REQUSTING AN ANSWER PLEASE -hospital tank question for coral beauty with popeye

[fishmom]

Terry,
Fins are the same or worse. Fish is not swimming as well. At times it looks 'dead', but when I go to check or tap against the glass, it quickly swims away. It does have a piece of coral in tank for refuge. Color continues to fade and the once affected popeye - is white, I suppose it is blindness in that eye. Fish is still hanging in there, but it is getting thinner and weaker.
I found some 'Furan 2' at another LFS. Each capsule contains 60 mg. Nirofurazone, 25mg Furazolidone and 2 mg Methylene Blue Trihydrate. It is for FW and SW fish.
Dosage is one capsule per 10 gal every other day. Should I give this a try? Fish is hanging on with M2 but is not improving, and I know it cannot last much longer without eating. When I do WC, do I mix fresh and salt water to match current low salinity level? I have been adding buffer each day to increase the ph. Last nite I did 1 gallon fresh water change. Fish seems to 'perk up' a bit immediately following WC.
Please tell me if you think I should give the Furan-2 (by Acquarium Pharmaceuticals) a try, and if so, at what dosage? If not, how many more days should I continue to treat with M2?
Thank you again for your expert advise.
Fishmom

 

[fishmom]

Terry,
I am still requesting answers to my post above, but I also wanted to give you an update before you advised what to do.
Last nite fish looks like it has alittle of his color back, and is not as 'white' as a few days ago. I initially changed out 2 gallons of water, added 1 1/2 gal.FW.& 1/2 gal.SW from main tank. Salinity is now between .09-.10. PH is 8.3-8.5, ammonia 0, but nitrate was .01, so I changed out 1 more gallon of water.
This morning fish was laying against base of sponge filter, thought it was dead, but a few minutes later, it was swimming a bit. Part of tail is missing, so it kind of 'shuffles' against bottom of tank. Last nite, it looked like it was trying to eat off bottom of tank, but I'm not 100% sure that is what it was doing. Treated again with M2 double dose last nite. What should I do now? Change medication to Furan 2 or Spectrogram? Continue with M2? Please advise. I cannot believe that fish has hung on this long.
Once again, many thanks for all your wisdom,
Fishmom

 

[fishmom]

Terry,
Fish seems to be improving in all areas except fin/tail area, which has stabilized.
Some of his color has returned, and he is swimming the best he can considering part of his tail is frayed.
I have stopped M2 and have decided to give fish a rest so that he (hopefully) gets his appetite back. He seems to occasionally look for food on the bottom of the tank, but swims away from food when it is placed in tank. How long should I wait before medicating for fin problem?
I ordered Furacyn online and would like to wait until I receive it to give that a try.
I am trying to maintain good water quality, but nitrates are usually .01. Is there anything that I can do besides a water change to bring nitrate level to 0?
This is the longest that I have ever spent trying to save a fish, and if he has a full recovery, I will be eternally grateful to you.
Thanks again,
Fishmom

 

[fishmom]

Terry,
I have been trying to maintain good water quality in the HT without medication. Fish's fins and tails look worse and because of deterioration it cannot swim well. Not sure, but I think that fish is eating. Fish would not have survived a month without eating, right? Fish's color has returned. I ordered Furacyn online, and should be receiving it tomorrow.
Questions: The HT only has a sponge filter/air hose in the water, no other filtration. Fish debris has accumulated on bottom of tank. How should I get that out? Do a complete water change? Also, as far as the poly filter, where in the tank do I place that - float it on top of tank, or can I not use it in my HT since there is no other filtration outlet? If I can't use the poly filter, how do I get the remaining M2 out so I can switch medication? Also, is the only way to bring down nitrates a larger water change?
Should I still treat fish with furacyn for fins? I have been doing 2 1/2 gallon WCs every other day.
Please advise.
Thank you - I am very grateful that because of you, my fish is still alive.
Fishmom

 

[fishmom]

Terry,
Please answer above post, but I wanted to give you an update on fish's progress. Got home last nite and fish was swimming normally. Part of tail and top fin is still missing. Fish does not dive for food as soon as food is placed in tank, but it must be eating, right? Should I still treat with Furacyn or continue to halt medication?
His current behavior is the best I've seen since this whole ordeal started. I now truely believe that he will get well.
Thank you, thank you.
Fishmom

 

[fishmom]

Terry,
What I meant was that the fish is finally swimming and acting 'normally' for the most part,and his color has returned, but his fins and tail are still badly deteriorated. I will wait a few days to see what happens and will try to watch closely to see if he is eating. I will try live shrimp and frozen brine shrimp. I added some Zoe vitamins to the water, and will hope for the best. How long does it take for fins/tail to heal without medication? And what can I do if I have high nitrates? Is the only solution a water change?
Thanks,
Fishmom

 

[fishmom]

Terry,
My coral was doing so well, but now he has taken a turn for the worse and it is a Mayday in my hospital tank. Yesterday morning I noticed that he was having a hard time staying upright and was laying on his side not swimming at all. I had been adding Amquel to keep the ammonia levels down to 0, and buffer to keep the PH level up. Last nite, he was still on his side and breathing heavily, so I did a 2 1/2 gallon WC and medicated him with 2 (100 mg) capsules of furacyn. This am, he doesn't look any better and is still laying on the bottom of the tank. What could have happened? I really thought that he was cured and just needed time for the fins to heal. Also today, it looks like his popeye might be coming back slightly. What should I do?
Was furacyn the right choice? I don't think that he will make it. Please advise. I feel so defeated.
Thank you.
Fishmom

 

[fishmom]

Terry,
My poor coral is dead. :>(
Thanks for all your help and advice.
This was the most time, money and effort that I have ever spent on a sick fish, but at least I know that I did all that I could.
I wouldn't feel right if I didn't give it my all.
Thanks again.
Fishmom