Rapid Gill Movement

Is there any inflammation of the gills or excess slime around them?

Not any slime. Dosent appear to have any inflammation around the gills but slightly pink colour under her chin going around to her gills (sorry not easy to describe). I will do my best to try and take a pic (problem is my 'new' camera lens is not working properly!!!).

Sorry repeating myself from my other messages, but she is mix of colourings, so bit hard to see BUT I have been studying her constantly.
 
Interpet have an anti white spot medication, number six. I'm using it in my tank now.

Ok great thanks, does this treat all parasites? Will need to find out more info about this, will ask in the shop tomorrow.

Interpet No.6 is for ich. For flukes you need Interpet No.7. Also Waterlife have a better reputation for meds and their product is Waterlife Sterazin.
 
Hi nikki. The very first thing would do is put her in a hospital tank. This would be a 10 gallon, bare bottom tank. I would put the temperature up to 82 degrees and be sure to float her in a bag until the bag water is the same temperature. Also, be absolutely sure to use an air pump as higher temperatures lower the oxygen content of water. If you want to be agressive, you could try a product called Clout. We have it here in the states and it treats several kinds of parasites. I'm also wondering what the temp of your aquarium is and if you have adequate oxygen levels in you tank.

Hiya, I dont have an adequate hospital tank, all I have is a small tank and no heater in there. Mmmmm making me wonder if I should get one for times like this, fortunately after a couple of years I have not had any major prob's with my fish so not needed one.

Relating to parasites, is it best to treat the whole tank though if one fish is ill?

I have never heard of Clout, not sure if they sell it in the UK will look into this, thank you though.

Temp - 22 (average temp for all my fish, have Platys, Pearl Danios/Zebra Danios/ White Cloud Minnows

Yes adequate oxygen in tank

Thank you for your advice
 
Clout is listed as treating: visible parasites, gasping for air, flicking or scratching, listless behavior and excess mucus production. The parasites is treats are: Skin and gill flukes; Costia; Trichodina, Chilodonella; Anchor Worms; Fish Lice; Ich and Leeches. This medication is very strong and is only used once or twice. So if you choose to use it, be sure to watch your fish and if she starts to signs of stress, change the water immediately. I tend to use this on new fish in my hospital tank before I add them to my main aquariums. And I also wait to add new fish for at least 3 to 4 weeks. Clout is made by AP(Aquarium Products) in Glen Burnie MD.
 
Interpet have an anti white spot medication, number six. I'm using it in my tank now.

Ok great thanks, does this treat all parasites? Will need to find out more info about this, will ask in the shop tomorrow.

Interpet No.6 is for ich. For flukes you need Interpet No.7. Also Waterlife have a better reputation for meds and their product is Waterlife Sterazin.

Oh thanks for this.

Now I have a question for you!! ha ha How do I tell if it is ich or flukes - can you advise me of any specific symptoms please?

So although Interpet have treatments for both, does Sterazin treat both the parasites at the same time instead?

Please dont worry explaining if I am taking too much of your time up, I can read up on the Internet.

Appreciate all your help.
 
Ich (white spot) looks like the picture below. I'm sorry I'm not certain about flukes.

b44655e9.jpg
 
If it's ich the fish will develop white salt-like grains on its body. Flukes will casue reddening of the gills and increased slime production.

Waterlife ich med is called Protozin.

None treat flukes and ich at the same time.

Ich tends to come on very quickly so I don't think it is that.
 
This Old Spouse -
Thanks a really useful pic to have incase my fish ever got Whitespot in the future, I would know exactly what I was looking for.

No this is not what my Platy got.

Prime Ordeal -
Great info again! I think my best bet is to look into Waterlife Sterazin (if they stock it at my local shop) if not they definitely do Interpet.

As you said if you dont treat it quickly it can be too late for the fish and something is def wrong with her gills, started rubbing, not eating. If I left it for more symptoms to develop ie. slime, is that when it could be too late to help her?
 
It's no problem but I must go after this. If it is Ich, you might be able to see it on the fish's tail and other fins. It shows as a very small white spot. You may want to look at your other fish and see if they may have it. Having said that, sometimes the Ich can affect a fishs' gills and not show up anywhere else. I think, not totally sure however, to see gill flukes, you almost have to examine the gills. Personally, I would just go ahead and treat with Clout as it treats both and it is . I'm not familiar with the other medication you mentioned. If you can find a reliable medication that does treat both other than the Clout, I would try it. But always remember to watch any fish very closely when medicating because they can become stressed from it and a water change is necessary, most likely a 75% minimum right away. Sometimes you have to do 1/2 doses of meds depending on the fish you are treating. I have just read the box and it also treats Digenetic Flukes, Planaria, Parasitic Copepods, Monogenetic Flukes, Hexamita and Hydra. I'm in the USA and don't know if this medication is available where you are but I'm sure you could order it through the internet. Good Luck. I will check in later.
 
