Day 9: Added another dose of "Melafix" and a half table spoon of aquarium salt. Behavior seems normal. Note that the fish I believe to be the male seems very "fat." I will reduce feeding to insure that they do not become constipated. Water is not pristine due to the carbon cartridge being removed for a week.
Day 8: Performed a 25% water change as instructed on the "Melafix" package. The side wound seems much better and is no longer red. However, it still seems white and the injury above the eye is still very white and unchanged. I added another dose of "Melafix."
Day 7:AM: This is normally the last day of treatment and the last dose to be administered tonight. I am happy to report a layer of scales growing back on the side wound. However, the white injury above the eye is still unchanged and the tail spot remains. I might prolong the treatment for an additional 3 days. Note, I will need to perform a 25% water change tomorrow before adding any more antibiotics. (Or switch the treatment to "Pimafix", an anti-fungal agent.)
Day 6: AM: Most of the eggs had turned white and all eggs were consumed. Injuries were sustained by the female due to attack. Original wounds on the male seem less red. Spot on the tail is no longer red but still apparent and white.
Day 5: Continued dosing Melafix everyday. Some of the eggs have turned white and are unfertilized. (See other post.) I do not know whether the treatment has affected the pair's fertility.
Day 4: Wound seems less red. Note: in the meantime, the Angelfish have spawned and now both fish show minor injuries to fins and mouths due to mating behavior and aggression. (See other post on spawning.)
Tested:
pH: Approx 8.0 instead of 7.8.
NH4+: Traces instead of 0.
I cannot perform a water change as I am in the middle of a treatment.
Day 3: The glowlights are still in the Angel tank as their behavior went back to normal after a while and they returned to their regular spot. Again, I'll know tomorrow, and I might transfer them at that time.
December 22, 2010
Tank 3: Angelfish Treatment in progress.
This is the first time I have ever attempted to treat a potential infection on a wounded fish. I spoke to the expert I bought the fish from. I did not quarantine as the main tank is relatively small and there are few inhabitants. I did not want to cause more stress or potential injury to the wounded fish.
Symptoms: Red open wound which started as a white patch or a scrape. Also a whitish wound above one of the eyes. Small white dot (not Ich)with a little red dot, on the caudal fin. Behavior is unchanged. Energy level and appetite are unchanged and other inhabitants are unaffected. Which made me think it was an infection post physical injury on that fish.
Treatment: Gradually raised the temperature from 25 to 27 Celsius. Added aquarium salts (first day: changed 10% of the water and added 2 tbsp of salt and third day, one more) to help in healing open sore. Dosed "Melafix", a broad spectrum antibiotic to slow down and eliminate surinfection, according to package instructions. "Melafix" will be dosed everyday for 7 days.
Observations:
Day 1: Now the interesting part is, when I added the meds, the behavior of all the small inhabitants (Pair of Glowlight tetras and 3 pencilfish) changed completely. They all started acting as if I just put them into a brand new environment and they were visiting the surroundings as if in a new tank all of a sudden. However, the larger, perhaps more advanced, Angelfish did not react to the "new environment" whatsoever. I thought this was interesting.
However, as to avoid further stress for the small and more sensitive fish, I transferred the 3 pencilfish, which seemed to be a lot more affected by the treatment, into my 10 gallon tank with all the plants and all the algae. I will know tomorrow if it was too late and the damage was done. (One of the pencilfish is dead.) I took a chance..
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