Some Problems, Are They Serious?

[ATK!!!]

Tommorow (Friday 29th) I am going on holiday to france for 2 weeks. I will be leaving the fish in the (rather dodgy) hands of my neibhour. And guess what's been happening in the past few days; my oldest Platy (3 maybe 4 years old) seems to have developed some serious problems. He is not eating, he is continously lying on the bottom and just yeterday has formed a large white spot . I haven't been here for the past few days so my dad was looking after the fish. According to him another fish may have nipped him and it looks like his scale has fallen off. Replacing it is a white (slightly furry? I can't really tell in this light) spot. I don't know what to do. If he dies then all of my other fish are likely to follow when I am away, but if he can recover then it would be a life wasted....

I have clove oil at the ready but I can't go out and get any medicine as I only have until tommorow at about midday Aargh what am I meant to do??

I'll post a pic any minute, he's just hiding out of view at the mo.

 

[shelaghfishface]

do u have a Q tank set up?

infact scrap that, i would indeed be tempted to use the clove oil. sad but true, a neighbour maybe unable to treat the fish and if its fin rot ( tho sounds like an ulcer) it may get passed on and youll com back to no fish.. hes gonna be suffering to.. do a partial water change to before u leave xxx

 

[ATK!!!]

Sadly no. The best I could do would be a 15l bucket with no filter, only a heater... So that's not really an option. What does it most sound like, the spot I mean? If it is not treatable without medicine I am fearing the worst.

How do you euthanise a fish with clove oil anyway?

 

[shelaghfishface]

it sounds like an ulcer .. skin infection, he may be treatable with melafix but its a risk if your away on hols, u may loose more/all of your fish

on the euthanasia. babe, i dont know ive never had to use it, it is written up on here somewhere but i rarely come on anymore.. maybe pm someone with more exp .. hes had a good life by the sounds of it

maybe when u come home you could look at investing in a small tank and a heater filter for emergencies? ( very cheap on ebay) xxxxx

 

[ATK!!!]

Thanks for the help, I've decided that I will leave it until tommorow, if he looks better I may reconsider trying to save him (would a fungus/finrot med help at all?). If he stays the same then I guess I'll have to euthanise him. I found that you have to use half a pint of water with 2 drops of oil to start off, then you slowly add more until their gills stop moving sounds like a humane way of doing it (unless anyone any other suggestions).

He still hasn't appeared so I can't get a pic, I just hope he comes out by tommorow otherwise we'll have to take apart half of the tank to get to him...

 

[Tizer]

I tend to get a massive carving knife from the knife rack and smash it down quite hard and lop their heads off. Whats the point in messing around, just get it done quick. I know i would want to go fast if it came to it.

 

[ATK!!!]

Well in the end he died without my help, I found him this morning lying in his favourite spot among the Java Fern.