Possibly Dropsy?

[xautomaticflowersx]

I recently injured my back quite severely and haven't been able to perform any water changes on my tank for a few weeks. Consequently I've noticed that one of my tiger barbs is unwell. I noticed this about a week ago. He was having difficulty maintaining balance, was a little swollen, had rapid gill movement and was pointing downwards. After taking loads of medication to help my back I did a big water change (probably about 40%), squeezed out one of the filter sponges and replaced one of them entirely (I have a Fluval 4 +). I figured it was due to poor water quality and that the barb had a bacterial infection that was possibly affecting his swimbladder. So after the water change and filter maintainence I started the tank on a course of Myxazin, since that's what I had in stock and it's a broad-spectrum bactericide.
After just day 3 of Myxazin treatment the barb looked so much better! He had righted himself and could swim almost perfectly again. I fed some bloodworms during this time as I've heard it can help with constipated fish, so I thought it might help the barb to pass anything that might be causing problems with his balance. Apart from that one feeding I haven't fed anything else to keep the water clean. Progress continued and on day 5 I performed another water change, smaller this time (25-30%). The barb still had a slightly distended stomach, so I started a new 5 day course of Myxazin... this was yesterday.
Today all of a sudden the fish has gone downhill again. He can swim OK, but is lethargic and the scales around his stomach look as though they might be a tiny bit raised.
I'm not sure what to do. I have Octozin, which says it treats the early signs of Dropsy but you can't use Myxazin and Octozin at the same time. It says to leave it 48 hours between treatments, but I'm worried about leaving it too long. The other four barbs are also now very lethargic and not swimming around at all... they are all in a little shoal in one end of the tank. The three zebra loach I have seem to have gone into hiding under the mopani wood. I'm very concerned and am not sure what to do because I don't think you can use salt with loach in the tank?
I feel very irritated with myself because it's obviously poor water quality that has caused this problem, but when you've got a bad back it's a really bad idea to go lifting buckets of water!

 

[thegnu]

hi,
sorry to read about your health predicument. have you heard of a python. it helps with water changes imansly. easybalance ts another good thing to add in your case. i would cut back on the bloodworms and put in half, cooked, shelled peas for them to eat

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

Thanks for the reply. I do use a hose similar to what you're describing to siphon the water into a bucket, but I then have to lift the bucket and empty it outside. Which for a few weeks I would've been totally unable to do.
I will try some peas and see how things go. I also just realised that I didn't put enough dechlorinator in the fresh water when I made the water change last night . It's a new one that I've not used before and I didn't use enough of it. I literally JUST put into the tank some more dechlorinator so I really hope that it will help. I suspect that the sudden lethargy and of all the other fish may be an indicator of there being chlorine present in the water. They have been swimming quickly up to the suface of the water and taking in gulps of air every few minutes and I know that can be a symptom of chlorine poisoning. Things are going from bad to worse! I feel terrible that I've done this to my fish.

 

[paulf]

If the meds you are using now dont work, try Interpet number 9 and Flubenol 15 at the same time, thats been used before for dropsy and has worked.
The chlorine isn't going to hurt the fish too much, just keep an eye on the water stats as it may have hurt the filter

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

I'm really concerned that all three of my zebra loaches have gone into hiding underneath the mopani wood since the last water change on Monday night. I caught a glimpse of one today as he is underneath the filter. He looks very listless and the edges of his caudal fin look white as if he may have finrot. All the loaches were fine before I started performing water changes and actually looking after the tank again! Perhaps it's the stress of having no interruptions to the tank for ages and then two water changes in the space of a week.
The barbs all ate peas today with great relish... even the sick one. I don't know if the loaches did as they are in hiding, but I put a little bit of smooshed pea behind the mopani wood which is where they seem to be congregating. I think by this evening if I've not seen any loaches I'm going to lift up the mopani wood and investigate in case there's something wrong (and plus it'll be the only way of removing any uneaten peas).
The sick barb looks no worse today, he seems to have more energy but still looks bloated and a bit breathless sometimes. I'm going to get some Melafix today I think, to help the loach with the suspect-looking fin and to help them all in general. Thanks for all your suggestions. I will go and get some more meds and keep you updated.

 

[paulf]

I would suggest you try the meds I listed above (number 9 from the LFS and google/ebay for flubenol), melafix wont help the barb imo

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

I plan to get Interpet 9 along with the Melafix. Don't worry, I wasn't going to use Melafix instead of Interpet 9 and Flubenol. I don't think that Melafix will make much difference to the barb either, but it may help the loach if he is developing a problem with his fin. And it certainly can't hurt overall if used at the correct dose.
I will look on ebay for Flubenol as you suggested

 

[Miss Wiggle]

awwww you poor thing, i have back problems and can really sympathise.

can't give any more advice for dropsy but for keeping on top of maintenance when it's bad get a really long hose and a powerhead, stick one end of the hose into the tank, the other out the window, down the loo, out the front door.... anywhere it can drain basically. attach the powerhead to the end in the tank switch it on and it'll pump water out for you. can't gravel vac with it but it's better than nothing.

then just use the hose to get water straight from the tap into the tank, add dechlor to the tank it'll be fine

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

Thanks for the kind words! I'm getting much better with physio, but it's still a problem.
The fish seemed to be doing OK all that time without water changes, but it's all kicked off all of a sudden. I literally just got off ebay and have bought some Flubenol 15. I will get down to the LFS in a little while to get the other meds.
Fingers crossed! If I don't see any improvement in the next week or so I will have to consider getting some clove oil for the poor little barb for the sake of the other fish. If he were to die in the night and be pecked at by the others they might all end up going the same way. I hope it won't come to that and I'll remain positive for the time being! Especially since he's not actually getting any worse. It's just those loaches now that I'm worried about!

 

[jollysue]

Paul is right, the chlorine could have caused the tank to cycle. That would make the fish pretty unhappy. Do you have test kits or any media from another tank to boost the nitrogen process?

A Python works by using the water pressure from the faucet so there is less need of the heavy buckets. The faucet water pressure draws the water out of the tank into the sink and then refills the tank when you change the setting.

Hope you continue to feel better and the fish do too!

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

Sadly this evening the sick tiger barb suddenly declined and I found him floating at the surface. I placed him in a separate container so that none of the other fish would peck at him and it was soon after that he died. To make sure I wasn't disposing of him alive I went out and bought some clove oil and added it to the container he was in... I'd hate to think that I'd be binning a fish that was still alive and in agony, so it seemed the kindest thing to do. Just to make sure.
Thankyou all for your help and advice, but dropsy is a hard one to beat.
I bought Interpet 9 as suggested and today I began the course... obviously too late. I will see this course through and I have Flubenol 15 in the post from an ebay purchase so I'll use that too when I get it to make sure none of the other fish become ill.
Is Flubenol 15 OK to use with loaches in the tank?

 

[WILDER]

R.I.P.

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

Thanks for all the help and support.
I'm getting more and more concerned for my loaches though. I've posted about it in the right section of the forum that deals with loaches, because I thought that posting in the species-specific forum would get the best response. But nobody is responding! Could one or two of you take a look please, because nobody else has bothered: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=180556

I have water parameters now listed on the above thread.