Disappearing fins-help!

[beth]

Are you premixing your salt? Salt water needs to be aged, preferably for at least 2 days.
Is this fish eating? Take the flower pot out. You don't know what is in the clay of the pot. Add more pvc or fake corals. Have you noticed any improvement in fin regeneration?
Add a slim coat to the water. Go ahead and continue with the M2 doing a water change just before each redose. If you can find M2 for SW fish, that would be better because it has a Vit B complex which the FW product does not.

 

[meemo]

I removed the flower pot, added slime coat, and added a few drops zoe directly to water. He is still not eating but swimming a little bit today. I ordered m2 saltwater from internet and gave it last night, one full tablet. It turned the water green but I have read that happened on other posts. I am going to continue giving one full tablet for 5-7 days. Right?
I have been adding freshwater until the change yesterday and I only aged it about 12-24 hours. I will let it age 48 hrs before changing the water again and just add the carbon filter a couple hours before meds.
The fins are not shrinking any more and the top one seems taller. He is swimming a little bit today but mostly he doesn't eat and lies still. He swim s more when I turn on the light and feed him. The fins do seem to be a little frayed now though on the back and sides. Just a few little slits.
My main concern right now is his gills. His first symptom a few days after I got him was heavy breathing. Now his gills appear swollen (about 2-3 days). And he always breathes hard with his mouth open (about a week). He just seems tired, out of "breath", and weak. He was so perky when I first got him and has slowly gotten weak. He has gotten weaker since I started treating him. What do you think about the gills and getting weaker after treatment?

 

[beth]

Now that is a symptom of an infection in the gills and that is not good. How is your water circulation in the QT? You really need excellent water circualtion right. Once you go down to the hypo point, be sure to do a a small water change before each redose of M2.

 

[meemo]

I have a maxi jet 600 power head towards the front/surface and I have a whisper 20-40 power filter on the back. Do you think this is good circulation or should I have the power head pointing in a certain direction? Is there anything else I should be doing if it is a gill bacterial infection? Maybe his fins were just puny because of his gills bothering him. The m2 does say it is for gill disease so I hope it will help.

 

[beth]

Its just wait and see now. You just need to be sure that water quality in the QT remains good.

 

[meemo]

I think he is actually feeling a little better today! He is swimming around a little more and interacting with the other fish a little more. I've put the m2 sw tablet in 2 nights in a row after water changes. I think maybe the m2 fw tablets were too old to work. I noticed recently that they were expired and they didn't dissolve very well. So hopefullly these fresh ones will really make a difference, especially if it is gill disease.
Thanks again for all your help. I'll let you know how he is doing.

 

[meemo]

Beth,
I was wondering. Will doing this hypo help get rid of any parasites like ich, flukes etc that may have been on the fish but not noticeable or in the noticeable stage?

 

[beth]

Definately hypo will get rid of ich, and perhaps flukes. M2 for FW doesn't dissolve very well, but I wouldn't use any antibitoic that exp. I never keep antibiotics at hand for this reason. SW M2 has a Vit B complex to it, and that seems to make a notable difference with treatment on Marine Fish. Keep at maintaining water quality. Try target feeding your fish with a turkey baster. Are you using garlic or supplements? Zoecon is an excellent supplement for its Omega3 Fatty Acid.
Post up another pic in a few days.

 

[meemo]

Here's a newer pic of my little clownfish. I think he is doing better overall but he is still not back to normal. He has been trying to eat, swimming sometimes, and his top fin is looking normal. His eyes look cloudy in the pic but it is just my camera-they are clear.
However, he does still breath hard, spend a lot of time lying on the bottom, his gills still seem a little swollen to me, and his bottom fins look small and limp.
I completed the m2 treatment and did a 50% water change. My parameteres are nitrite 0, nitrate 10, ammonia < .25, ph 8.0, sal 1.009. They've been in hypo about a week now. The bigger fish is looking great.
Do you think there is anything else I can do to help the little one improve such as a parasite treatment in case they are on his gills? Or do you think I should just wait and see now?
Thanks again for all your help, any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[meemo]

Oh, I forgot to ask about Revive, a product a local lfs recommended. Have you heard of it? He said it may help with parasites such as gill flukes or oolydium or bacteria. Do you think it would hurt to try this treatment since the fish is not back to normal after treatment with m2? And I am now wondering if it may have gill flukes or early stages of oolydium.
Also, will it be safe to put the bigger clownfish that is not acting sick into my display after hypo is over or should I continue to treat it along with the smaller fish in case it has caught whatever the little one has? They have been together over a week in qt although I bought them at different lfs.
Here's a pic of the 2 fish together. The smaller one on top (nameless) has been sick. The larger one on bottom (Meemo) has been perfect all along and we've had her 2 days longer.
Thanks

 

[beth]

The ammonia problem can definately cause hard breathing in fish, even stress and death. Do water changes with aged, buffered water.
Are you still doing hyposalinity?

