Save my powder blue tang

[85galsalty]

Long story short my PBT is a rescue. I've been trying to bring him back to good health and now panic is starting to set in.

I started with a methylene blue dip for 30 mins on 10/16. He was very thin and not eating much. After the dip he was very active and eating well until 10/19. He started really rubbing up on a decorative vase I had in the qt (30gal tank).

On 10/20 - After reading much of the fourms my best guess was flukes. So I prepared a fresh water dip with PH8.2 @ 80 degrees F . He did well in the dip for 20 mins and then began to show signs of stress. I removed him from the dip and found that it was indeed flukes . I could see them in the bowl. I then placed him into a newly sterile setup, 20 gal long qt. With Ph of 8.2 salinity of 1.023 @80 degrees. PHEW

Today he has been circling around and around since the dip, no longer eating and his upper and lower fins are now shredding. This must be his slime coat? On a positive note it appears his color is returning. Any added experience and help for this fish is welcomed please will post pictures shortly.

 

[85galsalty]

This picture is after the Methylene Blue dip.

 

[85galsalty]

Freshwater dip 10/20/11. Current condition 10/21/11. Just treated the tank with Maracyn Plus for his fins and NovAqua plus to help with his slime coat. Still looking for suggestions on survival. My hope is fading :worried:

 

[miketay89]

I've treated flukes by dipping in a hydroplex solution and treating the tank with prazipro.
Be careful about mixing medications. I also lowered the temp to 76 and the salinity to 1.015. I did that to help improve disolved oxygen.
This is not a prescription, I'm just sharing what worked well for me.

 

[85galsalty]

I've treated flukes by dipping in a hydroplex solution and treating the tank with prazipro.
Be careful about mixing medications. I also lowered the temp to 76 and the salinity to 1.015. I did that to help improve disolved oxygen.
This is not a prescription, I'm just sharing what worked well for me.

What are some of the side effects of using the hydroplex?

I've done fw dips on my clown and bangaii with no side effects. Although it was never for 20 mins so I wasn't prepared for the side of effect of his fins to deteriorate and disruption to his slime coat.

 

[85galsalty]

Here are todays pics. He now has some brownish spots. The one by his fin almost looks like something came out of it. Still not eating. Still swimming in circles. Checked parameters and ammonia is at .25ppm . Will try and get that down to 0 with a water change. Am I wasting my time or is there chance of success. I need a pep talk RC!

 

[b0bab0ey]

I think I would hit him with something more aggressive to fight that fin rot/bacterial infection he's got: Run carbon to take all the Minocycline from the Maracyn-2 out of the water. Then go get some Furan-2 and treat with that.

You also are going to need to treat with PraziPro if he still has Flukes.

 

[85galsalty]

I think I would hit him with something more aggressive to fight that fin rot/bacterial infection he's got: Run carbon to take all the Minocycline from the Maracyn-2 out of the water. Then go get some Furan-2 and treat with that.

You also are going to need to treat with PraziPro if he still has Flukes.

I agree that I need to be more aggressive. In search for the Furan 2 now. How long before I will see results? This little guy needs to start eating asap.

 

[sandwi54]

that fin rot is very severe and i agree with b0bab0ey that you need furan-2. definitely do a large water change to get ammonia back down to 0.

for flukes, use prazipro. it's a very easy medicine and guaranteed to kill flukes with 2 treatments. however, take care of the finrot first as that's a more dangerous condition.

 

[foxrazr]

I also recommend you get some Instant Ocean Bio-Spira to get a bio filter going will be easier on the fish and on you for not having to do alot of water changes. Trust me on this one the Bio-Spira does work. I always use it to treat the new fishes that I put on quarantine. I keep my ammonia level at undetectable with seachem and api test kits while in quarantine. You can also get some Kent extreme garlic and dose the whole tank i believe it's 1 drop for 10gallons to stimulate the appetite of the fish. Good luck and keep us posted as the PBT is one of my favorite fish.

 

[foxrazr]

One more thing I forgot to say is that I did a fresh water dip on a yellow tang and killed him. Felt like an *** for a long time. Would never do fresh water dips on fish again. Yes I had the pH and Temp the same as where the fish was coming from. Good luck and good reefing.

 

[85galsalty]

Update- Having a hard time finding Furan 2 at the LFS. I put an SOS out on my local forums in search for anyone who may have Furan and no one has responded. So for now I'm giving up on the Furan and continuing with the Maracyn Plus treatment.

