Sick Red Melon. Need Help Please !!!!

[WrxAnt]

Hi Guys,

I've got a Red Melon around 12cm.

Symptoms include:
- loss of swim bladder - fish is on its side
- whitening of base of fins (previously all black)
- whitening of gill covers

I had a red melon with exactly the same symtpoms 7 weeks ago and he died within 24hrs.

I've moved him from the planted tank to isolation.
Temperature 31deg C.

Water is clean as a whistle.

Have dosed water with Pimafix untifungal medication.

Does anyhave have any suggestions?

Thanks heaps
Ant

[goldenpigeon]

are anymore discus affected? got a pic?

[WrxAnt]

Hi Goldenpigeon,

Please see attached pic.

Yes thats a top of the tank down shot.

Ant

[WrxAnt]

I forgot to say I've got 2 15cm blue diamonds in the tank and they are fine.

I bought a pair of red melons about 4 months ago and I lost 1 7 weeks ago with the same symptoms....

No other fish affected.

Cheers
Ant

[goldenpigeon]

nice fish

is it overly fat? and as i said before are there any other discus affected?

[WrxAnt]

Hi Goldenpigeon,

It doesn't appear to be fat/bloated or anything.

Nor is it wasting.

Definitely a beautiful fish.

No other discus have presented symptoms.

Cheers
Ant

[goldenpigeon]

hmm i think i know what it could be but dont want to give you advice incase im wrong. pm LR and see what she thinks.

[WrxAnt]

I've PMd ladyred, hopefully she can help.

Given my last fish lasted < 36hrs the prognosis isn't looking good so the sooner I can do anything to help the little fella the better.

Thanks for your responses they are appreciated.

Cheers
Ant

[Benny]

LR will be occupied until much later this afternoon... i will give her a call, to get her opinion now....

[WrxAnt]

Thanks guys!

Ant

[WrxAnt]

Another bit of info...

What eluded me to the fact the fish was not healthy was that it was quite erratic last night I heard splashes and thunks coming from the room where my tank was and the Red Melon was bolting around the tank.

At that point in time I had to apologise to my dinner guests and organise a spare tank stand heater and filter to get a hospital tank set up.

Cheers
Ant

[Merrilyn]

Hi Ant, Benny just rang me to call my attention to this problem. I'm at work at the moment, so don't have access to any medical books, but it seems that the symptoms look like your fish might have velvet.

Melafix is not the correct product to use in this case, so do a waterchange and add a medium salt solution to the tank. Use one heap teaspoon salt per 40 litres of water, and keep the tank dark.

If you have access to Metro, I'd be using that too, not that it will treat velvet, but it helps with secondary infections.

Ant can you give me further information about your water parameters and what symptoms the fish showed leading up to this.

I'll be online today, so keep me posted.

[WrxAnt]

Hi Ladyred,

Excuse my ignorance when I ask this... but with salt are we talking table salt?

I'm gathering tank parameters now in between tending to my 7 week old daughter who has a keen knack for getting restless at the most inconvenient times ;)

The fish had a habit of hiding in driftwood. Yes in a whole in driftwood but would come out to feed and swim around. Just weird behaviour I'd noticed.

In the last 24hrs it was more predominately in that cavetiy in the driftwood and then was quite agitated last night and swimming rapidly around the tank leaping out of the water and stopping off balance.

Thats what drew my attention to the tank whereby I noticed the whiteness appearing at the base of the fins..

I'll post back with tank parameters in a few minutes.

I've done a few water changes all ready on my main tank and my hospital tank and I've expired my aged water suppy....

So at the moment I'm back to Boronia tap water dechlorinated and heated as rapidly as possible.

Thanks for the help its greatly appreciated.

Ant

[WrxAnt]

Epsom salt comes to memory as a salt for fish is that the one?

[Merrilyn]

Nope, not epsom salts, that's for constipation. The salt you need is plain old cooking salt, not table salt which has a free flowing agent in in. Cooking salt or rock salt is available at the supermarket. It has nothing added, and is just plain salt.

The symptoms sound more and more like velvet, especially as the fish was agitated and swimming in an eratic manner last night.

[Mattzilla]

no. use pure rock salt.... not table salt

you can get it cheap at your supermarket. just make sure it is not iodinised (spelling)

good luck

[Merrilyn]

Ant, sending you a PM with my mobile number. Feel free to ring me.

[Benny]

I hope all goes well WRX.....


I did what little i could to help :(

[WrxAnt]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for everyones help and desire to lend a hand.
It has been greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately the fish has passed on.

When I left for work yesterday morning this fish appeared fine.
As of 8pm last night I noticed the weird erratic behaviour and had moved the fish to a hopsital tank where I attempted to medicate with Pimafix.

I travelled to get some salt but upon returning home the fish has passed on.

Thanks again guys for all your tips and suggestions.

I'll now do some water changes on my main tank to hopefully prevent further outbreaks.

THanks again all
Ant

[tank]

so sorry to here u lost him
how long did u have him and where was it bought

[Merrilyn]

So sorry to hear that Ant. He was an absolutely beautiful fish. I've sent you a PM.

[WrxAnt]

Hi Tank,

Thanks for the condolences.

I bought it from a reputable discus importer that many have used before.

I've owned both fish for 4 months. One passed away 7 weeks ago, the day my daughter was born so it was kind of hard to attempt treatement as well as be there for the birth of my daughter.

This time I had a chance to attempt to assist but to no avail.

Cheers
Ant

[goldenpigeon]

so sorry for you wrxant :cry: these things happen to all of us at times.

[Benny]

bad luck bro,

Im sorry i couldnt have been of anymore assistance :(

Condolences,
And congrats on your daughter

[tank]

atl least you had a good thing happen gonrats on the baby girl

[Ben]

sorry Ant to hear about your loss, such a nice fish.

on to better and more wonderful things, congrats and well done on your child!
any chance of a picture?

cheers
Ben

[WrxAnt]

Thanks for the condolences guys.

As always, both good things as well as bad things happen.

I now have a little girl to share my hobby with :)

Hahaha if she gets into fish my wife will definitely be hard pressed to deny the 'fish room' concept ;)

Thanks again guys
Ant

[goldenpigeon]

nice gal u got there ;) congrats

[Ben]

Ant,
what a beautiful child! it almost makes me feel clucky!.......just a few more tanks first!

thanks for the picture!
and once again congrats!

cheers
Ben

[Merrilyn]

Awwww Eloise is gorgeous. What a precious baby girl. Congratulations to you and your wife.