 

[meemo]

Yes, I'm still doing hypo and water changes almost every day. I just did 50% yesterday after I finished the m2. I was going to do another 25-50% tonight to get the meds out. I also have fresh carbon in my filter. I had been doing 20-30% changes before each m2 treatment. I use aged buffered rodi water. I have been varying and soaking my foods.
My ammonia is <.25. That's the lowest reading on my salifert ammonia test. It doesn't have a 0. The fish have been more active since I finished the meds and changed 50% of the water. But the smaller one still slithers along the bottom on his belly a lot, and gills a lot. That's why I am afraid he is still not well.
I may be paranoid from reading so much about sick fish and treatments, but I am starting to wonder if he has gill flukes or oolydium or similar. I think I can see a very light dusting of black on his back now. But I am not absolutely sure it is not just his coloring. And there appear to be tiny dark spots on his front white stripe but they may be normal too. I've just been staring at him so hard trying to see what's wrong! : ) And his bottom fins are still looking clipped and unused.
Do you think I should treat him for gill flukes and/or oolydium and if so with what? I am considering using Revive (lfs sells it and uses it on his tanks) if he is not any better after 2 more days. Have you heard of this or used it?
Is Zoecon supposed to stink and make the water cloudy? My fish hate it and I'm afraid it may be spoiled.

 

[beth]

No, he definately does not have Oodinium. If he had that, he'd be dead by now. Don't put Zoecon in the water! Its a food supplement. Put it on food.
What is the pH?
Is he eating at all?

 

[meemo]

The ph is 8.0-8.1. I put the zoecon on the food and they wont eat it. Without izoecon they will eat it. It stinks. ??? The sick one has started eating better the last couple days.Can zoecon go bad? Could he have gill flukes with the heavy gilling, resting on bottom, wimpy bottom fins?

 

[beth]

Use food soaked in fresh garlic then. Yes zoecon can get old. But don't put it in the water. You can use a slime coat in the water, however.
Is the gilling rapid, or just labored? I have seen clownfish with gill problems here before, and I too had a favorite clown with this problem. It seems like most cases the outcome is bleek.
Post up a current pic if you can.
You are really doing all you can for this fish. Have to commend you for that.

 

[meemo]

He is doing a lot better today, more active and eating. He still breathes heavier with his mouth open and his gills look open or swollen. His mouth/face area is lighter in color than the rest of his body. He is doing better every day in most ways except for his gilling. Even his bottom fins are looking perkier today and he was getting to the food before the bigger fish.
How does the slime coat help? I've put it in a couple of times and it seems to make the aquarium slimy and messy. What are the common causes of gill problems in clownfish and is there any treatment? I'm glad he is doing better but want to help with the gill problem so it doesn't become worse.
Thank you for helping me nurse him back to health.
:happyfish

 

[beth]

Honestly, I don't know what the issue is with clowns and gill infections. I know that I have had the problem. Others here have had it. I have gotten advise from exp hobbyists without any luck with it.
You could go another round with the M2, or try Maracyn for SW fish. Or you could get a broad spectrium antibiotic that will tend to hit all types of bacteria.
If you have used the slime coat, then no need to keep adding it. What are you using to measure the salinity?

 

[meemo]

Honestly, I don't know what the issue is with clowns and gill infections. I know that I have had the problem. Others here have had it. I have gotten advise from exp hobbyists without any luck with it.

You could go another round with the M2, or try Maracyn for SW fish. Or you could get a broad spectrium antibiotic that will tend to hit all types of bacteria.
In case it is a bacteria or flukes, what would be a good broad spectrum antibiotic? Have you used Revive and do you know its ingredients?

 

[beth]

I would go with Maracyn now. You just did Maracyn Two with a gram neg. antibiotic. Maracyn is a gram positive.
Flukes...do you have a magnifying glass? If so, take a good look at the fish's gills.