Reply With QuoteDo you have a friend in the 'states that could 'send you a present'?..It's a hard chemical to be without..I think if they did it here, I'd be going to Mexico, or quitting raising fish!....
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Re: have adopted very sick discus
Unfortunately, as I suspected over the weekend, you cannot purchase methylene blue in Canada. I seemed to recall hunting for it some years ago, and it had been banned here. The two LFSs in town who know everything confirmed that for me today. So little guy will have to manage with a ten-inch airstone to aerate the tank. Not hugely effective or efficient, but it'll contribute a little extra dissolved oxygen. And there is a large potted, fast growing plant in there, too, so that won't hurt. Meanwhile, the color continues to improve, though he is still about two-thirds greyish-- no longer black. Does not seem to be breathing quite as hard, either. (That may be wishful thinking on my part). Is eating, though not ravenously. Being offered very small quantities of bloodworm and very high quality Spectrum pellets (the family that had him was feeding those cheap bulk yummy for all fish pellets). Takes his time browsing through the food, but does manage to get most of it eaten before the next feeding is due. Am seeing a few blotchy grey patches on his skin, but that may just be where mucus has shed. Will keep an eye on them and hope it's not velvet, fungus, or an external bacterial infection.
Anything else I should be doing at this stage, or just stay the course, keep the water stable, clean and warm, and let him work on recovery on his own? (I will re-dose the Prazi after six days.)
Too bad the government of Canada in its wisdom banned methylene blue as a suspected cancer-causing agent. Like any Canadian would go bathing in it...
1250 bb pot-planted: twelve discus (six my babies), cardinal tetras, sidthimunki loaches, angelfish. 35 gallon hex tank: hospital40gallon grow out tank: snakeskin juvies
Re: have adopted very sick discus
Do you have a friend in the 'states that could 'send you a present'?..It's a hard chemical to be without..I think if they did it here, I'd be going to Mexico, or quitting raising fish!....
The meek shall inherit the earth. The oceans are for the brave.
Re: have adopted very sick discus
Well, I did a look around and guess what-- it is only banned in pet formulas in Canada and can be purchased at pharmacies over the counter!! (GO FIGURE... dumb or what?) So my friendly pharmacist is ordering in 25 milligrams of one percent solution and will have it by tomorrow!!!
YAY!!!!!!
Hang in there, Dexter the discus.... momma's workin' on it for you...
1250 bb pot-planted: twelve discus (six my babies), cardinal tetras, sidthimunki loaches, angelfish. 35 gallon hex tank: hospital40gallon grow out tank: snakeskin juvies
Re: have adopted very sick discus
I would never have taken on a fish in this condition,but if I did and didn't have access to a scope, I would have PP'd it first and then wormed it with fubenol.
Mama Bear
Re: have adopted very sick discus
Very Good! Double the dosage recommendations with 1% solution (standard in US is 2.3% solution)Originally Posted by judy
Re: have adopted very sick discus
well, i felt sorry for it (and for the family that owned it that clearly didn't have a clue), and figured I have a hospital tank, so, at worst, I try what I can to help it recover and it dies anyway, or I manage to restore it to good health, in which case I have another discus that just cost me a little in meds and time. I don't keep potassium permanganate around (fish stores here don't carry it, nor do pharmacies and I have no clue where else I could get some)) so I used Prazipro and it seems to have had beneficial effects so far. Will add the methylene blue bath to the regimen tomorrow when it comes in at my pharmacy and see how it goes. The fish's colour is continuing to improve constantly. and it appears to be breathing much more comfortably.
1250 bb pot-planted: twelve discus (six my babies), cardinal tetras, sidthimunki loaches, angelfish. 35 gallon hex tank: hospital40gallon grow out tank: snakeskin juvies
Re: have adopted very sick discus
Terrific-- for how many days should I do the bathing? I may have to order a second batch...
1250 bb pot-planted: twelve discus (six my babies), cardinal tetras, sidthimunki loaches, angelfish. 35 gallon hex tank: hospital40gallon grow out tank: snakeskin juvies
Re: have adopted very sick discus
"Very Good! Double the dosage recommendations with 1% solution (standard in US is 2.3% solution)"
...Terrific-- for how many days should I do the bathing? I may have to order a second batch...
1250 bb pot-planted: twelve discus (six my babies), cardinal tetras, sidthimunki loaches, angelfish. 35 gallon hex tank: hospital40gallon grow out tank: snakeskin juvies
Re: have adopted very sick discus
It must have been a change in environmental conditions.
Re: have adopted very sick discus
Go Dexter!!
Re: have adopted very sick discus
30 minute baths at 2ml/gal at your solution - or as an alternate 1mg/gal as a bath for 72hrs. I would continue Prazi per label as it is showing efficacy. At a later point (week+) Flubendazole for worms and flukes is a good treatment -again customs may impair - sources:
http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/ItemsForSale.html
http://wormerplus.co.uk/retail_shop/...p?categoryID=2
Re: have adopted very sick discus
Good on you! I would have taken it too. 1) Let's get it the heck out of there 2) I can at least give it a "dignified" or at least "humane" death if I can't help him 3) I would be interested in it just for the challenge.
I don't really have the room right now, but since the weather is nice now, I probably would have just quickly setup a tank in the garage.
Eric
Re: have adopted very sick discus
the flubendazole's gonna be a problem. You can't get it anywhere in fish stores here and vets won't bend the rules for fish. I would have to bring him in for examination. Oh, yeah, right, like that's gonna happen. Could collect some poop, though... inspected it visually this AM and it looks normal. A little intestinal shedding, but just a very teeny smidge of that.
I will try the link you provided to the vet in Vancouver who sends it out. If I order it today, it should be here soon enough for treatment following the course of Prazi.
He's about the same this morning as he was yesterday afternoon. That meth blue won't arrive soon enough for me... and for Dexter.
1250 bb pot-planted: twelve discus (six my babies), cardinal tetras, sidthimunki loaches, angelfish. 35 gallon hex tank: hospital40gallon grow out tank: snakeskin juvies
Re: have adopted very sick discus
had his first meth bath this afternoon (declined the rubber ducky and back scrubber i offered) and went very dark for awhile after. but by this evening his color was improved to the point I could see his fins have some blue striping in them. decided not to do an evening bath as it would have been just six hours after his first one and I have the idea that there should be more like ten hours in between... will continue the meth blue baths for three days and report back. am hopeful now, even though he;s still not eating ravenously, just browsing away in slow and leisurely fashion... giving me a crisis ("should i suck out the leftover pellets right away? leave them for you as snack for later? what? what do you want, fish?").
1250 bb pot-planted: twelve discus (six my babies), cardinal tetras, sidthimunki loaches, angelfish. 35 gallon hex tank: hospital40gallon grow out tank: snakeskin juvies
Re: have adopted very sick discus
Take them out, it will just pollute the water if he doesnt eat them.
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