Jean le Blanc is now showing the same symptoms that Jean Lafitte had before he died. It does not look good as the fish is already eating medicated food, is in salted tank, and has had Rick's Anti-Bac bath for the last two days.

He was fine until today - he started acting strange today - had white poop this afternoon (but not long and stringy like the other fish - just short like it wasin the beginnning with the other fish). He ate very well but he has had rapid mouth movements all day despite two water changes in two days. He is now sitting at the side of the tank, body curved to the left with a swelling abdomen to that side, listlessly swimming in place. Occasionally he swims as if all is well, but i saw that before....

I don't know what to do. I can't just watch him die. What is wrong with him?!


Ammonia Level? 0

Nitrite Level? 0

Nitrate level? 10

Ph Level, (If possible,KH and GH and chloramines)? 7.4 - chloramines present form the tap in very high doses, treated with Prime

Ph Level out of the Tap? 7.4

Tank size (How many Gals) and How long has it been running? 20g; 4 months

What is the name and size of the filter/s? Eheim 2215 canister; awaiting arrival of new tank with wet/dry filter

How often do you change the water and how much? Regularly once a week (this fish has been in there for less thanone week) but I recently gave Anti-Bac bath as followed directions for he meds - so two water changes in the last two days.

How many fish in the tank and their size? one other GF, 4.5 "

What kind of water additives or conditioners? Prime in double dose as is required becasue of poor water quality; salt 0.1% concentration

Any medications added to the tank? GC Anti-bac bath and Metro meds

Add any new fish to the tank? this is the new fish

What do you feed your fish? Normally mazuri gel food, peas; currently metro meds - started Friday.

Any unusual findings on the fish such as "grains of salt", bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus? Swelling abdomen, listing to the left, listless swimming, rapid contant mouth movement

Any unusual behavior like staying at the bottom, not eating, ect..? He has been eating today but tonight started with the listing and abdominal swelling...

This is making me sick.

I read this at Koivet -


Like what?!?!?! That is exactly the situation.

Sweetheart I really think that he is haemorraghing. If he is the same as Jean Lafitte I would euthanise him.

These fish were definately infected with something before you got them.

I have to agree with Annette. You need to concentrate on making sure GN is ok now. Get him separated and do some prophalactic treatment on him to make sure he did not catch anything.

edit: I might even consider putting him right into the new tank as soon as it arrives since it will have no contamination from the sick fish. You have no idea what you are dealing with. Get some bio-spira to get it cycled quickly.

Oh Graham! I'm so sorry. I hope you can get everything worked out.

Thank you, Fishemrised, Becky and Little One! ir eally appreciate your support and good wishes. THis is really hard. Thanks for staying up and advising me last night, Fishnerised, sorry I pooped out on you and didn't write back - I could not do anything until everyone got up and the stores opened so I decided to just lie down for a few hours and try to come up with the best strategy.

I decided that GN has already been exposed so since I could not move the fish for a few hours, I decided to try the Maroxy and just wait and see. Remember, they already had anit-bac bath and Jean L. had been trated with sulfas - all to no avail.
By now, GN is either immune or potentially infected - so I tried to treat the tank.
We talked about trying the formalin so on the same principle, I decided to try Maroxy first since it is not as harsh as formalin at least until morning when I could separte them and get them both out of the tank.

THis morning I woke up and no one was dead! That is a very good thing. GN is the same and JB has NOT worsened - he has infact shown some small improvement. Small enough for me not to get too excited but enough to be called a discernable improvement. THe eye sacs and face are still swollen but the abdominal swelling and listing to that side (the left) is gone. i am not getting my hopes up. But, it is certainly a discrete change and it is not a negative one. The mouth is still going all the time but not as rapidly and not as often - but still abnormally.

I am going to the store now to get bleach and a rubbermaid and prepare to separate them and remove them both from the tank - and start making plans for a nuke.

Please keep sending your thoughts and energy to Jean and Graham, I think it is helping. Thank you!

I'm so sorry Graham. I just read your other thread about Jean Lafitte. He was such a nice fish.

It's your water. The chloramines. And/or the daily double dosing of Prime. Too much is toxic. Either one or the other, or more likely both at once. The listing to the side sounds almost like what my fish went through when I was doing all the water changes myself, but only made them worse.