Today is his second dose Maracyn. Unfortunately he does look worse. He is still swimming at a good pace, not breathing heavy and is now eating. I worry about his tail fin the most. If the Maracyn doesn't take a strong effect today and start the healing process....

Thanks for the suggestion Foxrazr I will look into the Ocean Bio-Spira. Anything to make this a little easier for me would be great. I'm surprised I don't have ich yet with all the stress I have. I will be very hesitant next time to do another FW dip on any of my fish.

I really want this fish to live even though I probably wont keep it due to my tank size.

 

[85galsalty]

Flukes

Flukes

This morning I got a chance to photograph these guys under a microscope. They have been deceased since 10/20, but are still pretty identifiable. 3 of them fell off the fish during the fw dip.

 

[b0bab0ey]

This morning I got a chance to photograph these guys under a microscope. They have been deceased since 10/20, but are still pretty identifiable. 3 of them fell off the fish during the fw dip.

Yup, those are Flukes! PraziPro him! I'm guessing the fin rot is a secondary bacterial infection. How's that coming along?

 

[85galsalty]

Yup, those are Flukes! PraziPro him! I'm guessing the fin rot is a secondary bacterial infection. How's that coming along?

The fin rot has stopped and there is a slight improvement in his fins. Today will be his 5th day of treatment with the Maracyn Plus, once I give him his new dose I hope that he will began to recover much faster. He is also eating very good. Garlic soaked nori and flakes are his favorite. I will post a pic of him later tonight.

PraziPro is next on my list. How long should I wait on his fin rot recovery before starting the PraziPro? I have no experience with PraziPro so suggestions are very much welcomed.

 

[b0bab0ey]

The fin rot has stopped and there is a slight improvement in his fins. Today will be his 5th day of treatment with the Maracyn Plus, once I give him his new dose I hope that he will began to recover much faaster.

Maracyn/Maracyn 2 can be slow acting medications. I've actually run fish through the full 5-day treatment, swore it didn't do a damn thing and then a week later the fish looks much improved. I'm starting to form the opinion that Maracyn/Maracyn 2 is better as a prophylactic, while other antibiotics (such as Furan-2) are better when you actually have something that needs treatment. I would love to read more about Furan-2 and how safe it is to use. I've used it a few times myself (successfully) and I know a couple of other experienced hobbyists who swear by it. But I haven't used it long-term, as I have Maracyn and know it to be relatively safe so long as you don't overdose.

PraziPro is next on my list. How long should I wait on his fin rot recovery before starting the PraziPro? I have know experiance with PraziPro so suggestions are very much welcomed.

I've used Prazi w/Maracyn before without any issues. But to be safe, I would finish out the Maracyn treatments and then start treating with PraziPro. You've bought yourself more time by doing the f/w dip on him.

 

[85galsalty]

Rebounding from fin rot.

 

[b0bab0ey]

Rebounding from fin rot.

Yeah, def looking better. How much longer you got of the Maracyn treatments? You'll probably have to hit him with at least 2 consecutive Prazi treatments, spaced 5 days apart. Might have to do 3 to eliminate the eggs. Make sure you do at least a 25% WC in-between Prazi treatments. And make sure you provide plenty of aeration while treating with Prazi, as the Fluke die-off tends to pollute the water and starve it of O2.

 

[85galsalty]

Yeah, def looking better. How much longer you got of the Maracyn treatments? You'll probably have to hit him with at least 2 consecutive Prazi treatments, spaced 5 days apart. Might have to do 3 to eliminate the eggs. Make sure you do at least a 25% WC in-between Prazi treatments. And make sure you provide plenty of aeration while treating with Prazi, as the Fluke die-off tends to pollute the water and starve it of O2.

Yesterday was the last dose. He will get a 50% water change tomorrow. I am considering continuing treatment for one more round because of the frequent water changes during the treatment to keep the ammonia in check. Then a careful watch to make sure his recovery continues.
Thanks for the advice with the Prazi, it will be my first time using it so I don't know what to expect and I appreciate the recommendations.

 

[sandwi54]

prazipro is probably the safest medication i've ever used. it's not very stressful to fish and easy to use.

just be careful when you dump it into the tank. be careful not to dump it over the fish. it's best to dump it into the HOB filter to let it slowly disperse throughout the tank. I once dump prazipro directly into the tank, and my fish thought i was going to feed her and swam up to the surface. the prazipro went right on top of her and she stopped moving and had labored breathing for the next one hour. it really freaked me out!