Purple Tang: Pop-eye and bloated Beth: Please Advise

clownfish4life

clownfish4life

Member
If you click that same link, I have all four pictures posted now.
I have a PH pointed at the surface, so there is a good bit of surface agitation. and the tank is steady at 82.
Before I leave for work in the morning, I will do a water change, run the carbon for an hour, then redose. I read the post at the top of the forum and is said to double dose... the directions say to do 2 tabs per 20 gal the first day, and then 1 tab per 20 day each day for 5 days. Your thread at the top of the forum says something about double dosing and treat for 10 days? Double dose as in continue 2 tabs per 20 gal instead of the 1? Just trying to make sure I'm doing everything I can. Thanks so much.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
In this case, I am going to say double dose first day, then the reg. dose for now. This fish is pretty sick, and too much may have an adverse effect . Let me know how he does step by step.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Ok, I am seeing that red extended belly. What exactly is going on with that? I see it also a little in the original picture.
 
clownfish4life

clownfish4life

Member
It's not that the belly is distended, but it literally is it's stomach potruding from the ventral opening by which fecal matter passes.
it's awful looking. On the bright side, it's 6:30am and it's in a corner right-side up-swimming around a bit, rather than upside down and nearly dead looking. Not dragging on the bottom like yesterday. It dosen't look any better, but it seems like it's fighting. I think the stomach is throwing it off balace cause it'll swim, then stop to right itself, then carry on trying to swim again.
Beth, do you know what the stomach situation could be? I know the day the fish looked like this I did a water change because the Trates were a bit high (40-50 ppm) and after the water change they were okay, so that's the only thing that waves a red flag at me. But what do I know? :confused:
 
jer4916

jer4916

Active Member
that fish is jacked up. how in the world is it still alive?...i would take it out of pain myself.....
that fish looks HORRIBLE
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member
Actually I take hope from it swimming upright again. How long has it been since he's eaten? I imagine he doesn't want to if his gut is majorly irritated.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
I hate to ask, but can you take some close up shots of that bloated area?
 
clownfish4life

clownfish4life

Member
It's only been, 3 days since he's last eaten. The day before he became ill he ate normally. Then next day, boom. Illness.
Skidmore,
He's still upright. The swelling hasn't gone down and neither his eyes. But like you said, he's upright and moving around the tank.
Beth,
I when I feel the fish later I will see if I can get some clear shots. But like I said before, the ventral openeing where fish normally pass thier fecal matter... it's insides is sticking out as you can see in the pics. I don't know what else to say except the tang swims like the weight from the lower region is throwing off it's balance. The pinkish matter is thin and distended and I can clearly see blood vessels with the

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eye. Can't get the digi cam to show them as clearly though. His breathing is back to normal as far as I can tell, not nearly breathing as hard as he was when he was upside down that night. I havne't seen him upside down since. Not even laying on his side, just balancing on the pink "bubble."
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
What did you feed him? Is it possible that it was poisoned or spoiled? I'm assuming there is no other fish in the QT with the tang prior to this happening?
 
clownfish4life

clownfish4life

Member
Beth,
I hadn't begun making my own food, yet so it couldn't have been food poisoning. At the time I was feeding, Frozen Mysis, New Life Spectrum pellets, and marine flake on an alternating basis.
Prior to this happeneing all the fish were in the 30 under hypo for only 2 weeks. I was checking parameters daily, then I didn't for 2 days and that's when the tang become ill, and when it become ill that's when I ran tests again and that's when I dicovered the NitRates were at about 50 ppm, and I did a waer change and the Trate problem was corrected.
Also, I had been monitoring the fishes behavior because even the Purple and Blue wern't harassing each other, I wanted to make sure they didn't start once they were in Hypo.
To clarrify, the tang and the other fish ARE in hypo now. I have been dosing that very same tank with the M2. All the other fish in the tank are still eating fine and swimming around normally.
I have posted more pics of the stomach, as clear as I can get it. But the tang isn't getting better. I am starting to wish there was some way I could put it out of it's misery....
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member

Originally Posted by Clownfish4life
But the tang isn't getting better. I am starting to wish there was some way I could put it out of it's misery....
A few days ago it was upside down, and now it's upright, sounds like there is still hope. If it had kept going downhill, I'd agree with you.
 
clownfish4life

clownfish4life

Member
Skid,
While it is upright, the eyes arn't any better and it seems like the pink bubble is getting bigger or pushed out more. It's just so stressfull to see such a beaufiul specimin look so aweful. I just wish I had a diefinite answer that it was getting better, and I wish I could turn up results so I can atleast know what's ailing my tang.
I found this on the "Goldfish Bowl'"
Dropsy
The term "Dropsy" describes the symptoms of more than one kind of disease, but all of which share the same external symptoms of a bloated body with distended scales. The accumulations of fluid within the body causes bloating, that becomes more severe in a short time. The scales stand away from the body instead of laying flat in the normal way. As the disease progresses the eyes will be affected, causing them to extend out away from the sockets. The percentage cure-rate with these conditions is very low, and ultimate death is the most usual outcome for the affected fish. Although dropsy is widely regarded as a non-infectious condition, it is a wise policy to remove an affected fish away from the healthy stock. If the sick fish should die where other fish may peck at its corpse there is a chance the problems could be passed on, depending on what the causative agent was in the first place.
But this dosen't tell me what is sticking out of the fish....and now I'm nervous about my other fish. I can't possibly put them back i nthe main tank because hypo isn't complete....
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beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
This fish is under hyposalinity? What are you using to measure salinity and what is the pH??
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member
My research suggests internal parisites or anemia. If he's not eating, I don't think we can fix anemia. What is the treatment for internal parisites? Will the hypo affect them?
 
haze123

haze123

Member
it looks like the fish has a air bubble in it, as if the fish swolled a bunch of air and cant remove it from its body. but thats just me
 
clownfish4life

clownfish4life

Member
Beth,
I am using a refractometer to measure salinity and specific gravity. It is at 1.009 sg.
pH is normal at 8.2.
The pink matter looks like internal lining of some sort, fed by blood vessels as they are present. I do not see any blood streaks, so I do not think there is any bleeding. The matter is soft, as I have seen the tang balance itself upon it and it gives, much like a balloon.. It is not solid, it looks hollow inside, or fluid filled, but I'd say if there is fluid present, it is clear. It seems like it is being literally pushed out of the fish's body through it's fecal route. I don't know how else to describe it.
::sighs::
 
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