Sick Severum Cichlid

Question

Sick Severum   QUESTION: Hi, I hope you can help me. My 3 year old Severum [Sevs] has been having some sort of disease that I just cannot figure out what it is or how to treat it, it started off as a little white looking bubble near his left gill with a worm like string hanging out of it. This started about 6-8 months ago, it usually came and went. I have tried treating it with pimafix [in case it was white cottony growth] that didn't work. melafix [open sores] that didn't work, quick cure [parasitic treatment] but that did not work either. I have spent so much money but it just seems as though it has gotten worse now. As you can see in the photo, Sevs has grown them all over his head. He seems to be eating okay, but not very active. I have not given up on him, I did find a medication called CyroPro, that did seem to kill the parasitic worm inside of the bubble, but the little bubble like cysts are still there. I've treated him with CyproPro + Quick Cure for about a week now, but the round bubble like cysts are still forming, seeming to be getting worse. Do you know what this could be? I have tried so many things. I've been wondering if it could be hole in the head, but he doesn't have any pits, they are just external, round, and raised. I hope there is a cure for this. Thank you for your time. I hope you can help me, I have been trying to find an answer.

ANSWER: Hello,

Let's try an alternative approach.

Get him out of the main aquarium and into a hospital tank and raise the heat to 80 degrees.  You can use a HOB filter and leave the charcoal filtration in it.

Super clean water must be added and then 2 teaspoons of marine salt per gallon must be dissolved in the water.

Add to that, the quick cure.

Let's make sure this parasite is killed.  Salt being the main way to do so.

This will not kill the sevrum, and that's not enough salt per gallon to cause him stress, but parasites hate salt in the water.  

When you do a 10% water change every 3 days (continue this til the fish is healed), add the 2 teaspoons of salt per gallon back into the tank.

I'd love to see photos as the fish improves, when he does.  

To me, this looks like hole in the head, but it could be a parasite.  Wiithout seeing him in person, it's hard to diagnose by a photo.

Please feed him a well-rounded meal also, while he's being treated.  Let's start him on frozen bloodworms and a cichlid pellet or a color flake food, to give him a well-rounded meal.  Bloodworms are to help boost his immunity.  They are a high nutrition source of meat.

Please, feel free to keep in touch.
Renee



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

QUESTION: Hi Renee,
    I am so upset, I just bought a hospital tank for Sevs, and today I turned on the light and noticed he has pop eye now, and those cysts bubble looking things are on him eyelid, I've bought melafix to treat it, but, I just have some concerns, would it be okay to move him into the hospital tank, or will that stress him out too much? Also, I do not know if I should use all these medications, quick cure + melafix + salt, are they compatible? I just do not want to over dose. i will do a 25% water change tonight and treat him with melafix in the 55 gallon he is in now, and wait for your reply. I am just so worried about moving him. I do not want to do anything wrong. I hope I am not stressing him out by doing this water change, but I have CyPro and Quick Cure in there, don't know if they are compatible with melafix. Thank you for your time.

ANSWER: Hi Annie,

Get the Melafix out of that scenario and you will do well with treating him with quick cure and salt.  They work great together and give a pretty well-rounded treatment.

I would indeed move him to the hospital tank.  Heat it to 80 degrees.
Filter well in there, but don't use charcoal.  It filters medications out.  Instead, use filter floss or cotton.

Melafix is virtually worthless for some infections and it sounds like he's got a doozy.  Just use the quick cure and salt.  He should have no popeye within a few days.

For salt, add 2 teaspoons per gallon in the hospital tank.

I hope this arrives in time...
Renee

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


Unknown Illness   QUESTION: Hi Renee, I am so sorry to keep bothering you. I have had terrible luck with my severum now, I did the treatment with the salt + quick cure and it did not work. It infact has gotten worse, perhaps I am not diagnosing him right, I attached another photo, do you know what this could be? I don't think it is popeye anymore, I went on another buying spree and bought medication called emPro, for popeye, that did not work. He has cysts growing on top of this bacterial looking infection. But I have tried anti bacterial medications, salt, and quick cure. None has worked. I have never seen this before. He has stopped eating completely. He's still swimming around, but no luck with him eating. I have been trying almost everything, Im terribly worried about him. I hope you know what this is, I was hoping it would all pop and pus would come out, but nothing is happening, the growth's are forming rapidly. Could this be legions? tumors? I am doing my research and trying. I hope you know the answer. Thank you for everything renee, write back soon :)

Answer
Hi Annie,

You're not bothering me at all.  I volunteer here to help and I'm really sad for your fish and you to be going through this.

It could be a parasite of the eye, such as an Eye Fluke, causing the popeye and the cysts.  yes, they are lesions.  A lesion is just an injury.  They are not tumors.  To me, it looks infected, and as if something might be hanging on there.  To me, it looks like a Fluke.

You added 2 teaspoons of salt per gallon, so let's leave that salt in the aquarium.  Do not remove it.  If you do a water change (which I suggest...that water looks awful), please replace the salt to equal 2 teaspoons of salt per gallon.

Make sure the heat is 80 degrees.

He should be dosed with Praziquantel.  It is a medication that will kill the parasites.  

Both this, and the salt should assist him in recovery, however I notice he also has hole in head.  This comes from dirty water.  Dirty water can't be combatted without getting control of a continual issue...perhaps by better care of the filter and filter media and by doing water changes.

So, he has several things going on, not just one.  Hole in head is serious, as is the fluke parasites.  Any other fish have now also been exposed, and yes, it's highly contagious.

Take some water out, tonight.  Put it in a white bowl.  Is it clear?  If it's not clear, it's too dirty for your fish.

Please increase the quality of water by cleaning the filter or upgrading.  If using a canister filter, clean it thoroughly and add another filter.  It's not working efficiently and pet stores often give ill advice, telling people to clean their filters every 3 months, when they need cleaned bi-weekly to monthly.

So, a brief recap:

Increase heat to 80.

Filter water better after you do a partial water change. Replace salt when you replace water, equalling 2 teaspoons per gallon.

Go to the store and purchase fish Prazquantel and combat the flukes with this product.  It's an excellent product and they should die within a week.

His food needs changed.  Hole In Head comes from a lack of nutrition, combined with really dirty water conditions.  If on flakes, please add beef heart to his diet.

The lesions won't pop and pus won't come out.  If it does, that's not good at all...this poor fish.  I feel awful for him.  But, when a parasite is sub-dermal (inside the skin), it can often survive when the tank is treated, until its free-swimming stage. Almost all parasites have this stage.  Prazquantel will bypass this and should treat it no matter what stage the parasites are at.

He is infected as a secondary cause to the parasites.

I really hope this helps, Annie.  Please feel free to email anytime and you can followup, and I will do my best to help you.

It is obvious you really care about the little guy, so I hope he makes it.

Renee