What I would do is quarantine the fish in a separate tank and watch closely until I could determine just what I think the malady is. It just didn't sound to me as though that had been determined.

The problem with waiting is that if it is gill flukes, which I think quite possible, you can't really wait because by the time the fish shows any symptoms other than the initial flashing it's often too late to treat as the gills have been irreparably damaged.

I was reading that trematodes can massively infect the gills and not raise any inflammatory response. Then they move on to infect the fish internally without ever showing an outward sign. By the time you see a symptom like stringy white poop, the gills have been virtually destroyed.

EDIT: This is one of the reasons that I like methylene blue (if you don't mind the biofilter crashing). You can combine it with all known fish meds without concern for some negative reaction or synergistic effect. It immediately goes to work on a whole host of external problems (parasitice, bacterial and fungal) as well as helping repair the damaged hemoglobin of a nitrIte poisoned fish. I will be using it as a dip for all new fish before going INTO quarantine.
 
What I would do is quarantine the fish in a separate tank and watch closely until I could determine just what I think the malady is. It just didn't sound to me as though that had been determined.

The problem with waiting is that if it is gill flukes, which I think quite possible, you can't really wait because by the time the fish shows any symptoms other than the initial flashing it's often too late to treat as the gills have been irreparably damaged.

I was reading that trematodes can massively infect the gills and not raise any inflammatory response. Then they move on to infect the fish internally without ever showing an outward sign. By the time you see a symptom like stringy white poop, the gills have been virtually destroyed.

EDIT: This is one of the reasons that I like methylene blue (if you don't mind the biofilter crashing). You can combine it with all known fish meds without concern for some negative reaction or synergistic effect. It immediately goes to work on a whole host of external problems (parasitice, bacterial and fungal) as well as helping repair the damaged hemoglobin of a nitrIte poisoned fish. I will be using it as a dip for all new fish before going INTO quarantine.

Thank you for your reply.

This is very interesting seeming my Platy has no other symptoms from what I described.

Can I ask please, when you say methylene blue crashes the biofilter, am I understaning correctly that this will destroy all the good/bad bacteria in the filter? (sorry if i have completely got this wrong).

Im not experienced in using meds (not had ill fish before) so any tips if I was to use Meth Blue? I know sometimes you have to be very careful with what your using, and I would be anxious with my lack of knowledge/experience.

I will certainly look into this med also.

Many thanks

It's no problem but I must go after this. If it is Ich, you might be able to see it on the fish's tail and other fins. It shows as a very small white spot. You may want to look at your other fish and see if they may have it. Having said that, sometimes the Ich can affect a fishs' gills and not show up anywhere else. I think, not totally sure however, to see gill flukes, you almost have to examine the gills. Personally, I would just go ahead and treat with Clout as it treats both and it is . I'm not familiar with the other medication you mentioned. If you can find a reliable medication that does treat both other than the Clout, I would try it. But always remember to watch any fish very closely when medicating because they can become stressed from it and a water change is necessary, most likely a 75% minimum right away. Sometimes you have to do 1/2 doses of meds depending on the fish you are treating. I have just read the box and it also treats Digenetic Flukes, Planaria, Parasitic Copepods, Monogenetic Flukes, Hexamita and Hydra. I'm in the USA and don't know if this medication is available where you are but I'm sure you could order it through the internet. Good Luck. I will check in later.

Yvonne - Thanks for this very helpful, I did have a look at the other fish, and cannot see any white spots. Will have a look tomorrow in the daylight.




Im afraid I have to go now, but I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone for all your help and input, it realy is much appreciated. If my Platy could type she would say thanks too as she needs some help.

I will log back in tomorrow, and keep you all posted how things are going.

So glad I joined this website!!!

Bye for now everyone
 
What I would do is quarantine the fish in a separate tank and watch closely until I could determine just what I think the malady is. It just didn't sound to me as though that had been determined.

The problem with waiting is that if it is gill flukes, which I think quite possible, you can't really wait because by the time the fish shows any symptoms other than the initial flashing it's often too late to treat as the gills have been irreparably damaged.

I was reading that trematodes can massively infect the gills and not raise any inflammatory response. Then they move on to infect the fish internally without ever showing an outward sign. By the time you see a symptom like stringy white poop, the gills have been virtually destroyed.

