Re: Meds for Tin foil barbs

Question
QUESTION: Hi there, I am writing I have a 40 gallon tank with some barbs in it and 3 tin foil barbs, one is 10 years old, and they have come across a parasite that gives them the red streaks on their bodies and fins.  My older tin foil barb is having a hard time with the medication.  I accidently put in Maracide one day, then realized that I shouldn't have put it in with having an algae eater in the tank, so I waited 2 days then I have been treating with Pimafix, but the 10 year old tin foil barb is having a hard time when I add it in the tank, once I apply the meds, he starts swimming upside down, this goes on for about 1 hour then he is fine, I have not been using the full dosage that is to be used and the redness is getting worse on the fish and now they are scratching on the ornaments, the 10 year old hasn't eaten in about 1 week and the other 2 stopped eating but are starting to eat again. I have 4 other small barbs in the tank as well and they are fine, my tank is a 40 gallon with a filter and heater.
I am stuck on what I should be doing to treat these fish, the pimafix isn't working, I was thinking of maybe trying 4 times during the day as the dosage is 5ml per 10 US gallons.
Or is there some other medication that I can try or just to do water changes, I would like some help/advise on what I should do, I would hate to loose my tin foils.  The 10 year old is a given that his days are numbered as this is a long time for a fish to live I am sure.
Any help or advise would be appreciative.
Thanks in advance.


ANSWER: Hi Nicole;

They may not have a parasite. It sounds more like dirty water or could be a bacterial infection called "hemorrhagic septicemia". They can cause scratching and irritation too, but they may be itching from the parasite medicine. It can be very irritating to them. Do a 25% water change, vacuum the gravel and see how they do. Do it again every day for the next 3 days. If they aren't better after the changes or seem to get worse, use an aquarium fish antibiotic called "Maracyn Two". It absorbs inside the fish where infection is. Others treat the outside and may not be effective on this type of bacteria. Test the water for the presence of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate too.

Here is a web page about Septicemia to check out;

http://www.geocities.com/shtinkythefish/diseases/septicemia.htm

You can also use aquarium salt (1/2 teaspoon per gallon) and MelaFix along with the Maracyn Two. Melafix helps regenerate damaged tissues and aids in healing. Neither PimaFix nor MelaFix is actually strong enough to heal an established serious infection by themselves. They are an excellent support for healing though.

I hope they feel better soon...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi there Chris, the fishes streaks are getting worse, I live in Canada and I could not get any Maracyn 2, apparantly there are new laws or something with that product, so no one carries it, they carry Maracyn but not 2, so the petstore people suggested Triple Sulfa, would you recommed this??  They are capsule and I was also wondering do I break them when I put them in the tank or do I put them in the way they come and they will disolve??
I have purchase enough for 2 - 3 days as I wasn't sure if you would have recommended it or not??
What do you think???
Thanks so much


ANSWER: Hi Nicole;

He really needs something with tetracycline in it but if you can't get it you could try the Triple Sulfa I guess. I usually open capsules of medicine and pour in the powder but it depends on the product.

Do the water changes and hopefully something will help. Use aquarium salt too. It helps your fish fight the infection.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Chris, thanks for the advise, the fish are back to normal now.  My 10 year old Tin Foil, is back to eating and swimming around again.  So they are all fine now and the streaks are all gone, except for the older one, he has one very faint one.
They seem to be scratching on the ornaments now though, any thoughts as to what that is???   They are swimming and eating so that is good, but now the scratching I am wondering about!!!
Thanks for your great advise.


Answer
Hi Nicole;

I would test the water to be sure ammonia or nitrites haven't risen. It happens sometimes when using medicines because (in spite of what the label says) medicines can kill off some of the beneficial bacteria that controls ammonia and nitrite. The toxins will cause the scratching, also known as "flashing". If they are elevated at all, make 25% water changes until your water tests at "zero" for ammonia and/or nitrite. That's what they should be in an established aquarium.

Also look for tiny white dots or spots. Or, a gold colored hazy dusting on them. It would indicate parasites. If you see anything, look for a treatment at your local fish store for "ick" (also called ich or whitespot) or if gold dust-looking it could be a parasite called "velvet".

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins