Injury questions OK here, too? Shubunkin with wing damage...

For future reference, what medicine schedule would you recommend for something like this? The medication said dose, wait 24 hrs, do a 25% water change, and a second dose may be given after the water change. It was recommended to keep medicating for a few days after all visible fungus was gone, to be sure it was indeed gone, and I think that may be where I went wrong, as I continued for 4 treatments. Is it ok to dose just two days and wait, or is this like antibiotics where if you don't get it the first time, it can come back stronger the second time?

Might have to change Indy's name to Hoover if she keeps hogging up the food like this :)

Jen
 
Almost afraid to ask...

Is this more infection, or healing on her gill cover? It is trailing bits that come off occasionally, so I wondered if it is like a scab coming off, or more of the dreaded funk....looks more white than the pic shows. Fin looks good, though, no funk there.
IMG_4809-1.JPG
If it is infection, can I dose with Pearl in there, too? The two of them are trashing the water faster than I can change it, so I am anxious to get them back in the pond before I cause them more problems.

Sigh...better...worse...better...worse...better....please be better, not worse.

Jen

IMG_4809-1.JPG
 
still not sure about gill cover,i keep them there till it looks better,.. and not sloughing off,.. that way you can keep the water clean,.

just feed good quality food but in small amounts as not to pollute the tank, before you get a chance to change water,.. as things happen and i alway forget ot another emergency happens,..lol

how long did you do meds for ? and was jungle fungus all you used if so perhaps the gill area might be bacterial,.. i would use a round of ampicillin just to be sure,.. as it treats gram positive and negative,..
or you could use melafix for a while but antibiotice will work faster,..

if using either keep and airstone in for airation as both limit oxygen a bit for the fish,.. and it also helps keep o2 levels higher ,..

i'd hate to have it look better and you return her to pond and then it turns ugly,..
and perhaps she wont let you catch her again,.. for fear of the tank,...lol
just me, and what i've experienced wit hafarm life,.. it always looks better before it goes south,..

i have a salt clown fish in quarenteen on day 9.,, tomarrow is last day of treatment,. and boy did i want to get them out fast because he was acting better but i had to tell myself no and complete the extra long treatment just incase,. to make sure he's staying good,..

btw she is a very beautiful fish,..

i have 3 shubs about 2-3 inches and one had started to get a tumor looking growth in the tail,. so i have this to deal with,.. so it's always something,..lol
 
Only used the jungle fungus, but for 4 days instead of the 1-2 recommended on the package. I am scared to use any other medication, as I think that is part of what was hurting her. Will the ampicillin hurt the healthy fish that is in keeping her company?

Jen
 
there are many occasions where a main tank has been treated with meds and the tank had both healthy and sick fish in it, with no ill effect to the healthy fish. i am by far not knowledgeable in all fishy illnesses and meds, but i would think it should be ok.
 
The gill plate (operculum) looks like it is severely damaged. I think part of it is dead. I do not know if this will heal or if a little surgery may be needed. At this point it does not look infected to me.

In the mean time I would research operculum damage on pond sites and see if you can find any info. If the fish is swimming easily and eating well I would maintain high water quality and not medicate.
 
I agree, the gill cover looks like it has had a significant injury. I also agree that you shouldn't add more medication unless you know it will help, because most medications have side effects. You can try Melafix as suggested, as it has no side effects, or possibly see what a vet has to say.
 
What I see from your pics, Jennie, looks like clear progress. And I agree with The V, who suggested you do not medicate. She's had a chance to get acclimated to this strange QT environment already and Pearl is giving her some companionship. She's been through the fungus treatment already with no sign that has come back... and she's come out of her lethargic-clamped fins-won't eat stage. At this point, what she needs most is what you are already providing... clean water, calm environment, good quality food. Let her take the time she needs now to rest and recuperate.

At the very MOST right now, this is what I would do... raise the water temperature to 78 degrees as a boost for her immune system. And think about adding 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon as a general tonic and to reduce the possibility of further infection.

Whether the greenish coloring to the operculum is a natural color spot or whether it's a sign of dead tissue along part of the gill plate... I have no clue. I've never actually seen that shade of green coloring on any goldfish before, so it appears odd to me. From what I've been reading tonight about operculum damage (mostly koi sites where the fish has been injured by bird claws)... the main concern really isn't the gill covering, but the gills themselves. I can see from your photos the gill tissue underneath the damaged gill covering appears to be completely healthy.

I agree with the others who've recommended that you don't return her to the pond until (1) her pectoral fin is done healing, and (2) you find out what's going on with the gill plate. If that damaged area is effectively dead tissue, it seems to me that it will naturally slough off all by itself. And even this is nothing to worry about.

Keep us posted (of course) and we'll be with you as much as possible the whole time. I think the worst is over for Indy (and for you). Having to keep her indoors for a while, I expect your biggest problem now is going to be planning where to set up an actual indoor goldfish tank... lmao. These fish really are habit-forming. ;)
 
I'm going to have to disagree with the others - this looks like a classic case of saprolegnia, a type of fungus that is often a secondary invader, coming in to take advantage of fish with a compromised immune system and high stress levels. The green color tipped me off, as the green is algae that is actually sticking to the filaments of the fungus, a classic characteristic of this fungus.

Here is an excellent article on sap:
http://www.koivet.com/koivet/index....ngus&catid=40:fungal-infections-koi&Itemid=60

I recommend IMMEDIATE treatment. This is most often seen in ponds (likely where your guys picked it up) and can be a quick killer. It spreads very fast and since it is so close to your fish's gill tissue it's extremely important to kill it off before it gets to her gills. I would treat the pair of them, since your healthy fish may have brought it in from the pond and you don't want to risk re-infecting your shub. Don't treat the whole pond, though. Thats impractical and in healthy fish with strong immune systems, sap can't take hold.
Malachite green is the best treatment, so malachite-based meds would be your best bet. Remember that it will stain just about everything and is carcinogenic, so be careful when handling it. If you go with a malachite med, follow the instructions on the bottle closely. Remember to remove carbon from the filter.
Best of luck, Jennie!
 
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