Black Ghost On His Way Out ?

[reaper]

hi all

ive just came home from work and my black ghost looks like hes sick

he was on his side beside his cave and as i thought he was dead and i put in the net he sprung back up and went back into his cave

did a water 25% water change last saturday and the next ones scheduled tomorrow but will do today to see if it helps.

tank stats done 5 minutes ago

nitrate 40ppm
nitrite 0
amonia 0
ph 8.0
tank temperature 27oc
300l tank

tank mates are two bala sharks and 2 angels 1 sucking loach

there does not appear to be any markings that could give any indication as to what is wrong everything looks pristine as when i first got him he is around the 3" mark

any suggestions on what too look for

ive looked at the basics such as bloated, eyes, gills, theres no sign of any markings to his body he was eating fine a couple of days ago but i did feed them live blood worm so i suppose internal parasites are possible. anyone got anything else i should look for or start treating asap for internal parasites ?

thanks

 

[WILDER]

What do you feed the fish.
Does he look bloated or thin.
Does he look pale or darker in colour.
He he acting listless and lethagic.
What does it look like when he goes to the toilet.
Can he maintain balance in water.

 

[reaper]

What do you feed the fish. Daphnia and mainly frozen blood worm and on occasion prawns/veg and live blood worm ( prawns are washed before they go into the tank)


Does he look bloated or thin. no


Does he look pale or darker in colour. no

He he acting listless and lethagic. im not 100% he moves around normally then when i next look hes on his side not moving

What does it look like when he goes to the toilet. havent seen him go to the toilet but will keep a look out

Can he maintain balance in water. as far as im aware yes but being a bgkf hes always going forward reverse up and down

i had a similar sort of problem with a molly and he came round pretty fast after i put in treatment. i have already put in internal bacteria treatment as i wanted to make haste i might of came to the wrong conclusion about what is wrong with him but doing something seemed better than doing nothing

 

[reaper]

update.

ive now transferred him into a quarantine tank that i use for fry there was a few times when i check on him he was back on his side and upside down with the angels getting ever so close to wanting to have a munch

so far hes been in quarantine for about 1 hour now and he seems to be swimming around quite happily havent seen him on his side/back once yet so maybe a slight improvement

i refuse to let him die, not without a fight

however this is a make shift quarantine as since its been out of service for a few weeks the water has come from the main tank which i know the stats are perfect. and ive used media from the filters in there aswell to help keep any waste down.

got test kit, treated water and alot of coffee. going to be an all nighter. will report with any good/bad news

 

[WILDER]

Ok that sounds fine.
Keep a look out for when he goes to the toilet.
Never kept black ghosts so make sure you are meeting his diet requirements.

 

[indigoj]

BGKs do sleep/rest in odd positions so it could be quite normal, at 3" it is very young his tankmates could be a bit boisterous for him - is he getting food or are the other fish getting it all?

 

[reaper]

yes he usually gets food at first signs that food is in the tank he comes out of his cave to investigate and i always make sure that food lands close to where the entrance is and watch for a few mins

but hes been coming out of his cave and going on his side which is what made me think something was wrong

also ive now noticed rapid gill movement when he goes onto his side

i fell asleep around 3am just watching him and so far im pleased to say that hes still with us however at 9:45 he did go back onto his side for a couple of mins then started swimming again.

i put in some blood worm but has not been intrested. going to try some veg aswell

as of yet i still havent seen any poop

 

[WILDER]

Can you issolate as I would try a bactrial med. Tilting to oneside and heavy breathing can be bacterial.
What do his gills look like.

 

[reaper]

his gills appear to be in good condition but until he goes on his side again i wont be able to get a better look as thats the only time he appears to be in distress

his poop appears to be small i still havent witnessed him going to the toilet but can only go by whats on the bottom of the tank

 

[reaper]

second symptom or maybe not when hes on his side hes not flat against the bottom. instead hes shaped like a boomerang so his bottom half is on the floor of the aquaria and his top half is sitting up

 

[WILDER]

He dosn't sound right to me so I would definately try a bacterial med.
Feed some peas to flush him throw.

Sorry didn't see last reply.


It could be bacterial to internal parasites. For now I would take the bacterial route.
Keep a look out for when all your fish go to the toilet.

 

[reaper]

whats best for bacterial at the moments hes on internal parasites med can i mix both or ?

edit:

he is now eating i dipped the top of my pinkie into the water to see if he could still sense me (im able to feed him out of my hand)

and he actually bit me and wow what a bite not enough to draw blood but enough to get my finger out of there. i just dropped in a cube of blood worm and hes munching on it

just getting some peas ready now

hopefully another good sign

 

[reaper]

update

now that night has come and the only light in my room where ive set up a quarantine is coming from my tv screen my bgkf is moving around more as he would every night.

but to add im now not going to be at home next week due to work commitments.

i have seen him go on his side once since the lights have been switched off and he has recovered from it himself i shall dose the tank tomorrow for more internal parasites med at half dosage and put on minimum dose salt aswell to help clear and bacterial infection

i then take the choice of either leaving him in qurantine at the mercy of my parents whilst im away till friday or returning him to the main tank

i guess its a see how he gets on tomorrow sort of scenario.

if anyone thinks im making a mistake in returning him to the main tank or if my treatment plan will not work/is too dangerous please let me know before i make a mistake.

thanks for all advice

-reaper

 

[WILDER]

Whats the internal parasite med called.

 

[reaper]

turns out ive been using anti internal bacteria. (interpet)

(please feel free to call me a glue pot) for some reason i thought it was internal parasite

anyhow after staying up till about 6 am on my laptop whilst watching him swim around happily ive just released him back into the main tank and hes been having fun exploring again before getting lodged behind the filter turning it into a rescue operation

then he found his way back to his cave and his currently poking his head out now and again.

so fingers crossed all is well

my niece's and nephews are staying in my house with only my parents to watch guard. i couldnt have him in a quarantine tank in my room with them staying here its just too risky for either the tank to get knocked over or fingers covered in rasberry jam thrashing around the inside of the tank.

thanks to all bearing with me through this time and ill hopefully have a good update on friday when i get home

providing the nephew doesnt try feed the rest of my fish his cheerios in the morning.

-Reaper