money trying to fix this. Sometimes bacterial infections just go too far to be cured.

[Dwinc]

Actually, it's just his eyes. I thought the same a couple years ago when I got him. He's also a runt.... didn't get much bigger yet my others surely have! I consider him 'special needs'...lol...and us nurses just have to try to help/fix every living thing!!

[coralbandit]

I would up water change amount and frequency and try salt or potassium permanganate baths /dips ..
Being a runt it is a special needs type fish and will need extra help and maybe not respond like a typical healthy fish .
The mela fix is a true waste IMO . Paraguard is basically Malachite green and proprietary secrets ..

[Dwinc]

Hi, Coralbandit. I was going to increase water changes to 50% twice a week. I have not tried the baths yet.. Zzits definitely something to consider. I had no luck w/the Melafix/Pimafix. The Paraguard seemed to help to a point, but nothing like I was hoping. If the fish is still eating, interactive and not displaying symptoms of distress, I like to try the non-antibiotic treatments first (like Epson salt for bloat) and work my way up if needed. I don't want to toss antibiotics at them unless absolutely necessary. I did baths once on an fancy angelfish who developed a big patch of fungus using methylene blue. It worked, but gave him a large full thickness 'L' shaped skin tear. I then treated him w/Melafix and an antibiotic. Thankfully, he recovered completely and went back in my other aquarium w/my ginormous Gourami's where he came from. I believe he got the fungus when tge heater died during the night so the temp dropped, he became lethargic and tge Gourami's were picking at him. I will look into the baths... thank you.

[bluelagoon]

Actually, it's just his eyes. I thought the same a couple years ago when I got him. He's also a runt.... didn't get much bigger yet my others surely have! I consider him 'special needs'...lol...and us nurses just have to try to help/fix every living thing!!

I just retired from nursing too. I worked palliative care at the end. Clove oil would go a long way for that fish. Obviously, it's near it's end especially being a runt and coming to an end in it's natural life as a runt. Being in that condition I'd be more concerned about the fish it lives with.

[Iminit]

That fish should be in a qt tank. A 10 gal at around 86-88 degrees with aquarium salt 2 tbls per 10g. Change water every other day and add salt to the new water. If this doesn’t help it than it’s to far gone.

[bluelagoon]

Or in a tank at 82 degrees. Looks like bacterial to me. Also looks and sounds like it could be a stunt not a runt.

[Dwinc]

Thanks, Iminit, for your response. Too far gone? He's eating, interactive, swimming normally, and hangs out w/his counterparts all day long. In my experience, he isn't quite done for just yet. He pooped a totally normal poop this morning. What are you thinking he might have that aquarium salt will take care of? (I actually have 2 hospital tanks. 1 of them is always set up and the second one i set up as needed. I keep an extra bag of seeded Matrix in case I need to set up the 2nd one).

[Dwinc]

Congratulations, Blue Laggpn, on your retirement from nursing. Esp with the pandemic. The PPE we have to wear in the emergency dept is nothing that I ever thought would be part of my uniform! 39 years in, not ready to retire myself just yet. Re. Lil Fella, I was just thinking.... I have a UV sterilizer that is running. Could that be decreasing the effectiveness of the paraguard??

[bluelagoon]

I have never used paraguard. But some meds are light sensitive and possibly more so with UV light. But in your years of nursing, would you give salt to someone that had edema or fluid retention? I don't think fish are much different but I'm not a vet. Which that discus appears to exhibit.

[bluelagoon]

If it were ammonia burns wouldn't all the fish in that tank exhibit burns. Some fish might come down with bacterial infections and some may not in the same tank. A lot depends on each fishes immunity. Like us. To me it looks like a bad cause of fin rot. The antibiotics would have worked wonders weeks ago if it was caught on time.

[bluelagoon]

I know this may sound odd. But epsom salt may work better if a fish looks like edema rather sodium chloride.

[Iminit]

For me that fish looks way off from the discus I keep. It definitely has a fin problem. Looks like fin rot. I don’t know why. So because of that and still healthy fish in the tank I would remove. For me on the few times I’ve had a fin rot problem what cured it was more water changes and salt.

[seanyuki]

You need antibiotics like Furan 2 to treat those bacteria infections.

[Dwinc]

Thanks, everyone. This morning, I moved Lil Fella to one of my QT. I have started the Furan 2. My apologies for not getting back sooner, but I work 12+ hour shifts and I'm just finishing up now. Thankfully, I'll be off tomorow...