View Full Version : Very Sick Angelfish- Please help!
thecowman
07-01-2003, 4:47 PM
My 4 year old angelfish has been very ill for quite some time now. It has pop eye, white stringy things coming from its fins, the fins are deteriorating, its abdomen is swollen considerably, and some white lump appears to be growing from the gills. I currently have it quarantined in a 2.5 gallon tank with a whisper power filter and an airstone (I know the tank is small, but it's all I could do). Today I began treatment with Maracyn(erythromycin), and added half a tablespoon of aquarium salt to the tank.
Does anyone have any advice that might help me? what can I do to help the fish have a chance to survive? Does anyone know what the cause of these many symptoms be? Is it likely to be some sort of bacterial infection? I have read that pop eye can be caused by fish TB- This worries me as it can be spread to humans. Does my fish have any chance of survival?
OrionGirl
07-01-2003, 4:51 PM
If the fish is eating, medicated food will do more good. Sounds like a parasite on top of a nasty bacterial infection.
Any idea what brought this on? Any changes to the tank, new additions, etc? Water parameters in the main system? If the fish is in that bad of shape, it might be kinder to euthanize--but that's a personal call.
Marine TB is infectious, but simple precautions, like wearing gloves, washing your hands and tools fully, and making sure open wounds don't contact infected water will prevent transmission. Marine TB is NOT the same thing as human TB. Don't know if there is a FW TB...But if so, it's not the same thing as human TB either.
yashinfan
07-01-2003, 5:06 PM
thecowman did not make any additions to his tank but the other angelfish died about a month ago really suddenly. None of the other fish seem to have any symptoms. In his tank he has a zebra danio, 2 tetras, a clown loach, 2 corys, and a pleco in a 25 gallon. I bought him the 2.5 to try and save this angelfish so we may as well try. It is still swimming and eating though.
LMOUTHBASS
07-01-2003, 5:09 PM
water or moving plants or doing anything in your tank is it best to always wear gloves and keep our skin from contacting water??? can we get parasites or infections from ourn fish???
OrionGirl
07-01-2003, 5:46 PM
No, most parasites are host specific, and bacteria must have an opening--once more, they won't find humans a very good host. I don't wear gloves personally, but many people do. I think you have better odds of catching something from a furry pet that an aquatic one.
Hmmmm. What are the tank parameters?
thecowman
07-01-2003, 11:37 PM
Thanks for the quick reply. I don't think I would be able to go through with killing the fish, especially not before I know that I have pursued all possible avenues of curing the ailments. The water has zero ammonia at the moment. It did, however, spike after the death of my other angelfish. The pH tests in the mid-7's, and the tank is kept constant at 78 degrees.
Do you think the added salt will help to rid the fish of the parasite if one does indeed exist? Has anyone had any experience with Maracyn or any other medication that may help cure my fish? One of the white, stringy cobweb-like things that was attached to the fish fell off and I managed to fish it out of the water with a net. Does anyone have any idea what these things are?
Originally posted by OrionGirl
Don't know if there is a FW TB...But if so, it's not the same thing as human TB either.
there is. i did some reading on it before, so i know it exists and is probably contractable by humans. when *you* get it, it's called fishkeepers disease or something similar.....
orion seems to have a decent diagnosis, some sort of parasites possibly and definately a nasty bacterial infection. i would worry about the bacterial problem first.
are the scales sticking up or "pine-coning"?
if so, i would use something strong, but the end is probably near. that would indicate dropsy also, and very few people have been successful in stopping that from being a terminal thing.
sorry :(