Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)
Hi,
John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.
I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.
With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.
I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.
If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.
I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.
I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.
Thank you
Darragh Sherwin
red connective tissue between fins and body
Maybe you'd take a look at this acei. He's pretty much a mature fish, and as you will see from the pics, the tissue connecting his ventral fins to his body is red; it looks painful but he show's no other symptom, feeds well and is very active. he is probably the dominant mbuna in an all male 180 litre set-up.
Tank is 0 for ammonia & nitrite (API Liquid Drop Test Kit) and Nitrates are 5 or below, and have been for the past week (water changes every second day since I noticed this). I've been adding some melafix. I do minimum 30% change every week using Seachem Prime to dechlorinate etc.
No other fish in the tank show symptoms. I first noticed it shortly (hours/a day) after adding a new fish, which this guy hates, and chases constantly, but he is undoubtably dominant in that relationship.
It doesn't really look like a wound, and if it were one I would expect it to have improved/healed by now...nor can I see any sign of parasites.
I forgot to say, the red/inflamation is symmetrical on both sides to the same extent in the same place.
I have interpet anti-bacterial available - don't want to use though if at all possible.
All advice gratefully received.
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He is chasing like a (rude word).
I think you're right in that if it was a bacterial infection, up there near the gills or systemic, it would be in the very short term that there would be drastic problems breathing, loss of appetite, colouration change, difficulty breathing etc.
If it was on one side only, I'd be happy enough to call it an aggravated scratch/abrasion, but its on the same place on the other side; that said he may be catching himself on corners both sides.
anyway...I'm not going to med him while this is the only symptom and no other fish show symptoms. I think I will stay on top of the water changes though, just to make sure Nitrates are nailed down very low...and if he hasn't calmed down tomorrow I will take rockwork out, take him out, redo, and put him in after having a few hours in a large bucket with a filter and a heater to think about what he's done wrong
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he's breathing very heavily, although still very active, and I notice heavy breathing in a couple of more.
my nagging gut instinct on this was always some kind of gill infection...
what anti-bacterial/parasitic medications that are generally available in Dublin shops would you reccomend ? I'm thinking I will treat the tank, as he's been in it with these symptoms for over 10 days.
I have a bottle of Interpet Antic Bacterial No.9) but have held off using.
thanks again
Eoghan
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He is now a bit pale under his 'armpits', but respiration is normal, gills healthy and he remains a vigorous and active fish.
Thanks for the help folks - it would seem as if this has sorted itself out
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For get all the PFK web links this link is much more professional and make PFK look amature, relatively speaking.
www.tnfish.org/FishDiseasesParasites_TWR.../Mycobacteriosis.pdf
That would be a ecumenical matter!!!
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Its seen very commonly on imported fish, that have been grown-out in large ponds/vats in the far east.
fish look and act normal.. just this redness at the base of the fin. Many hobbyists would rarely see it as it would be treated soon on arrival.
Dayo
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Jack - thanks for the link; of course it didn't exactly make for uplifting reading; no treatment for this and expect moderate to high mortality rate chronically unless the population is culled and the system disinfected. My Ph is 7.8, Nitrates do not get above 20 ppm on weekly water changes of 25 - 30 % so I have been presuming that the load in the tank is not excessive.
I suppose I might as well just hope that its not mycobacteriosis as otherwise that's pretty much it for this lot
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As 2poc very early on stated it is bacterial.
Its seen very commonly on imported fish, that have been grown-out in large ponds/vats in the far east.
fish look and act normal.. just this redness at the base of the fin. Many hobbyists would rarely see it as it would be treated soon on arrival.
Dayo
do you know what to treat with ?
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When you see redness its usually bacterial, giving a bacterial diagnose is the easy part, narrow to which type of bacterial infection is more tricky.
The parasite treatment for ponds, unless it got anit biotics is pointless and stressful especially for juvenile fish.
The treatment in any case is stop you external filter take all the dirty filter media out and store it in the shed in the dark (6C)and keep it moist for 8 days, but not lying in water
Restart your filter with new filter floss, and open a anti biotic capsule and spill in the powder into the water, one capsule is enough for a 2 foot tank so you will need 2 for a regular 4 foot etc pro rata., you algae will go mad and all you rock will green up excessively, if you don't like than keep the light on just in the evening (no actinic blue or u/V) feed you fish moderately and repeat treatment after 2 days, the treat again on day 4, then on day 6, run carbon on day 7 , and on day 8 swoop your new floss for the old diry floss and other media.
You know and I know antibiotics are available in large quantise through the ITFS, its just a PM away.
That would be a ecumenical matter!!!
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Your fish if still similar to the posted photo is no where near death, a table spoon of tropical marine salt will get you to the target pH, you fish does not exhibit bacterial septamania (red blotches all over the body), if you where loosing guppies one by one or corries or zebra plecs I would say you are mad not to start treating immediately with real antibiotics as these guys nearly always die of bacterial disease and no salt water baths or white spot treatment is going to bring them back, Africans are really quite strong fish, if the have fin rot they Heall them self's, the same fin rot on a discus left untreatable would be disastrous, I respect your opinion and I don't blame you for not messing about with buffers as they are dangerous but a little bit of marine salt has the same risk of an undercarriage not opening up on landing, you have to land that plane if you don't press that button you will do more damage, landing with out wheals, using antibiotic is the parshut its risky but will definitely get you down, its your choice if you refuse to engage the undercarriage.
That would be a ecumenical matter!!!
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