Sick Molly

[ICEEGRL]

I treated her with melafix and pimafix. The popeye is better, but she is now 1/2 the size she was. She barely eats, and I have yet to see her poop. She has a dark spot like she is gravid, but she isn't. It has been like that for a long time. She stays on the bottom unless feeding time. She then comes out for a few minutes.
Why is she not eating much, not pooping, and just laying around?
What should I do for her?
Stats are good, and they are in brackish water. I have been feeding pes and daphnia because I was told that would help.
Help me help her please. The others are doing fine and growing.
Thank You

 

[ICEEGRL]

Would a salt bath help with epsom salt? I think I read somewhere that helps. I just can't find it again to get the directions. Anyone know where it is. I have read so much in so many places on here that it is hard to remember where I found what.
Please let me know if this is a good idea or what else to do if not. Also where those instructions are... I know they are on here somewhere.
Thanks

 

[helterskelter]

she looks quite healthy, fins are a good shape.

I would think she got a gill infection if she's lethatric and not eating propley,
Perhaps think of a nother coure of treatment.

 

[ICEEGRL]

like what?
She isn't showing any signs except laying on bottom alot, eating lightly, not pooping, and not growing. She has the dark spot at the back of her stomach that has been there for a long time, and she doesn't seem to be preg.
She is about 1/2 the size of the other 2 that are the same age.
She has me confused. I don't know what to do.
I was thinking the salt bath would make her poop. That is the only problem I can actually put my finger on.
If she has a gill infection wouldn't you be able to see something? What would you treat it with?
Thanks for helping

 

[theotheragentm]

For salts, you should be using aquarium salt for treatment. If she is not pooping, try feeding her some peas. Boil or microwave some. Let the cool. Remove the skin and smoosh it up into a paste the fish can handle, and let her eat it. If the fish is constipated this should help that out. Any other fish in the tank will start pooping like crazy too.

 

[ICEEGRL]

I have been feeding daphnia (it says it is a clensing food) and peas for a week. It isn't working.
Is it aquarium salt that makes them poop? I thought it was epsom salt. ok... I don't have aquarium salt. I will have to get some. All I have is marine and epsom salts.
Thanks for the info

 

[Tolak]

Sounds like an internal bacterial issue, or an internal protizoan. Pimafix isn't one of the stronger anti-bacterial meds out there, but if it helped with the popeye it would have at least slowed an internal bacterial problem.

Not eating much or at all, no feces or white stringy feces, along with hiding towards the back of the tank all indicate an internay protizoan. This is what I do for angels, you may want to look into the maximum temp your fish can handle. Metro was originally designed for humans, the closer you can get the tank to 98.6F the better.

Put the angel in a quar tank, I usually use a 10 gallon. Increase the temp over a day or so to 90-94F. Treat daily with 40 mg/gallon metronidazole, with 50% water changes daily. If the fish isn't eating, don't feed for the first 3 days. After 3 days, get some frozen brine shrimp. Take a portion about the size of a few match heads, and sprinkle on some metro. You have to eyeball this one, make the shrimp look kind of like a tiny powdered donut. Once it thaws, mix it in & feed. Sometimes they still don't eat for a few days, but once they start to mouth the food & spit it out, the meds seem to get in their system real good. Continue medicating the water & food for 7-10 days.

Metronidazole is sold as flagyl, het-a-mit, and a few other names I can't recall offhand, used to treat hexamita & hole in the head. They usually suggest 20mg/gallon, this often isn't enough. Metro deteriorates in 8 hours, so you could do twice daily water changes. I've done this on the weekends when I have time.

I've also added epsom salt while using metro, this helps with any constipation issues, cleans out the digestive tract. I start with 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons of water, increasing by 1 teaspoon daily for 2 more days to bring it up to 3 teaspoons per gallon. You will have to adjust how much you use when doing water changes. You may want to give this a try.

The biggest thing is checking the high range that species can handle, and remembering that warmer water holds less O2, so provide more aeration.