Shipped fish Issue

[BOTR]

Received fish in bad shape....

[BOTR]

Well, they showed...... There were a total of 5 bags... 2 of which still had water in them. Initialy I thought that both of these fish appeared ok, but now I am seeing that one of them the top fin looks to have a fungus growing on it. This does not look good. So as of right now I figure one of them 5 might make it. I emailed them about the 3 bags with no water, hopefully they refund for those 3, and Ill just deal with the loss of the other one, maybe 2.....

Damn you guys were right.

[BOTR]

Here are some photos of the nearly waterless bags. The box was soaked through. They were however double bagged, but he used wire ties to close the tops, not sure if that was the issue or what.

[brewmaster15]

Chris,

Could you clarify your posts... you order 5 and how many are dead?

as a side note...You should hold onto any dead ones until you hear back from the seller.. they may want proof...from the bags its hard to really tell.

hth,
al

[BOTR]

Ill update the death count tonight, right now looks like 2 might make it.

Thanks,
Chris

[brewmaster15]

So does that mean that none are dead yet?

if so...theres hope..Discus can bounce back after being as close to death as you can imagine....If you want help ...just ask.

-al

[BOTR]

I appologize for the confusion.

As of this moment, all 5 are in the tank, alive.

I have had to put sponges over the filter intakes to prevent the Discus from becoming stuck to them. I have lightly salted and medicated the tank. Lights are off to try to reduce stress, and I am considering soaking some Ketapang leaves to try to make this as stress free as possible. Put an air pump in with them as well. Temp is steady at 84F. Any other reccomendations are appreciated.

Thanks,
Chris

[brewmaster15]

Honest assessment... at this point... just stable warm water, the salt is fine ( just a few tablespoons per 10gal for stress..) and lights out.. If they are alive Thats a good sign... I would not medicate with anything...

I have had discus literally lay on their sides for 24 hours and snap out of it...so hopefully yours will make it fine.

So this thread doesn't get too out of wack I'm going to move it to the disease and sickness board and delete the feedback from here until after you know how these fish fare and the whole experience is settled..

hth,
al

[ShinShin]

What type of medication did you use? As Al said, the salt is fine. When I receive fish in bad shape I always treat the tank with a malachite green/formalin product. This treatment will save many fish that would otherwise perish from secondary infections caused by oppurtunistic pathogens that will attack the compromised discus.

Mat

[BOTR]

The only "medication" I used was Pima/Melafix. I know not alot of people believe in these products, but I have used them in prevention with new additions for awhile now and I feel like I have had good results.

Maybe things are as bad as I first feared, I know alot of fish would never have survied the ordeal.

[poconogal]

A friend of mine received a beautiful 8" adult with no water left in the bag. She thought he was dead. When placed in her tank, he began to breathe. He stayed on his side for 2 days, after that time he began to swim. He absolutely needed to be treated with FMG and later needed treatment with Maracyn and Maracyn 2. In your case, I don't think I'd waste time with Melafix (I have nothing against it, but wouldn't use it for this circumstance) but go straight to treatment with FMG. Had my friend done that initially, her Discus would most likely not have needed the antibiotic treatment. BTW, what her Discus contracted ended up contamining her entire show tank along with the 8 inch guy in QT.

I see that somethingsphishy does not use those jars anymore! Good luck and please keep us posted.

[brewmaster15]

I've never used FMG on new fish that were bad off as Mat and Connie so I can comment on its benefits in those cases.... but I would hold on FMG at least until you know how bad off the fish are... If there are ammonia burns on the gills, or any open wounds... that could push the fish over the edge IMO.

I would Give the fish time to at least be swimming about normally.. If they are having trouble staying off the filter intakes...they may need a little time.

hth,
al

[ShinShin]

Chris,

There is nothing wrong with the products you have, but I wouldn't use them either for this situation. They have their place, though.

Anyone who has ever had more than a couple of shipments, has had a few bad ones. There are even times when an apparently otherwise "good" shipment arrives that a day or so later the discus begin to break down. I have found that malachite green/formalin, added to the tank helps to minimize that. I have come to use it on almost all fish received and have very few problems, whether it be a good or bad shipment. It is very effective on protozoans that seem to attack the stressed fish during shipping.

Mat

[BOTR]

So far, all 5 still alive. The "fungus" on the Blue Diamond is cleared, and all fish are eating 4 times a day.