QTed some new fish with metro and prazi. What are the white things and which med is correct??

[Labora]

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Sorry - can’t tell from the photos, could be detritus, could be undissolved prazi.

Can you give us the tanks fish list, current water chemistry values, and what symptoms you were treating for?
Thanks,
Jay

 

[Labora]

Sorry - can’t tell from the photos, could be detritus, could be undissolved prazi.

Can you give us the tanks fish list, current water chemistry values, and what symptoms you were treating for?
Thanks,
Jay

The tank is a plastic 3.5 gallon hospital tank with some TM Classic salt @ 1.025, 76 degrees with 2 clownfish (their anemone and a fire shrimp is in the display tank. Fire shrimp was fairly unaffected. Anemone was a little grumpy, but doing better now after expelling some purple junk.) I haven't bothered testing for ammonia or nitrates on it because its theres no Rock and I'm doing daily water changes and siphoning out detritus/uneaten food. I also didn't want the medication to bind to rocks and biopellets.

Healthy as horses until an online rancid chaeto/pod purchase contaminated them. Within 24 hours, Symptoms included heavy breathing, white stringy poop, a couple white specs on body, not eating, falling over on their side from lethargy, unable to swim.

Now they are in QT with some copper, metro, and prazi. Copper levels are pretty low. Copper because I thought I saw a couple specs on their external skin and they appeared "itchy" rubbing on their anemone constantly (before the transfer).

After a day or two I noticed some white stuff sloughing off the dorsal fin and now they seem to be pretty clear of anything external.

They are starting to swim again and quite active today. Lethargy is slowly decreasing. Still difficulty eating but might be cause I've loaded it with meds (they don't like it even with garlic). It feels like I'm on the path to success despite this feeding issue but was hoping the white stuff would tell us if it was parasites, flukes, or worms. I could see now how that could just be undissolved prazi pro.

So they are on the up. Should i extract the copper, or leave it at low levels, and continue with prazi metro (org GC).

I have some test kits at home if a certain test in their would help.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The tank is a plastic 3.5 gallon hospital tank with some TM Classic salt @ 1.025, 76 degrees with 2 clownfish (their anemone and a fire shrimp is in the display tank. Fire shrimp was fairly unaffected. Anemone was a little grumpy, but doing better now after expelling some purple junk.) I haven't bothered testing for ammonia or nitrates on it because its theres no Rock and I'm doing daily water changes and siphoning out detritus/uneaten food. I also didn't want the medication to bind to rocks and biopellets.

Healthy as horses until an online rancid chaeto/pod purchase contaminated them. Within 24 hours, Symptoms included heavy breathing, white stringy poop, a couple white specs on body, not eating, falling over on their side from lethargy, unable to swim.

Now they are in QT with some copper, metro, and prazi. Copper levels are pretty low. Copper because I thought I saw a couple specs on their external skin and they appeared "itchy" rubbing on their anemone constantly (before the transfer).

After a day or two I noticed some white stuff sloughing off the dorsal fin and now they seem to be pretty clear of anything external.

They are starting to swim again and quite active today. Lethargy is slowly decreasing. Still difficulty eating but might be cause I've loaded it with meds (they don't like it even with garlic). It feels like I'm on the path to success despite this feeding issue but was hoping the white stuff would tell us if it was parasites, flukes, or worms. I could see now how that could just be undissolved prazi pro.

So they are on the up. Should i extract the copper, or leave it at low levels, and continue with prazi metro (org GC).

I have some test kits at home if a certain test in their would help.

I would definitely check the ammonia daily. I've seen 100% daily water changes not manage to keep ammonia low in tanks without biofilters. You need to ensure it stays below 0.25 ppm. My guess is that stuff is undissolved salts from the mix, since you are doing massive daily water changes. Remember when mixing salt, always add salt to water in your mixing bucket (not water to salt) and never let the mix go higher than 1.040 SG during the mix - that can cause salts to precipitate out of solution.

I think you are safe to just leave the copper as-is, and continue with the GC as per label instructions.

Jay

 

[Labora]

I would definitely check the ammonia daily. I've seen 100% daily water changes not manage to keep ammonia low in tanks without biofilters. You need to ensure it stays below 0.25 ppm. My guess is that stuff is undissolved salts from the mix, since you are doing massive daily water changes. Remember when mixing salt, always add salt to water in your mixing bucket (not water to salt) and never let the mix go higher than 1.040 SG during the mix - that can cause salts to precipitate out of solution.

I think you are safe to just leave the copper as-is, and continue with the GC as per label instructions.

Jay

Thanks for the tips. I have the tetra ammonia test strips and the strip stayed yellow so that's good.

The fish are continuing to improve drastically. At their worst, I'd put them at 3/10 unable to swim or eat, parasitic poop, heavy breathing, and external itching, fins beginning to fray.

That was Sunday, now I would put them at 8/10. They are very active, eating TDO pellets like sharks, happy, and no signs of itching. I did another water change and redosed some GC and a little metro with just a few drops of copper. It didn't appear to bother them. My question is, when can I start weening them off of any of these meds now that symptoms are no longer visible? I don't want to kill them by overdose or cause any damage to organs after having spent all this time saving them.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

So - be careful with your dosing; GC and Metro both contain metronidazole, right? GC is a two-time dose. I keep copper going for two weeks minimum, 4 is better. You mention adding "A few drops of copper" - you need to be measuring that with a test kit. I'm just worried that you seem to have things going in the right direction, I'd hate to have a dosage mistake set you back at this point!

Jay

 

[Labora]

So - be careful with your dosing; GC and Metro both contain metronidazole, right? GC is a two-time dose. I keep copper going for two weeks minimum, 4 is better. You mention adding "A few drops of copper" - you need to be measuring that with a test kit. I'm just worried that you seem to have things going in the right direction, I'd hate to have a dosage mistake set you back at this point!

Jay

I do have the copper test kit and since reaching therapeutic levels I've been letting it drop down for fear of toxicity. What level do you recommend for clownfish? I saw .25 can be therapeutic enough but that some fish can handle up to .8?

Also their poop is normal again.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

What copper product are you using? i would not suggest going any higher than the label instructions, but subtherapeutic levels should be avoided as well.

Jay

 

[Labora]

I am using cupramine which recommends .5 - instructions also say fish can handle up to .8. But another study online says .25 is therapeutic.

I'll try to keep it at about .5