help needed

[fishgeek]

i have recentl managed to get some apisto elizabethae
i have held them for 2 weeks eating frozen and live foods well, i even thought that i may be very fortunate as the female had taken to a hiding place and the male was seen tail whipping at the opening of this hole

in the last 2 days i have noticed intially that the male was not doing his usual routine patrol route
that the males tail when attempting to display did not open fully

i assumed prehaps a burn to the tail?
the next day i was busy and did not observe them well

today the femal had her tail marginally clamped and seemed slightly incordinated when swimming? a shimmy?

male on inspection now has a tail that is stuck? as single point , not eroded nor reddened just clamped tigthly
also this is occuring to the caudally area of the dorsal fin

they have both eaten some live daphnia this morning but not interested in white worm
the water is reading almost zero for all nitrogen by products
pH is 5.7 temperature has been dropped in the last week from 25.5-26 celsius to about 1 degree lower
hardness is below 5 for both kH and gH
EC readings i have forgotten sorry

any thoughts greatly appreciated

andrew

 

[Randall]

Apistogramma elizabethae with clamped fins

Hello Andrew,

Clamped fins and "the shimmies" are commonly associated with parasitic infections. The parasite need not be overtly visible, however: the fishes' behavior is what is significant. Proprietary medications containing Formaldehyde preceeded by a water change and dosed daily are effective. I'd restore the temperature to the higher level and watch closely. It may be necessary to raise the temperature to 28 C, if symptoms persist.

Parasitic infections are not uncommon in new acquisitions. Fortunately, they are curable.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[fishgeek]

thank you

do eliza's mind a strong current
i am preparing a smaller tank in which to medicate them unfortunately my air pump is broken and the smallest filter uit i have is a llittel over sized

 

[Randall]

Rheophilic Apistogramma?

Hello Andrew,

I don't know if Apistogramma elizabethae tolerate strong current well or not. Formaldehyde tends to deplete water of oxygen, so some extra aeration is recommended. As for the current, perhaps setting up some cave structures, in which the fish can take refuge, is not a bad idea.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[Mike Wise]

If you use a power filter, just remember to remove any chemical filtrants (carbon, etc) as these will strip the medication for the water.

 

[fishgeek]

never use anything other than varying grades of foam and natural muck for filtration

have a half coconut with both the fish hiding in at present, guess they dont appreciate the current

thanks again

 

[fishgeek]

update

they both ate something yesterday afternoon, first fed since treatment began, they turned food down this morning

females body looks healthier , fins now able to be held erect , male still clamped? stuck tail

both show respiratory distress increased rates and lethargic, hanging near surface
increasing aeration doesn't seem to alter and strong current as said before

wondering whether such soft water species would be upset by the addition of salt to help with respiratory signs?

andrew

 

[blueblue]

Hi Andrew: Adding salt can help and eliza are fine with a small amount of salt. There is no need to have strong current while increasing bubbling (and hence oxygen level in water) is helpful.

For the symptoms you mentioned, i would try Waterlife's medication products to help...

 

[fishgeek]

added the salt already, thought it couldn't hurt

got in this evening and had lost the male, his breathing was worse this morning
fins on inspection just look melted like very mild fin rot , not obvious columnaris colonies to the naked eye
gills all fin grossly on inspection

female is looking better, more active , better swimming motion and more normal gill movement

prehaps i was remiss to not start treatment as soon as i noticed his tail clamped

andrew

 

[blueblue]

Hi Andrew: Sad to learn that the male eliza has passed away ...

By the way, what kinds of medicine/treatment have you tried?

added the salt already, thought it couldn't hurt

got in this evening and had lost the male, his breathing was worse this morning
fins on inspection just look melted like very mild fin rot , not obvious columnaris colonies to the naked eye
gills all fin grossly on inspection

female is looking better, more active , better swimming motion and more normal gill movement

prehaps i was remiss to not start treatment as soon as i noticed his tail clamped

andrew

 

[fishgeek]

i was unsure what to go with so used a proprietary broad spectrum treatent esha 2000(claims to treat about 20 varied coditions), it has a greenish colour and i am sure it is a combination of the traditional old dye based therapies , they do not disclose though

have had good succes with it before

i also combined it with tea tree oil

this combintion seems very good for bacterial problems and in my hands nice and safe, i used it on a bunch of cory fry that were getting very bad fin and mouth rot problems, prehaps the better water quality helped though the combined medication did not damage them

some reports of sensitivty to tea tree(melafix anyway) in pencil fish so be careful if using there

i havent used many of the water life products
most frustrating part is not knowing what i am teating and with such small fish i am reluctant to do samples and microscopy of gills etc for fear of stress making it worse

andrew