Sick Emperor Angel (pics)

J

joeski3

Member
I recently got this fish from a friend. It was sick to begin with and i am trying to heal it. Here's the scoop: The fish is in a 65gal QT right now. It showed signs of parasites(small worm like) on its face and throat area. Could not see in gills.Its eyes are cloudy but like dirty glasses not a white film.The fish was always listless and the first day was on it's side for part of a day. I did a FW dip for 5 min.there was a small white particle dust storm that came off him. I don't know what they were but as soon as i put him back in QT he was, and still is swimming normal and looking better. He has lost some/most of his black coloring on his face and he has a little deterioration on the tips of his fins. He has not eaten in the week that i have had him. Currently i am treating with RALLY. On the 2nd day now. I am doing 30-50% water changes daily. I was going to switch to Cupramine(sp?)Temp 72-74 degrees,salinity 1.019 I know the pics are not the best but its all i could get.Does anyone have an idea or another treatment? I am planning another FW dip maybe tomorrow.
http://i4.photobucket

[IMG]http://i4.photobucket

[IMG]http://i4.photobucket

[IMG]http://i4.photobucket
 
Did they look like small clear "jelly" like things? If so they are flukes and can be treated with Prazipro of Fluke tabs. Personally I prefer Prazipro.
 
No it looked like fleas...the best i can describe. I know the pics were not great. Today still not eating. On his eyes he has a few very small white lines maybe a mm long or smaller. He is swimming normal and his body color looks fine. What would cause the black on his chest to fade?? He doesn't seem stressed.
 
Neobenedenia. Do a 5 minute fresh water dip in a clean white bucket. When finished you will be able to see the parasites floating around the bucket. Take a clear container and scoop some of the water and hold it to the light to help confirm diagnosis.
 
Thx Reefrascals. I will try another FW dip this week. I will post my results. Do you think the loss of color on his face/chest area will return? As of right now his eyes have cleared almost perfect. He hit at some sinking pellets but didn't eat any yet. So far i am happy w/ his progress.
 
The body will heal easily. It's the eyes that can succumb to potentially irreversible damage, can continue to monitor it. An emperor like that can easily take a 5 minute dip once a day.
 
Ok i did the FW dip last night. (5 min) I did not see anything come off this time nor could i find anything in the bucket. I drained the QT tank and put in reg salt water. Salinity still at 1.019. Over the past couple of days he has developed a few reddish blotches. Most are the size of a nail head and 1 is about the size of a dime. I figure this is bacterial and will start a new treatment. Any recommendations...thoughts? Should i do more FW dips? Still not eating. I will try some garlic soaked Nori tonight.
 
The garlic soaked nori is likely a waste of time if he isn't eating. I would do a few more fresh water dips if they aren't stressing him too much and continue to observe him. Hopefully the dips are working and you just aren't able to see the parasites.
 
You were right ReefRascals he didn't touch the nori. However he did finally eat a few sinking pellets which was a relief. He seems to handle the FW dips fine so i will do again. I am sure there was something in the bucket, i just didn't see any. Do you have any recommendations for an antibiodic? I was going to try Melifix. Just looking for another opnion.It looks like the red spots are a little faded but i think i should still treat.
Thx.
 
Well as of now it just seems like he went backwards. His eyes clouded back a little and those reddish spots are the same. He eats sporatically. What really concerns me is the large nickel-size spot on his side. It looks deep and like something is just eating at him. I am at my wits end. Here is a list of the treatments he has received so far. MARACYN-TWO- from previous owner time unknown. RALLY- 7 days, MELAFIX-6 days, MALACHITE GREEN-in the second day now. In between the Rally and Melafix there was a week of no treatments and just fresh salt water to give him a break and see if he would bounce back. He has also had 5 FW dips lasting no less than 5-8 mins ea. If anybody has other ideas for me i am all ears. If anybody lives near me and wants to take him he's yours. I don't want to put him down but i cannot put him in my display in his current cond. If i can get a reasonable close pic of his side i will post but my camera isn't good at close shots.
 
Ok, cool. I would do a partial water change, as you have a good variety of exhausted medications at this point. If you don't do that, I would consider running some carbon for a few hours, and then removing it.

Then, do a fresh water dip again. Do the thing with the white bucket so that you can attempt to see these 'bugs'. If they are what I think they are they will look like fish scales. In fact, many people will state that they did not see any parasites...only a few scales.

If you see them (and I really think you will) you have a parasite called neobenedenia. It is a parasitic fluke. The treatment of choice is formalin. Call your local stores and see who has it. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals is the brand I typically use.

Have some more carbon on hand. You will need it 12 hours after you dose your aquarium. I recommend 1 ml/10 gal. If your fish isn't too stressed, go that route. This stuff is heavy duty, so if he is stressed I might go 1 ml/15-20 gal. IMPORTANT: Aerate the aquarium heavily without causing additional stress to the fish.

This is the plan...we are trying to kill the parasites that are on the fish by doing the fresh water dip. Next, we are trying to kill the adult parasites that are ready to 'spawn'.

If things are going well up to this point, it is typical to do another treatment in 4-5 days. This is because the formalin only works on adults, and not eggs. The eggs will hatch in a few days and start the whole cycle again if we don't kill them.

It is a good idea to do a water change and/or run carbon after treatment. If you have a gravel vac, use it, so as to remove the dead (and potentially egg carrying) adults.

That should do it. Let me know if you need any additional help.
 
that sucks joe i wish he would have got better for you ,anyone that wants to see him in his glory look at my avatar
 
Thanks ReefRascals for all your help so far! Dom i tried man....i was really bummed. As of last night i gave him to a friend who has alot of connections and experience. He also has a link to this post and will continue other treatments. We did take pics last night to hopefully compare him when he is better. All is not lost. The fish is showing good strength still. He's a fighter i'll give him that!
 
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