Doing 70% water changes daily in your 10g quarantine tank would have stressed them too much from the chloramine and Prime. I personally don't believe even double dosing with Prime is enough to remove all the chloramine. And being already stressed from the travel, this would have been too much for their immunity. Graham Norton seems to be okay, doesn't he? He's used to it. So I put it down to the new ones being stressed too much. So it's not the bacteria in the tank, it's the fish's resistance to the natural levels off bacteria being lowered. Graham hasn't been 'exposed' because the bacteria are just normal and his immune system is fine and can deal with them as usual.

So my advice is don't nuke and replenish the whole tank. More stress! Don't touch it at all. Don't move JB into the QT tank. Don't change any water for at least a week. And even then, only the bare minimum you need to to keep the nitrates down. Basically, don't do anything at all with the tank or water! Just keep feeding abtibiotics (or Myxazin formalin dosing which doesn't harm filter bacteria). If you say JB has shown some improvement, my suggestion to keep him that way by not doing anything at all! I know it sounds contrary, but a little rest and relaxation may be just all that's needed for JB. And yourself!

My mistake was that every time I saw a little bit of recovery in mine, I took it as an opportunity to do a water change (like changing the sheets on a hospital patient), but it just made them take a turn for the worse than before.

Wow, Graham, I didn't know you had such trouble with your new fishies!!
I had the same thought about the chloramines the moment you mentioned they are extremely high. How high exactly? Do you have any chance of measuring them? Readings from the city perhaps?

Angie's advice sounds perfect right now - too much can stress the fish, and JB already has enough stress onto him from the travel and the new water conditions. The Maroxy was the last treatment you have used on him?

Owwww Graham I am so sorry!!!!! I have been away so much that I missed all of this!
I love every fish here...but certain people I have known longer and their fish...I adore, you are amongst those.

Gee I hope GN is not going to be affected by this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hun all i can do right now is pray and send positive thoughts and with your permission i can reki your tank.

Im thinking of you hun! and so so sorry i not been here lately

How are your 2 big boys looking today hun

I'm glad that Jean's side swelling has gone down. Angie has made an interesting point, she certainly went through hell before she figured it was the high levels of chloromine in her water causing her problems. Such situations are rare but it is something worth considering.

How is everyone today?

Please let us know how Jean le Blanc is doing, Graham. We're all keeping our fingers crossed for you that it's good news.

Oh no i completely missed this thread!! So sorry about Lafitte. I hope Le Blanc will be ok....

How is everyone?

Graham, I know how you feel when it is a good day to wake up and find no one dead. I hope that things are continuing to improve for you. It has to be very distressing for the excitement of new fish to change so rapidly into the stress of sick fish.

I have been thinking of you and hoping all is well.

Becky

How are they today?

JEAN LE BLANC LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As we speak, he is happily zipping around the tank gobbling up all the food, leaving none for Graham! (They are eating Metro-Meds). It is a miracle!!!!!!!

I am sorry I left you all hanging - fish illness always seems to come at the worst time (there is never a good time) so I have been alaso busy with life issues...

THANK YOU for all your support and sympathy and concern! I would not have made it through this without you!

I am going to type up some notes, thoughts, and responses (esp. to AWRieger - thanks - spot on!) tonight - please add your comemnts/thoughts - I am hoping that by "documenting" this it might help someone else in future! I am off to the hardaware store for tube to help feed GN so he gets some food, too!

oh goodness....Graham, I am so so sorry about Lafitte. I had no idea! My puter was on the fritz for a couple days and I totally missed this. I am very very sorry.

I am praying JLB continues to improve! And GN is a tough one! Hang in there, hun!

Sounds like great news! I am so happy to hear it.

aww Graham! i'm so sorry about your fish! haven't looked at this part of the forum in a long time so missed it. i hope Graham and Jean le Blanc will be ok

Good to hear Le Blanc is improving!
btw u gotta change ur siggy now Lafitte is passed away...

Excellent news, Graham!

Oh that's great news Graham - i'm so pleased

I will make you a new siggy this week Just let me get this one pc out of the way first


I am glad your boys are doing well!

Oh, thats great!