When is it time to medicate?

[KJoFan]

I've got one fineline snakeskin in the 5-6" range that started getting a little dark in color yesterday. I didn't think too much of it as this one on occasion does get dark for a few days, then gets better. When the rest are feeling feisty it tends to be the odd one out so I tend to chalk it up to that.

However, this morning when I went down to feed initially it was quite dark, had a somewhat bloated stomach, and seems to have a case of popeye and whiteness around the eyes.

Conditions in the tank have changed slightly recently as I have begun adding RO to the tank, but I am doing it slowly such that I don't think that's much of a factor. Plus, the other 5 in the tank are fine. They get a 50% waterchange every other day, in a 55g tank.

I have had some issues off and on with my water supply, causing some irritation in some of my tanks, but when that occurs I treat the water and everything is fine.

So...I have removed it to it's own QT tank and have added epsom salts for the bloat and regular salt for stress relief etc. I haven't upped the temp due to the fact it's probably a bacterial infection and I don't want to speed things up in that regard. My question is, how long do I let it go hoping clean water and R&R will clear things up?

I wouldn't be too concerned except for the popeye and the fact that it's off it's food and just acting rather lethargic. (It was easy to net, didn't fight and seemed to just hang/float horizontally in the water when it was first moved to the QT.)

Suggestions on whether or not to go ahead and treat with an antibiotic or not would be appreciated.

Thanks. :)

[Ardan]

Hi Karen,
If it is popeye already, it may be difficult to treat, but I would try Kanacyn as soon as possible.

Ardan

[KJoFan]

Hi Ardan. Yes, it was the popeye bit that worried me as well. I find it a bit strange that until probably two days ago it was perfectly fine, then suddenly it had all these issues.

I checked it this morning and the swelling has gone down. It still has a bit of whiteness around at least one eye, however I can't tell if they are still popped out, just due to the angle I was looking at. It also has seemed to lighten up.

So, I think I will hold off on meds for now and kind of see how he is throughout the day. If it's not acting any better (still not eating and being lethargic) then I will probably treat just to be safe.

Thanks!

[Ardan]

the swelling has gone down Well, that is good news!:) Sure is curious. It is good that you observed that now and the swelling in the first place.:):) Did it start to eat?
Keep us posted.

Ardan

[KJoFan]

I haven't tried feeding yet, as the lights weren't on yet when I was down to check on it. They should be by now though so I will check it out. It seemed to be picking around at the bottom and at the sponge though when I first went down so I'd consider that a good sign. :)

[KJoFan]

Well I ended up putting him back in the main tank without medicating. His color is good, no bloat and his eyes are getting better, not popped but you can tell they had some issues yesterday. When I fed he was right in there fighting for the food. Not sure I actually saw him eat any, but picking/blowing bits off the bottom sometimes it's hard to tell when they get one in their mouths. But he seems to be ok. Very strange.

[Ardan]

Good news! :):):)

Ardan

[KJoFan]

Just wanted to resurrect this thread to say this same fish got dark again yesterday or the evening before and was sitting in the same spot for awhile. I didn't panic or do anything about it because this had happened before, and this time there was no pop eye or anything, just dark and not eating. I went down a little bit ago and it's the same as dead.

Very strange that it had a problem, then recovered quickly and was back in action eating aggressively and everything only to relapse a day or so ago and now be dead.

I'm guessing at internal bacterial infection given how quickly it succumbed? Should I be concerned about the rest of the fish in the tank? They all seem fine and have throughout this whole ordeal.

Major bummer though. :(

[Ardan]

Sorry for your loss Karen!

I would keep an eye on the rest, watch their breathing and feces.
Could be internal bacteria, but also sometimes oodinium can take fish with very little symptoms. based on my experience.

I would not worry so much as this was the only one with problems, just watch them. Let us know if any other problems.


Ardan

[KJoFan]

I just got him out of the tank Ardan, he had some slight bloat it seems and eyes popped again, however I hadn't noticed that previously. Could it be a post death thing only?

Are there any symptoms of this oodinium to look out for, or is it a "silent killer"?

[Ardan]

Hi Karen,
Sometimes they can swell a bit after death, but yours with popeye seems to be a repeat of what it had.

Oodinium can be rapid heavy breathing, scratching, and whitish film on the fish. (very small white dots)


sorry about the loss again

Ardan

[Graham]

Hi I doubt that this was Oodinium as it's generally contagious as hell and you'd see a lot of flashing, heavy breathing and possibly heavy mucus production. It can/may get a head start before you'll see it, in the gills too.

The bug is a lot smaller that ick, almost looks like the fish was floured, instead of salted, like ick. It'll also have a golden or greenish sheen due to the chloroplasts within the bug

This was probably a problem with the kidney's because of the fluid retention and the good one day, dead the next scenario. As to why, who knows

Graham

[KJoFan]

I never saw any evidence of flashing, scratching, heavy breathing, nothing like that. My guess was just that it had some underlying issue (maybe always had or just developed it from something) that it was able to fight off some, but ultimately not enough. At least it seems fairly isolated to me and none of the other fish seem effected at all.

I certainly was surprised to go down one time yesterday and see it pretty much dead though.

But I don't really feel like there's anything I could have done, symptoms were so vague and here one day, gone the next that I could have treated it for a million different things and probably had no effect on it in the end.