Mouth Rot or What??

[CBRican]

I really need help.

Ok Facts:

I recently added new fish to my tank (I did not quarantine them).

Yesterday I noticed 4 of my fish had swollen "lips". Their mouths seemed ragged and old.

The sick ones hide out and dont eat.

Today I noticed one of the sick ones has an "icky" looking fin and is not using it too much. I also noticed that another sick one has now got white patches on either side in front of his eye.

I started treating today with maracyn, since i think its a fungus or bacteria and Maracyn is said to treat both. It is an antibiotic. (erythromycin) I raised the temp a bit and I added salt. How soon should I see improvement? How do I know if im using the right meds? I read that some antibiotics dont work with some illnesses and that sometimes you have to keep switching till you find the one that works.

I thank you in advance.

[Cichlid_Fan]

I had the same thing a few weeks ago. I also used a med with erythromycin(Myacin) and I saw improvement on the last dose. I lost all but one that was infected, unfortunately. They all had body rot like yours and the one that survived had the swollen eye. On a better note, it prevented the other 20 fishes from getting anything.

Hopefully you caught this soon enough.

Good luck,
Matt

[chc]

Could it be the result of a fight?

[Cichlid_Fan]

chc makes a good point, what fish do you have?

[CBRican]

There had been some aggression between two male Greshaki's. The female has also experienced stress from this. The weaker male and female are two out of the four affected by this illness. The Chipoke seems to be doing a bit better today. The Johanni maybe a tad bit also. The two greshakis seem to be doing to poorest. The male wont even eat anymore and just stays at the bottom of the tank in the back corner. The female did come out to eat today, but I got a good look at her and her eye is kinda protruding now also and is a bit cloudy. Im not sure if they will make it. :-( Out of 15 fish only these four are sick, I guess I should count my blessings.

[strawberrysue000]

you have a very sick tank..did you do a water change before Meds?..
how often do you do water changes?..these conditions are due most times to bad water(ammonia) how often do you vaccum the gravel?.DO NOT raise the temp..most fungus thrive on high temps..Put temp back between 78-80...always finish meds and do a water change right after.Did you remove the carbon?..when treating. if noticable fungus is still there treat again...

sue..

[strawberrysue000]

this is not from fighting..when you have a sick fish or two..they will then get picked on because they are weak...
fighting could have been going on YES, and if the fish then get hurt (cuts) they are open to infections..being fungus in most cases. Antibiotics are needed!..
Note- seeing how you have a few fish infected.. What appears to be the same disease on different fish, or on the same fish on two different days, may not be the same affliction. Antibiotics can be effective against one and not the other.
Parasite infestations are sometimes mistaken for bacterial infections.
Maracyn is a good antibiotic and can be used with other Mardel products..
If you get this read the directions carefully and complete the doseage..can repeat if nessesary.
hope this helps..
Sue..

[CBRican]

Well I lost my first fish. The Greshaki passed yesterday. He looked horrible. The other three dont seem to be getting any better. The little Johanni's eyes are now starting to cloud up also. I am starting Maracyn Two today as the regular Maracyn did not work. Wish me luck. :bawl:

[Cichlid_Fan]

I suggest you use Myacin instead. Cleared up the eyes in 3 days.

Matt

[strawberrysue000]

So sry to hear of the loss!!
Yes, Maracyn 2 it has Minocycline..you tried Maracyn with Erythromycin and didnt work..
Sometimes you need to med for a few weeks..do small water changes if you are keeping meds for some time..like a couple of hrs before you med that day..
Remember dont raise the temp!! no need too!..
keep at 78-80..


Myacin has the same ingredients...as Maracyn Erythromycin.

Good luck..keep us posted ..

Sue..

[SGypsyMermaid]

when in doubt, i always start with salt and/or melafix. antibiotics are a last resort as the fish , like people tend to build up an immunity to them.(it's very important when treating with antibiotics, that you are careful to minimize your own contact with them). also, sometimes the meds can be just as harmful as the disease.

[CBRican]

Well I did add salt on the first day and I did not raise the temp. I have been doing 25% water changes daily. The water looks cloudy. I add salt only for the new amount of water. How often should I add salt to the tank? I also did not remove the carbon out of my filters because the instructions said that if the carbon had been in for more than 6 days there was no need to take it out, just leave it be.

Today I lost my M. Chipoke. :( I have seen improvement in the female greshaki. Her face does seem to be healed although her eyes are still extremely cloudy and protruding. I think the little Johanni is going to go next, he seems to be doing worse everday.

Should I see improvement everday in the fish that are sick? Or will it take weeks before I see any signs of improvement? And if thats the case, how will i know if the meds are working? If I have to wait weeks before I know it might be too late.

Last thing, the water looks cloudy and smells badly, is this normal as a reaction of the meds?

Thank you so much everyone.

[SGypsyMermaid]

the water should never smell badly, particularly since you are doing partial water changes...are all of your fish accounted for? possibly a dead fish in the rocks. antibiotics kill off your biofilter, so your tank may be cycling again--that could account for the cloudy water(although, you wouldn't think that there'd be an bacteria bloom while there are antibiotics in the tank).:confused:

[CBRican]

Ok well I started using Jungle Buddies Fungus Cure, the fizz tabs...the female greshaki seems to be getting better but the little johanni is borderline. This is a terrible bout.....i cant wait till its over....

[CBRican]

Quick question....with this Jungle Buddies Fungus Clear (fizz tabs) it says that the dose is only once and can be repeated within 4 days if necessary. My question is can I still do water changes during these 4 days? Or will doing so take the medication out of the water??? Thanks.....

[strawberrysue000]

While using any medication,doing a water change will remove some or most of the drug,depending on how big a change you do.

you have used a number of meds so far..correct?

did you do a big say 35-40% water change in between them?

Remembering you saying that your water smelled real bad and was cloudy..is it still now?

did you leave it a day or so before stating new med?..doing 10-20% water changes..and then try some other med..being Jungle fungus..
You have to judge for yourself on this one....Ive never used jungle fungas..but if thats what it says then you are not to do any water changes' till after the med..

Finding reason for a antiboitic..ALWAYS do water change before meds..and right after 5 day doseage..( or what ever the doseage would be)and then you can repeat if nessesary.
Meds slow down and remove oxygen in the water this is why they are done..and a air stone can be added as well to help fiteration to the fish..especially if the med goes for some time 5-7 days..

hope this is clear..hope I havent confused you..

Sue..