sick clown fish..need advice,please

[dott]

Over a month ago I removed my clark clown to a QT for treatment .
He had a black spot on his head over the left eye and the right eye was starting to pop. I treated with erythromycin which cleared up the "ulcer" nicely. However, the eye remains popped and fish has gone off food. He developed tufts of wooly growths on his lips about a week ago so I treated with maracyn-2 along with maracyn to cover any gram negative stuff. The popped eye now has granulomas and warty like growths on its lower edge and the mouth no longer has wooly tufts on it..but rather a swollen looking lower lip with a very dark to black area on his lip edge and jaw. His "chin' under the lower jaw-looks very "bumpy"
and his mouth stays open now as if he can't close it.

What should I do next. I am trying really hard to save this little guy. Nothing I can find talks about this lower jaw discoloration and irregular bumpy skin..or the eye with the warty growths.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[TerryB]

Switch antibiotic. Nitrofurazone or nifurpirinol would be good choices. You could even combine them with kanamycin or neomycin. Remove the other antibiotics first with a water change using well aged and aerated saltwater. Use some carbon to remove the rest of the antibiotic before you add the new stuff. The fish is in bad shape so move fast. Was the fish netted before all this started? If the fish is still eating then try to get some Beta glucan and add a tiny amount to the food each day (immune stimulant).

Terry B

 

[dott]

Thanks,Terry
No he was not netted. He will not take any food at this time...he was hand feeding before he got so sick...not sure if I can tempt him with something...any suggestions on what Clarks can't resist??
I am in an area with limited resources and expertise..Could not find kanamycin or neomycin here. I did find some Furanase..its the closest I can get to Nitrofurazone...and I started that this morning. My only other options available.are sulfa and tetracycline.
Thanks again
Dott

 

[TerryB]

Furanase is the brand name for one of the best antibiotics available so good going. Add some liquid vitamins to the water (i.e. Zoe) and try a live food.

Good luck,
Terry B

 

[dott]

Wow!! I did something right...that gives me some hope..I am trying so hard to save him. I am trying to get a good close-up picture of the eye and mouth but so far they are too fuzzy for anyone to tell . If this doesn't work should I be considering treating for parasite of some kind? Just wondering if all this infection is secondary to something else I have missed.

I really appreciate your help.
Thanks
Dott

 

[TerryB]

The fish is very sick. Lets not do too much too fast. What do the instructions on the package say? It may help to reduce the salinity as well.

Terry B

 

[dott]

Terry,
I have dropped the SG to 1.012.
The directions on the Furananse state "dissolve 2 tablets for every ten gallons and repeat at the rate of 1 tablet for every 10 gals for the following 3 days.

I am at day 3 now. I was not able to get live food at the Lfs but did get some frozen cubes and the Zoe you recommended. I presented this to him yesterday and he was quite active trying to eat. The most activity I have seen from him in over a 1-2 weeks. He was able to actually get some food in..his mouth remains open and lower lip swollen so its difficult for him. The fact he is eating is very encouraging but I think he has a long way to go. Wondering what I do now. Put the filter back in and observe?
Thanks
Dott

 

[TerryB]

Keep the medication going another three days. If the fish is not getting worse then things are going well. It takes a few days before you will see any healing. The best indicator is how the fish is acting. Eating is a good sign. Look for other normal behaviors like hiding less, being more active, reacting faster when something approaches the tank (like you). Good idea to make a large water change using well aged and aerated saltwater before you add the next dose. Don't use raw (freshly mixed) saltwater.

Terry

 

[dott]

sick clown fish...ned advice

sick clown fish...ned advice

I have finished the additional 4 days on the furanase.
the mouth has healed considerably...he wasn't able to even get it closed last week due to the swelling and warty looking growth. So that is much improved.

Feeding frozen cubes with the Zoe vitamin . He is eating like crazy and really dashing around after the food. Very active compared to a week ago when he spent most of the time sitting at the bottom of the tank. Eye is still popped and cloudy with some granuloma looking bumps on it....but it is not worse. mouth still has a dark black spot and a white bump.

any suggestions as to what I do next?
SG is at 1.016.

Thanks
Dott

 

[dott]

sick clownfish..need advice

sick clownfish..need advice

forgot to add...

I have been doing partial water changes daily with a complete change between the first and second dose schedules.
I do not have well aged seawater....what are my options besides the freshly mixed saltwater I have been using?

Many thanks,
Dott

 

[TerryB]

Dott,

By well aged I mean that the water should be mixed a minimum of 24 hours (well aerated also) before it is used. Freshly mixed saltwater is unstable chemically and it hasn't fully dissolved. That makes it highly irritating to sensitive gill tissues.

It sounds like the treatment is going very well. I would now remove the medication with a water change and some carbon. If you can get some Beta glucan then add it to the food for a week (immune stimulant).

The fish may have flukes (a parasite) on the eyes. The parasite wounds may be how the bacterial infection got started. I would try to give the fish two days and then try a freshwater dip using water that is the same temperature and pH. Be very careful and try not to use a net. A net can easily cause further damage to the eyes. If you must use a net then get one of the soft ones rather than the old fashioned kind that rips the mucus off and can cause other injuries. You may see the bumps (flukes) on the eyes turn white and fall off when you do the dip.

Popeye will often resolve once any parasites and bacterial infection are taken care of. You will need to give the fish some time to heal and regain strength before moving it back into the display tank. I would wait a couple of weeks before you move it. Keep up the water quality. Is the Qtank cycled? Please keep us informed.

Terry B

 

[dott]

sick clown fish..need advice,please

Terry,
Thanks for sticking with me....and thanks for clarifying "well-aged saltwater"...I usually mix it a day ahead..but have not been aerating it..so will do that from now on.

I will try the freshwater dip...I don't know which of us gets stressed out more by the dip...the fish or me.!...I tried a dip on this fish when I moved him from the main tank to the QT..he seemed to handle it well...

My QT tank is simply a 5 gal that has a regular charcoal filter..which I have removed during the antibiotic Rx. I usually do a 50% water change in that daily to keep ahead of the ammonia,etc. So it is not cycled. However, I do have an 8 gal biocube that just has some live rock and one cleaner shrimp and a few mushroom corals in it... that biofilter is well cycled.
Perhaps I should move him to the biocube for the 2 weeks to see how he does. I need to be out of town during that time so i would like to get him in a more stable situation and not rely on others to do the water changes, etc.

I haven't had to use the net on him...I try to get him to swim into a big jar then scoop him up. I'm assuming I should keep the SG low around 1.012.?

Thanks
Dott

 

[TerryB]

Once you have finished the medication then you can begin to raise the salinity a couple of points a day. No real hurry. Just keep the fish in a stable low stress environment with a good variety of foods for a couple of weeks before you move it.

Keep in touch,
Terry B