Help! Black Ghost Knife Fish In Need Of Attention!

[Syrius]

Okay where do I start?

I have a black ghost knife fish in my tank and about a month ago he started showing signs of 'webs' all over his skin, so I went to the pet shop and the guy gave me green stuff. I put the green stuff in the tank and it more or less went away completely so I thought he was fine, then this week it's come back again, it's been all down his back and he has like a patch on his side.

I went to a differnt pet shop this time and they gave me blue stuff. I'v put the blue stuff in the water and while yeasturday he was fairly white but very active, today he's lethargic and breathing heavily, the white stuff has more or less completely gone in a day though. I'm worried about him can anyone give me some advice?

just as a side note - none of my other fish have this white stuff (which I beleive is velvet) just my black ghost knife.

 

[WILDER]

Need more info.
Size of tank in gallons or litres.
How many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.

The greens stuff sounded like m green forgot how to spell that, the blue stuff sounds like methylene blue.

The patches of white on the fish do they look fluffy or just bleached out.
Heard of webbing on a fish but forgotten what it means.
Any signs of the fish flicking and rubbing.

Have you increased aeration in the tank with adding the meds, as med s reduce 02 in the water.

Did the lfs tell you what was wrong with the fish.

Sounds like saddle back columnaris to me if it goes along the back on the fish and down the sides of the fish to form a saddle.

 

[Syrius]

uh I havn't got the foggiest what my nitrate leves are etc. it's kinda 10 pm at night here not 3 pm in the afternoon and I don't usually use those things I'v never had problems before with my tank and it's only the black ghost knife thats having the problem.

He was itching on the sand in my tank before he stopped doing anything he's just sort of swimming vertially at the moment very close to the top of the tank with his mouth open. I think I'm gunna loose him I just need to know if theres anything I can do to keep him going until I can get to a pet shop tomorrow and get something else for him.

 

[WILDER]

He dosn't sound good.
Is there enough aeration in the tank as meds reduce 02 in the water, and it tough on plecs who are at the bottom if there not enough aeration.
The white patches on the fish do they look fluffy, as they can flick and rub with columnaris.

Also did you do a water change and remove the other med before you added the blue med.

 

[Phaedra]

*Pops in*
Hi Sy! I'm just posting in moral support.
Wilder is very knowledgeable, you're in good hands.

 

[Syrius]

the patches arn't fluffy they just look like discolouration of his skin (he's black they are whitey grey) I have a pump going on a 12 " air stone and my filter going.

Yeah I did a water change right after I finished with the green stuff.

He just seemed so active yeasturday til I put this blue stuff in now he just seems to be gasping for air and he didn't want to eat. I don't know what to do it's so late at night no wheres open.

 

[Syrius]

do you think if I do an emergency water change it might help? I think I also have an active carbon filter thing some where should I put that in?

 

[WILDER]

Sorry the board played up last night and couldn't reply stayed an hour still playing up.
They can flick with columnaris that can look like bleached greyish patches on the fish, also it signs of a parasite.
Can you post a pic of the ill fish.
How is the fish now.

 

[Syrius]

Well i did a water change last night and another one this morning I think I got all the blue stuff out but he's still looking sickly. Had to work all day today so I won't get to a pet shop til tomorrow now. He's still alive though.

I turned the light on for like 2 mins but couldn't get him to move to take a decent picci. he's bene upright in that plant for 2 days now. He hasn't eaten at all.

 

[WILDER]

Bless him he looks bad.
What do his gills look like.
Can't tell in the pic.
How long have you used the parasite meds, have they made any difference.
As it could be bacterial if you havent seen any improvement.
The other fish in the tank how are they, are they showing any signs of flicking and rubbing.

 

[Syrius]

He had white 'webs' all down his back before I put the blue stuff in. it's gone now. His gills are quite red around the flaps. The white stuff also looks like it's peeling off his skin.

Other fish are all fine it's just him everything else is eating and pooping as normal.

 

[WILDER]

Do the flaps look like there bleeding.
Peeling skin can be due to bad water quality, parasites, to bacterial.

Columnaris can be greyish white patches or fluffy looking.
Do you have water stats as inflamed gills can be poor water quality to gill flukes.
Take a look under skin flukes, though I would of expected to see fish flicking and rubbing besides the ghost knife fish.
[URL="http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm"]http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm[/URL]

To be honest the fish really need to have a skin scrape done to see what going off.

 

[Syrius]

Do the flaps look like there bleeding.
Peeling skin can be due to bad water quality, parasites, to bacterial.

Columnaris can be greyish white patches or fluffy looking.
Do you have water stats as inflamed gills can be poor water quality to gill flukes.
Take a look under skin flukes, though I would of expected to see fish flicking and rubbing besides the ghost knife fish.
[URL="http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm"]http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm[/URL]

The gills arn't inflamed it's kinda like he's breathing so fast I can see the insides theres some whiteness at the edge which isn't normally there, no they don't look like they are bleeding either. and nope all the other fish are fine theres nothing else sick at all everything is eating and swimming around happily. I have no idea whats wrong with him.

 

[WILDER]

I would do a water change and run some black carbon to get the meds out.
How long have you used the meds on him.

 

[WILDER]

I would get your water tested as methylene blue can wipe the benefical bacteria out in your filter.
How many gallons is the tank.
How many fish and which type.

How long have you used the meds.
http/www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm