TW
Mon Dec 29, 2008, 06:31 AM
Ok, I am a dope - I know it already. So pls be gentle ppl, as I'm feeling a little fragile ATM.
I thought it was important to share my mistakes, so hopefully members here won't repeat them, as I managed to kill 2 of my discus.
This is a little long, but I wanted to set the scene. You can always just skip straight to the summary at the end, where I list my 5 errors.
A turk in the 4ft started to head stand. He could right himself when he swam & he still had an excellent appetite. But whenever he rested, he did so in the head stand position. On Christmas day a fish keeping friend had a look at him & pointed out he was breathing heavily from one gill only. The other gill was not working at all. If you have a copy of "The Naked Truth", a great discus book by Andrew Soh, on pg 143 there is a pic of a discus with constantly opened operculum & drooping membrane - that is what my turk's gill looked like. I never had a case of gill flukes before & I just missed this. I had thought it might be a swim bladder problem. My friend checked all of the discus in the tank & a really nice domestic brown was also affected, but not so seriously as yet. Breathing heavily from one gill. The other gill was closed. No membrane hanging down & no head standing. No other fish displayed any similar symptom, but both Andrew's book & my friend said that since more than 1 fish was affected, I should treat them all.
I followed the treatment in Andrew's book page 144. All occupants had a 24hr PP bath, done in a separate container. I was very careful in the weighing of the PP & made my stock solution exactly as I have read it should be. I wish I had stopped there. I transferred all except the turk & the domestic brown back to their usual home. I decided the turk & domestic brown were "serious cases" so I immediately proceeded with the treatment for those in a "serious condition". Looking back, only the turk was really "serious". The brown was not head standing. His membrane was not hanging down.
Anyway, I set up a separate container & took my formalin from the fridge & dosed as per book's instruction, to give them a half-hour formalin bath. But I overlooked Andrew's very important instruction: "observe the sensitivity of your fish". Well, I set a timer for 30mins & then went about doing other things. I didn't sit & watch them. When the timer went off, I scooped them out & put them in the fresh little QT I had ready for them - but they were dead.
So, in summary my mistakes:-
Mistake 1
Though I used separate containers for PP & formalin to keep the meds separate, I overlooked that the fish would have PP residue on their bodies.
Mistake 2
Insufficient time passed between the 2 different treatments. I should have waited a minimum of 48 hours between the 2 treatments. But really, I should not have treated the serious cases with PP at all, if I had any intention of treating them with formalin. Once I did treat them with PP, I should have allowed time for PP treatment to work. I understand now that both PP & Formalin are strong meds. Following one treatment immediately with the next was enough to kill them.
Mistake 3
Incorrect storage of formalin below 4 degrees celcius, which can make the formalin toxic (see pg 153 of "The Naked Truth". Formalin must be stored above 4 deg Celsius to prevent formation of paraformaldehyde precipitation, which is highly ichthyotoxic). Mine was stored at around 2.7 deg Celsius.
Mistake 4I did not sit & observe the fish. If I had, I could have pulled them out of the formalin at the first sign of distress & maybe saved them
Mistake 5
Didn't ask here on the forum for advice, before I proceeded. Will never understand why I didn't ask first.
I feel gutted I caused my fish to suffer & feel very responsible, but I have learnt a valuable lesson that I will never forget.
I am very grateful to Andrew Soh, who took the time during this holiday period to reply to my messages, helping me to understand where I went wrong.
If there is a Mistake 6 it is that from now on, I will leave Formalin to the experts. I don't think it's a med I will use again.
Take Care,
Robyn
I thought it was important to share my mistakes, so hopefully members here won't repeat them, as I managed to kill 2 of my discus.
This is a little long, but I wanted to set the scene. You can always just skip straight to the summary at the end, where I list my 5 errors.
A turk in the 4ft started to head stand. He could right himself when he swam & he still had an excellent appetite. But whenever he rested, he did so in the head stand position. On Christmas day a fish keeping friend had a look at him & pointed out he was breathing heavily from one gill only. The other gill was not working at all. If you have a copy of "The Naked Truth", a great discus book by Andrew Soh, on pg 143 there is a pic of a discus with constantly opened operculum & drooping membrane - that is what my turk's gill looked like. I never had a case of gill flukes before & I just missed this. I had thought it might be a swim bladder problem. My friend checked all of the discus in the tank & a really nice domestic brown was also affected, but not so seriously as yet. Breathing heavily from one gill. The other gill was closed. No membrane hanging down & no head standing. No other fish displayed any similar symptom, but both Andrew's book & my friend said that since more than 1 fish was affected, I should treat them all.
I followed the treatment in Andrew's book page 144. All occupants had a 24hr PP bath, done in a separate container. I was very careful in the weighing of the PP & made my stock solution exactly as I have read it should be. I wish I had stopped there. I transferred all except the turk & the domestic brown back to their usual home. I decided the turk & domestic brown were "serious cases" so I immediately proceeded with the treatment for those in a "serious condition". Looking back, only the turk was really "serious". The brown was not head standing. His membrane was not hanging down.
Anyway, I set up a separate container & took my formalin from the fridge & dosed as per book's instruction, to give them a half-hour formalin bath. But I overlooked Andrew's very important instruction: "observe the sensitivity of your fish". Well, I set a timer for 30mins & then went about doing other things. I didn't sit & watch them. When the timer went off, I scooped them out & put them in the fresh little QT I had ready for them - but they were dead.
So, in summary my mistakes:-
Mistake 1
Though I used separate containers for PP & formalin to keep the meds separate, I overlooked that the fish would have PP residue on their bodies.
Mistake 2
Insufficient time passed between the 2 different treatments. I should have waited a minimum of 48 hours between the 2 treatments. But really, I should not have treated the serious cases with PP at all, if I had any intention of treating them with formalin. Once I did treat them with PP, I should have allowed time for PP treatment to work. I understand now that both PP & Formalin are strong meds. Following one treatment immediately with the next was enough to kill them.
Mistake 3
Incorrect storage of formalin below 4 degrees celcius, which can make the formalin toxic (see pg 153 of "The Naked Truth". Formalin must be stored above 4 deg Celsius to prevent formation of paraformaldehyde precipitation, which is highly ichthyotoxic). Mine was stored at around 2.7 deg Celsius.
Mistake 4I did not sit & observe the fish. If I had, I could have pulled them out of the formalin at the first sign of distress & maybe saved them
Mistake 5
Didn't ask here on the forum for advice, before I proceeded. Will never understand why I didn't ask first.
I feel gutted I caused my fish to suffer & feel very responsible, but I have learnt a valuable lesson that I will never forget.
I am very grateful to Andrew Soh, who took the time during this holiday period to reply to my messages, helping me to understand where I went wrong.
If there is a Mistake 6 it is that from now on, I will leave Formalin to the experts. I don't think it's a med I will use again.
Take Care,
Robyn