Metro Med.

[Mak]

Hi All,

This is my first time here and all the information provided is excellent.

All the info here has helped me figure out what's wrong with my discus.

Now...i need help getting some metro tablets. I've tried most of the vets around my area and none will prescribe it. I don't know how else to get it and i'm in need for it.

I have 8 discus, 10 bristlenose all small and 10 cardinal tetras. The bn and tetras are fine just my discus have gone dark, hiding in the corner and 6 of them have stopped eating now and i've seen white poo come from 5 of them so far :(
This started to happen 4 days ago. I've added some medication and done 20% water change everyday and still no avail.

Please help.

I'm from Melbourne btw and live in the west.

[goldenpigeon]

it sounds like your discus have discus plague. have you noticed their fins have started rotting?


a melbourne member might be able to help you aquaire metro.

[goldenpigeon]

http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4766&start=0

this link might be useful

[Littlefish]

Have you had a look at the sticky "Fish friendly vets" at the top of this section? It has some Melbourne vets listed - some of whom have supplied metro.

HTH

Fred

[Mak]

Thanks for the fast reply golden :)

I had a look at the link. My discus do not have any fin rot nor white slime on them as yet but they are dark and do white poo.

I just spent some money on medicine. These are the meds i got and they are:

Waterlife - protozin
Aqua master - Fluke & tapeworm tablets
Aristopet - worm-enda poultry wormer (Active constituent: 8.48g/L Levamisole)

I'm a noob a this but i would like to know out of the above 3 what will be good to use as a treatment? The Poultry wormer isn't the sykes poultry and pig wormer brand but i'm pretty sure it's the same i might be wrong though :(

Any help will be much appreciated.

[Mak]

Oh i missed that.

I was too busy flicking through researching on medicines for them.

Sorry

[Ben]

Hi Mak and welcome to the discus forum.

If possible can you get a picture of the discus for us including the tank they are in?

Can you also give us specs on the water, i.e.: PH GH and any thing you can test for.

How often and how much do you water change?

What do you feed them?

These sorts of questions can help us find your problem with the discus.

I strongly believe it is best to use meds as a last resort.

Ben

[Mak]

Hi Ben,

Sorry for the late reply.

I've lost 3 fishes yesterday and i feel down not being able to save them. The were the 3 smallest ones out of the rest.

I've been doing a 30% water change everyday for the past few days. I've also tested my water and the results are:

PH which is around 6.2, amm = 0, nitrite = 0, nitrate = 0. I was told to add a drop each time into a 5ml bottle until it turns green. It took me 4 drops until it did. Does this help because i'm still in the learning process :(

I now have the others to worry about. I have 5 discus left in the tank and one which all of a sudden stopped eating. He's now hiding in the corner like the other 3 before they past away, a bit aggressive when others come near him but swims towards the food when i feed them and turns away from it like he has lost his appetite. Whereas with the other they seem to be eating fine but dark in color.

I feed them tetra bit granules in the morning and then in the evening i feed them frozen bloodworms.

I got my hands on some Metro :) but i wish i got it earlier to save the other 3. My only problem is i do not have a hospital tank. Is it ok to treat all of them in the tank they are in now?

Hope to hear from you.

[goldenpigeon]

a picture would be great Mak! a pic tells heaps!

you could start dosing with salt. one tspoon to 40L of water to start with.

HTH

[Merrilyn]

Mak, it sounds to me like your fish are suffering from Hexemita. Metro is the correct treatment for this, and it appears that you will be better to treat at the higher dose rate. I've added the instructions below.

It can be transmitted to your other fish, possibly thru contaminated droppings, although little scientific work has been done in this area. It is believed that the pathogen responsible for Hole in the Head (also known by a variety of other names such as Hex, head and lateral line erosion and wasting disease) is Spironucleus Vortens.

An infected fish may show one or several of the following symptoms:-

Skin lesions around the head area.
Turning dark.
Refusing to eat.
White jelly like droppings.
Muscle wasting and pinched appearance above the eyes.

The best drug to use is Metronidazole (Flagyl) which you will need to get from your local vet. Ring first to see if he will prescribe it after seeing a photo of the fish, or if he insists on seeing the fish himself.

1. Do a 30% water change.
2. Set the temperature to 30 degrees, no higher.
3. Add 250 mg Metro per 40 Litres of water. Crush tablets to fine powder and mix with water to form a paste before adding to the tank.
4. After 12 hours, do another 30% water change and repeat the dose. This should be done for a total of 3 days.
5. During treatment the tank lights should be left off. Metro is affected by light.
6. A variety of good quality, high protein food with added vitamins and minerals should be fed several times daily. Include prepared dry food, beef heart, brine shrimp, green vegetable matter and blood worms in the diet. Remove any uneaten food and keep the water very clean.

This treatment is effective for early cases of Hex. If however, your fish has been showing symptoms for a long time, or is refusing food altogether, then the treatment needs to be more aggressive.

In that case, the dose rate would be 400mg per 40 litres of tank water, with a 30% water change between treatment. Repeat every 8 hours for a maximum of 10 days if necessary. Usually 5 to 7 days will be sufficient for symptoms to disappear.


How long have you had these fish, and how long has the tank been set up. It's my belief that discus can fight off a number of diseases while conditions are stable, but if they are moved into a new tank, that can sometimes be enough for symptoms to show up.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

[Mak]

Hi Ladyred,

Thanks for the quick response.

I've had the tank setup for 2 months now and the discus for a month.

I've followed the instructions you've provided but still can't get the 2 discus to eat. They are back to their normal appearance (not dark), not hiding and won't eat :(

I've been medicating since Monday.

They should eat soon? Well i hope they do.

[Mulisha]

Maybe a bit more time and they will be eating hope everything goes well :D

[PRESTON4479]

Here is a great place to get Metronidazole!





http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4753&N=2004+113017

[spencer]

Here is a great place to get Metronidazole!

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4753&N=2004+113017

I dont think they ship that to Australia, if only it was that easy here!

Cheers
Max

[PRESTON4479]

Yeah I didn't know for sure Max if they would ship to Australia or not just thought I would throw it out there. Thats odd its so difficult to get in Australia but so easy to get here. I ordered 2 bottles yesterday each for only $19.99USD (100 tablets per bottle)!

Thanks Max

[spencer]

Hi
I sent an email asking if they would,just in case
But even if they do, customs would probably intercept it here
I would still try
Cheers Max

[spencer]

Hi
I sent an email asking if they would,just in case
But even if they do, customs would probably intercept it here
I would still try
Cheers Max

[PRESTON4479]

I was having trouble finding the Big-L (Levamisole) that you use for deworming Discus in the States. I ended up finding it on an Australian site and ordered it. They accepted the order so we'll see if I get it or not. Its worth a try.

Let me know what they tell you.

Thanks
Preston

[RedcarDiscus]

Preston,
I know your post was some time ago ,but some questions

Did you recieve the Big-L Levimisole in the US you ordered?.

Did you have problems with customs?.

We in the UK cannot get it off the shelf and if it is better/more effective than the normal method here of using Panacur in the food which can be a bit hit and miss all the better.

Please let us know.

Colin

[PRESTON4479]

Yes I did recieve it with no problems.

In the US I could only find it in pill or powder form. Thats why I ordered from Australia. It comes in liquid form which is much easier to use and I was able to go off the dosing advice used in this forum.