EDIT: This is one of the reasons that I like methylene blue (if you don't mind the biofilter crashing). You can combine it with all known fish meds without concern for some negative reaction or synergistic effect. It immediately goes to work on a whole host of external problems (parasitice, bacterial and fungal) as well as helping repair the damaged hemoglobin of a nitrIte poisoned fish. I will be using it as a dip for all new fish before going INTO quarantine.

Thank you for your reply.

This is very interesting seeming my Platy has no other symptoms from what I described.

Can I ask please, when you say methylene blue crashes the biofilter, am I understaning correctly that this will destroy all the good/bad bacteria in the filter? (sorry if i have completely got this wrong).

Im not experienced in using meds (not had ill fish before) so any tips if I was to use Meth Blue? I know sometimes you have to be very careful with what your using, and I would be anxious with my lack of knowledge/experience.

I will certainly look into this med also.

Many thanks

It's no problem but I must go after this. If it is Ich, you might be able to see it on the fish's tail and other fins. It shows as a very small white spot. You may want to look at your other fish and see if they may have it. Having said that, sometimes the Ich can affect a fishs' gills and not show up anywhere else. I think, not totally sure however, to see gill flukes, you almost have to examine the gills. Personally, I would just go ahead and treat with Clout as it treats both and it is . I'm not familiar with the other medication you mentioned. If you can find a reliable medication that does treat both other than the Clout, I would try it. But always remember to watch any fish very closely when medicating because they can become stressed from it and a water change is necessary, most likely a 75% minimum right away. Sometimes you have to do 1/2 doses of meds depending on the fish you are treating. I have just read the box and it also treats Digenetic Flukes, Planaria, Parasitic Copepods, Monogenetic Flukes, Hexamita and Hydra. I'm in the USA and don't know if this medication is available where you are but I'm sure you could order it through the internet. Good Luck. I will check in later.

Yvonne - Thanks for this very helpful, I did have a look at the other fish, and cannot see any white spots. Will have a look tomorrow in the daylight.




Im afraid I have to go now, but I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone for all your help and input, it realy is much appreciated. If my Platy could type she would say thanks too as she needs some help.

I will log back in tomorrow, and keep you all posted how things are going.

So glad I joined this website!!!

Bye for now everyone

There seems to be some common meds in the UK that contain methylene blue, but apparently not in heavy concentration. Normal concentrations for treatment turns the water a deep indigo color and meth. blue will severely stain anything organic such as your skin, carpet, virtually anything. I wouldn't recommend using it in your main tank since it harms the biological filter and plants. I think it will kill invertebrates too. Best used in a hospital tank with no substrate. If you know specifically what you are up against then there are certainly better meds, but m. blue is a good general purpose med to use against an unknown external problem and you don't have to wait two days before changing to something else. Do some googling on using it in an aquarium and you'll find all kinds of good info about it.
 
Hiya, just a quick update how things are going!!

Good news my Platy has improved slightly!!

I took the carbon out, did another water change and used Interpet No 7 as advised (afraid shop dont stock Waterlife brands - (anyone recommend a good aquatics website in the UK I can order fish stuff from in the future?).

Her gills dont appear to be so rapid - but still room for improvement yet. She has been out for little swims quite regularly and then goes back behind her plant (before this she would just stay behind her plant all the time). Not eating flakes yet, but did come up for a nosey when I fed the rest of the fish, she seems to be going up and down the side of the tank, i assume eating algae! She must be surviving on something.

I did try and take a pic to see if you thought it was a little sore looking under her chin, but afraid camera is not working (sorry!)

If it appears after using the Interpet med for the advised week, and she stills looks a little unwell would you re-dose or would you suggest trying the Waterlife Sterazin instead?

Thank you so much to you all again for your help.
 
Well that's some good news then.

I would try the Sterazin, it's a better product, but if she's already perked up a bit it looks promising and you probably won't need the Sterazin. Just use eBay to find the cheapest.

Also you may want to follow up the fluke treatment with an antibacterial to prevent any infection setting in on the gills as the flukes die. Try Interpet No.9 or Waterlife Myxazin.

A picture would be nice and let us know how she progresses.
 
Well that's some good news then.

I would try the Sterazin, it's a better product, but if she's already perked up a bit it looks promising and you probably won't need the Sterazin. Just use eBay to find the cheapest.

Also you may want to follow up the fluke treatment with an antibacterial to prevent any infection setting in on the gills as the flukes die. Try Interpet No.9 or Waterlife Myxazin.

A picture would be nice and let us know how she progresses.

Thanks I will try the Sterazin if need be. Also then the antibacterial.

Will order it online - get a stock of med's ready incase need them. (Will check ebay- thanks)

I will keep in touch let you know how she is.
 

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