Please Help my Flowerhorn: Huge Wound

[nato2k]

This started out as a raised scale about 2-3 weeks ago. Soon it became the size of a quarter with a thick white foam around it. We immediately took him out of the tank and started parasite and fungus treatment with Maracide and Maroxy.

After three days it doubled in size when I figured it might be an infection. I immediately started anti bacterial treatment with Melafix on the fourth day. I continued the treatment another day then did a 50% water change(its a hospital tank with no filtration or bio filtration just a filter with no cartridge because of activated carbon). From there I finished the last dose of Maracide and continued treatment with Maroxy and began treatment with Maracyn 2.

I continued the Maracyn 2 for the 5 days. After the second day of Maracyn treatment the wound was covered in a light foamy substance that looked identical to the growth on a food pellet that doesnt get eaten. I am sorry I don't have any pictures of it. After the fifth day of Marcyn treatment that came off and now it is just a large gaping wound maybe 2 inches tall 1 inch wide.

I am continuing treatment with Marcyn 2 and Pimafix along with Copper safe to keep out parasites. I have the water at ~74 degrees with about 1.2 tbsp of salt per 5 gallons. His normal water conditions would be ~1.0 tbsp of salt and 78-80 degrees. He has been alive and moving, no more listless than you would expect for a large fish in a small tank. He has lost a lot of his apatite but not all.

I am not sure if I can treat with Maracyn and Melafix. I am encouraged by how he has survived so far and want some input to what I should be doing. He has begun healing from what I can tell but the wound seems very serious. Any input on the matter would help. I have attached a few pictures of the wound. Please be aware that they are very graphic.

 

[boostnbuds]

raise temp higher and add more salt along with your current treatment. sounds like a fungus to me.

 

[feylind]

crap! thats a nasty wound.
I Hope he gets better poor bugger.

 

[Oii]

more salt and higher temps like said before. I know FH's can survive in some pretty high temps too. I'd push 83.

 

[Lupin]

Nato, I am concerned with your pattern of treatment. Some medicines cannot be mixed and if mixed, fatal results are the occurrence. That wound is already infected and appears to be a combination of bacterial and fungal infections. I've never even seen any wounds this deep. I would suggest that you stop treating. Place a carbon in your filter and wait for 48 hours before you treat again. In the meantime, watch your water parameters and do 50% daily water changes.

What food are you feeding it? I'd suggest varying the food diet. Treat with Methylene Blue and Jungle Fungus Eliminator. The salt in Jungle Fungus Eliminator should help treat the wounds. Keep the temperature warm by 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Don't give up hope. Keep praying that it will survive. Good luck.

 

[elementkid65]

add another filter to- better water quality helps heal :thumbsup:

 

[Tonyvensis]

raise temp higher and add more salt along with your current treatment. sounds like a fungus to me.

Never add salt to a tank were a fish has open wounds. It will
really screw up his equilibrium and compound the problem.
It looks like a heater burn to me. I have seen the same on a Syno I bought, it took a few months to heal.
I would stop using the Melafix. It does not work IMO. It is only tea tree oil.
Its ok for minor things that heal themsleves anyway.
Catch the fish ina net and drip Methaline blue onto his wound. This will kill
any bacterial infection and speed up the healing. Do this a couple of
time a week until he improves.
Fungus will grow on dead flesh it is usually a secondary problem. The met/blue will sort him out. Keep us posted.

 

[nato2k]

As far as the treatment goes I have made sure they can be put in together and I have done large water changes before I have done new kinds of treatment.

I didn't think doing daily water change would be helpful because it would take out too much of the medication that I was using.

If Melafix isn't that effective then is it the same with Pimafix?

I have been trying to put in different kinds of food in there. We normally feed our tank with Tetra Cichlid Crisps, Tetra Flakes, Hikari Cichlid Pellets, and frozen Krill. I have been putting small amounts of all of them at different times other than the krill and he hasn't seemed to eat them. I usually just scoop it out.

Thanks for the responses.

 

[Tonyvensis]

I think they are more or less the same stuff.
Methaline blue(talking from experience)will do the trick.
Keep us updated.

 

[balton777]

My Trimac had a huge wound like that except on her side from the male beating her up and she healed up nicely. There's not even any scarring. I put her in a 20-long hospital tank. I used a little Melafix and Pimafix (less than the recommended dosage) and no salt. I kept the temp at 82 degrees, left the lights off and did water changes every other day until she was doing better. It actually surprised me that she pulled thru. Good luck with yours.