hospital tank notes

I didn't post about the state of the barbs in hospital tank every day, because trying not to stress over it much. It's still ongoing, but I'm posting now because things have taken a turn and this list of notes is just getting too long.

3/15- this morning changed out 1 gallon (20%) and did not replace the salt. This because I was gone on a work trip 3/19-3/25 and knew the fish would be without care. I wanted to be able to put them back in the home tank, unless they looked too far gone, then I'd leave them in hospital tank to take their unlikely chances. So gradually removing the salt dose- I figured if I changed out 1 gallon each day for 5 days, then by the last day before my trip, they'd be readjusted to no salt.

Unfortunately this means they won't finish the full treatment of meds. I started dosing melafix and primafix, 1/2 tsp per day. Since doing the water change, replaced with 1/5 of another 1/2 dose mixed into dechlorinated water.

They didn't like it. Or are feeling worse for other reasons. Temp is stable. But where day before the fishes looked perky, alert, were swimming all around the tank- today all hiding under the decor. Still alert, but obviously nervous. I don't know if they're reacting to the change in salt or to the meds- maybe I did too much at once. As for condition- the marks on their heads are no larger. Maybe one is even reduced.

Later in the day worried that they're still hiding (and I've kept a towel over the tank most of the time, to keep it dim) I added 1/2 gal fresh water w/out salt or meds, to dilute a bit.

I've also got this issue with the chloramine in tapwater. I am not sure if it's always there and I don't always notice/test for it, or if it's just at this time of year. Maybe it's giving me continual problems- maybe that's why after water changes my barbs sometimes just sit and hang in the water? Maybe I ought to be double-dosing prime all the time, or get another source of water. But prime is supposed to render the ammonia non-toxic for the fish, and my bio filter seems to handle it ok. Ammonia on the main tank today was a nice 0, so I didn't worry about that one. Even the little hospital tank was good- its small bio filter doing the job too. But adding new water I have to be careful- its ammonia right now is higher than the tank!

3/17- Yesterday I fed the fishes peas soaked in garlic. This morning they did normal-looking brown poo, so I've ruled out internal parasites. Good news is the hospital tank is functioning well. I had bought a new mini heater for it, it doesn't adjust but was holding the temp pretty steady at 74-76° if I bumped up room temp, that would be okay. The two mild-case barbs look okay- their marks seem to be fading? the third one, worst. Hiding all the time now.

With a feeling of dread I saw that Mr. Red has a small pale mark in front of dorsal fin on his back, and pale stringy poo. I don't have room in hospital tank for more fish, without close monitoring. Why do the fish always seem to get sick/things go wrong when I'm going to travel?

3/18- Largest female barb in main has pale erosion on the head. She looked fine yesterday. More reading online. Now think I may have the worst fish disease ever- columnaris. It may have been there a long time. I know one of my daughter's guppies had it, I could have accidentally spread it to the other tank. When I lost all those danios and thought the pale marks were from getting stuck onto filter intake? I bet it was columnaris, the saddleback pattern is a classic symptom. The few I did see stuck on filter weakened enough by disease to get pulled in. Now I'm gone tomorrow there's no way I can treat these fish. All the meds require daily dosing or freqeuent water changes, some of them kill the beneficial bacteria. I've been recommended to euthanize the fish, nuke the tank with meds or diluted bleach to clear out the disease and start over.

3/19- I euthanized the two worst-looking female barbs. I put three with mild-looking symptoms in hospital tank with 5 tsp dissolved aquarium salt, dose of melafix and primafix and covered to keep it dark (if I understand correct the meds dissipate in light). I did 50% water change with gravel vac on main tank, lowered the temp there to 74°. Ordered more meds to arrive when I return. Left on my trip and hope for the best.

3/26- Home again. I was happily surprised to find all the fishes alive and well. The ones with symptoms, condition is the same- no worse or better. After a water change I moved Mr. Red into the hospital tank and started dosing with Furzan-2 and Kanaplex. The fishes look more alert, are eating. In main tank I put the pre-filter sponge on (just in case- and it will provide more surface to host good bacteria!) This took some doing, as I'd ordered the smallest size I could find of the brand I wanted, but it was too big for my tank (Luckily the intake on sponge fitting was two stacked pieces, so I removed one and cut the sponge in half, but still it was hitting substrate and I don't want to cut intake tube shorter, so raised the filter housing a bit off the rim of the tank by setting clothespins under the lip. This worked- it also causes more splashing- and to my surprise the barbs immediately began playing in the outflow! Sangre had been pale pink, but colored up nicely again. I do think they were missing the extra oxygen provided by gentle sponge filter, which had been moved out).

3/27- Fish are lively in the hospital tank. Mr. Red is trying to flirt with the females. I can't quite tell if the marks on their bodies are fading, as the medication tints the water. They eat eagerly. I'm trying to feed half normal amount, as the tank is small for three fish plus with these meds go two days between water changes, and it's said to kill the bio-filter.

3/28- Mr. Red is harassing the females. Fins on one looking ragged edges. Marks are not fading, Red himself has another on his back.

3/29- Mr. Red is still darting around flirtatiously, but he's not getting any response. Female with ragged tail fin is hanging in an upper corner, the other one lying on bottom behind decor. I'm holding back on food (one light feeding every other day) but still there's significantly more mulm on bottom of the tank- does one extra fish add that much more waste? Siphon out as much as I can with the water changes.

3/30- Mr. Red continues to pester the females. They look okay, but seem to have a few fungus spots on fins. One female it looks like the lesion on her head is completely gone- the other I can't tell. Red definitely still has that. I'm doing 25% water changes morn/night for a few days now, to clear out the meds and see clearly, so I can re-evaluate. Replacing salt dose again, I think that might help the ragged fins. Squeezed out the sponge filter and wiped off airline hose, there was yellow muck and some white fuzzy crap on it. The meds or fungus, not sure.

4/1- One female has no marks on the body anymore, but fins very ragged. Second female has small lesion on the head, fins also ragged. Mr. Red has two pale marks across the back- just before and behind dorsal fin. So far he doesn't have any fin rot... He kept chasing the females so I caught him in a fishnet and propped it against the side of tank, putting him in time out for a while. As soon as he was contained the females quit cowering in corners and started poking around the tank, even displaying at each other. After an hour Mr. Red found his way out thru a gap, but I left the net resting in the tank for a while. When he started chasing females again, I would just move the net a little and he'd stop, go hide behind filter. By end of day he quit pestering them altogether. I took the net out, he's still leaving them alone.

4/2- One female barb- no lesions but badly shredded fins. Second female mark lesion on her head is almost gone. On the male seems to be fading. Fins keep deteriorating. Still doing twice daily wc, 25%. First round of meds all cleared out. Continuing to keep 1/2 tsp salt/gal, adding dose of melafix today (see if it helps their fins).

4/3- First female now has a new white patch on her flank. Second female the mark on head almost unnoticeable, fins on both still ragged. Male is unchanged- pale marks front and back of dorsal, pale color, his fins are fine. Yesterday they were all hiding under things, this morning out and swimming again- it seems they are feeling better w/the melafix. But fin deterioration looks so bad I wonder if I should treat that with something stronger, like tetracycline. Asking on forums.

4/4- I was wrong. The fin-rot is caused by columnaris, or a secondary infection. Tetracycline info I got was outdated- it treats gram-positive bacteria, columnaris is gram-negative. I should not have done a week of water changes to clear out the meds, but instead kept going. I'm starting another round of furan-2 and kanaplex now.