Help With a Freshwater Fish!?

[MossyFroggyLove]

Heyoo everybody,

So, ain't a saltwater related topic here. But, i really need help with my freshwater fish, i think its a carp.

So the tank dimensions are as follow, l×w×h, 29.5×14.5×17.5 inches. The water is about 80% the height of the tank. The fish is about 6-8 inches long.

So, this is the only fish in the tank, and recently i spotted a new wound. Is this an abbrasion or a bacterial infection?
Here is a picture of the whole fish on the side with the wound And here is a picture of the other side of the fish
The tank also has a bunch of water sprite floating on the surface. Any help/info is greatly appreciated.

 

[Fish Fan]

Yes, this is a carp, or Koi fish. In Japanese Koi = carp, and is pronounced like 'Koe EEE' if anyone cares to know

These are usually very hardy fish, but the mark to me looks like possible Urenema, if it's not just an injury of some sort. Is it on just the one side?

#fishmedic who's good with freshwater fish ailments?

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

Yes, this is a carp, or Koi fish. In Japanese Koi = carp, and is pronounced like 'Koe EEE' if anyone cares to know

Nice info! I didnt know that before.

Is it on just the one side?

Yes, its just this one spot.

 

[Fish Fan]

Nice info! I didnt know that before.

Yes, its just this one spot.

I'm hopeful that this is just an injury and it will heal on its own, but I tagged the R2R Fish Medic team, and I'm sure one of them will be able to tell if this is an injury or something else.

It's a good looking fish for sure, I am far, far from an expert in Koi, but it looks to be something like a platinum variety.

They are usually quite hardy and bullet proof, but keep the water as clean as possible and watch for any signs that it's getting worse.

 

[winxp_man]

The bacteria called Aeromonas, is one of the causes.

The bacteria prefer to active in comparatively low water temperatures, so the disease almost doesn’t happen to tropical fish.

Look into this. Antibiotics will take care of it. What are you running for temp?
This is common in carp/koi fish. I see this during the winter on carp. Yes I fish haha.


From a koi medic I know:
(do more research if need be)

Oxytetracycline (Terramycin Aquatic): Bath treatment at 10–20 mg/L for 10 days minimum. Avoid in hard water above 250 mg/L CaCO3 (calcium bonds tetracycline and reduces efficacy). Water changes before treatment reduce organic interference.

Enrofloxacin (Baytril): Requires veterinary prescription. Better penetration into infected tissue. Available as injectable (more reliable for serious cases) or bath treatment. Increasingly used for Aeromonas that shows tetracycline resistance on culture.

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

I just contacted a nearby exotics vet. They asked me to try Seachem NeoPlex. And if there are no improvements, then i should bring the fish in for a checkup.

So, i think i will try Seachem NeoPlex first.

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

The bacteria called Aeromonas, is one of the causes.

The bacteria prefer to active in comparatively low water temperatures, so the disease almost doesn’t happen to tropical fish.

Look into this. Antibiotics will take care of it. What are you running for temp?

As for temp, its around 28-30 degrees celcius.

 

[Fish Fan]

As for temp, its around 28-30 degrees celcius.

These are cold-water fish, I'd drop the temp to just room temp (20C to 22C). There's no reason to heat these fish, they do better at room temp and bellow.

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

These are cold-water fish, I'd drop the temp to just room temp (20C to 22C). There's no reason to heat these fish, they do better at room temp and bellow.

I actually dont have a heater in that tank. That just my normal room temp. Right now it's 31.1 degrees in my room.

 

[winxp_man]

I just contacted a nearby exotics vet. They asked me to try Seachem NeoPlex. And if there are no improvements, then i should bring the fish in for a checkup.

So, i think i will try Seachem NeoPlex first.

Yes Neoplex is a good one to start with.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Heyoo everybody,

So, ain't a saltwater related topic here. But, i really need help with my freshwater fish, i think its a carp.

So the tank dimensions are as follow, l×w×h, 29.5×14.5×17.5 inches. The water is about 80% the height of the tank. The fish is about 6-8 inches long.

So, this is the only fish in the tank, and recently i spotted a new wound. Is this an abbrasion or a bacterial infection?
Here is a picture of the whole fish on the side with the wound And here is a picture of the other side of the fish
The tank also has a bunch of water sprite floating on the surface. Any help/info is greatly appreciated.

Since it’s the only fish in the tank, you can’t rule out water quality issues by noting if the other fish look healthy….at the very least, check the pH of the water. Low pH can cause lesions like this.

Is it just the want is pictured, or is some of the fish’s tail missing? That needs further consideration if it is.

I wouldn’t use neomycin. It works well in saltwater, but in freshwater, it can harm the beneficial bacteria. If you use it, you should monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels.

I would use tetracycline - like Maracyn 2

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

Since it’s the only fish in the tank, you can’t rule out water quality issues by noting if the other fish look healthy….at the very least, check the pH of the water. Low pH can cause lesions like this.

Is it just the want is pictured, or is some of the fish’s tail missing? That needs further consideration if it is.

I wouldn’t use neomycin. It works well in saltwater, but in freshwater, it can harm the beneficial bacteria. If you use it, you should monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels.

I would use tetracycline - like Maracyn 2

Thanks a lot for your input. Some of the fish's tail isnt missing, looks good, the fins also look good. I have already ordered Neoplex quite a while ago and so i will try that out first once its delivered.

I will test the PH in a bit and will update here.

How do i test ammonia and nitrite for freshwater? Can I use the same test kits that I use for saltwater?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks a lot for your input. Some of the fish's tail isnt missing, looks good, the fins also look good. I have already ordered Neoplex quite a while ago and so i will try that out first once its delivered.

I will test the PH in a bit and will update here.

How do i test ammonia and nitrite for freshwater? Can I use the same test kits that I use for saltwater?

Yes - you should be able to use a saltwater kit in freshwater. Nitrite isn’t toxic to marine fish, but is highly toxic to FW fish. Ammonia is more toxic at the high pH of saltwater and less toxic at lower pH like in most FW tanks.

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

I dont have ammonia and nitrite test kits, will have to go to test at my lfs tomorrow.

Anyways, i finished testing the ph. The pH level is 6.

Thats quite low isnt it?

 

[Fish Fan]

I dont have ammonia and nitrite test kits, will have to go to test at my lfs tomorrow.

Anyways, i finished testing the ph. The pH level is 6.

Thats quite low isnt it?

A pH of 6 isn't bad for most freshwater fish, but Koi do like the pH about 7 or slightly over. One way to raise the pH is to add a bit of your saltwater (aragonite) sand that will slowly dissolve at the low pH and help to bring the pH up. Rinse the saltwater off the sand first.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I dont have ammonia and nitrite test kits, will have to go to test at my lfs tomorrow.

Anyways, i finished testing the ph. The pH level is 6.

Thats quite low isnt it?

6 is a bit low for koi. Also, be careful - some pH test kits don't measure below 6, so a reading of 6, if at the bottom of their scale, could actually be much lower. An electronic pH meter, if you are using one, doesn't have that issue, but could be off calibration.