Hi Guys,
I have a large Oranda who has developed a hole in his wen. He also has a sore by his fin and a graze on his cheek. His poop seems to be regular colour, but thin. I have applied iodine to the affected areas. It doesnt seem to be getting any worse, but not getting any better, Any ideas on what it could be and how I can treat him?
Water Params are as follows

Nitrates 25
PH 7.0
Temp 23C
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0

Currently there are 6 fish in the tank with him being the largest. All the others are puney compared to him. I am running a Fluval 304 and a Fluval 404.

Also, what do I need to have in A quaratine tank?

I will be doing a water change shortly.

Photos can be veiwed here, sorry theyre so big

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a74/becka24/FatTony.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a74/becka24/FatTony3.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a74/becka24/FatTony2.jpg

Thanks

Bec

Hi Bec and welcome to the forum.Sorry to hear that you're having problems.
The very first thing that I would do personally,is get it into a Q-Tank.
Next,you need to get a hold of a medicated food.Goldfish Connection on line sells Medi-Gold,it's a great Antibiotic and really a must have in the home as far as I'm concerned.If you can't get that,you need something that has Metronidazole in the food.Jungle Products now carry a food also ,so you can look into that too.
You can also salt his q-tank to 0.3% to keep any secondary infections from popping up.
While treating for this,you'll have to make sure to keep the water absolutely pristene-which may lead to daily water changes on your part to do that.Good luck,and if you have any other questions,don't be afraid to ask.

Hi Bec, it looks like you have a nasty problem on your hands It appears bacterial and seems to have progressed to hole in the head disease. Unfortunately you need to act quickly.

It's not easily treated but this method is one of the few i've researched over time that has revealed a positive outcome. There's some urgent things you can do and they are:

- clean the wen with hydrogen peroxide on a Q-tip (just once)
- order some Metro meds from www.goldfishconnection.com (it targets hole in the head disease)
- if you are able to get to a vet you could also try Baytri injectionsl, one tenth CC everyday for 5 days

Hopefully this helps some.

Edit: Aw Sharon - you got in before me. This can be an alternative approach

No problem Jen,I forgot to mention the cleaning with Hydrogen Peroxide anyway.
Yes The Metro-Meds are probably the best for hole in the Head,I automatically think of Medi-Gold though because it's a widely used All-Around Antibiotic food.
None the less,we were on the same page here.

Hi Guys,
Thanks. Unfortunately I cant get the medicated food here in australia. Anyone know of anything i can get here as far as medication?
What do I need in The Q tank? as far as filter, air bubble etc? How much salt do I add and how often to get it to .3% The Metronidazole, where do get it? I looked it up on google and they use it to treat a few things in humans
Thanks
Bec

Oh man sorry Becka,didn't realize that you were in Aussie. Jen?????Where are ya Hun?

I can do the Q tank and salt but no meds I did use some tablets a while back I think they were made by tetra? The were and antibiotic of sorts i thinik. It sucks here cause even our biggest pet store doewnt carry this stuff.

Im off to do my water change, I can't set up the Q tank until tomorrow..I dont exactly have a spare tank and filter, but ill work it out. Ill do the hydrogen peroxide when hubby gets home. Do you think I should buy some of the tablets? ###### I cant remember the name

Oh no - same position as me Do you have a vet you know well? You can ask for baytril and inject each day for 5 days. My vet has helped me when I needed it so perhaps you have a good vet?

Otherwise, in addition to the hydrogen peroxide, you can get some Tetracycline tablets (are you around Sydney at all?) and ground one up then blend it with some soaked spirulina/flake food and gelatin then let it set. Medicated gel food will act better than putting tetracycline into the tank but if you want to hit it hard, medicate the tank and feed the gel food.

My fingers are crossed for you

Thank!! um inject??? No dont want to go there dont know my vet that well.. I think the tabs i can get are tri sulfa? Im in Adelaide even worse!!! Can you get the Tetracycline tablets? I could maybe send you some money and get some sent here if you wouldnt mind? If its a pain or if your busy its ok. just thinking out loud. I appreciate all your help. Would you put a filter in the Q tank. Some say yes and some say just an air bubble.

I'll happily do that for you although I think most aquariums stock Tetracycline especially if they stock triple sulfa (they're equally popular for bacterial infections).

Let me know if you have problems and i'll shoot some over to you.

As for the qt - I always have filters running on mine and even if they're uncycled, they still help to remove any poop from the water plus I always make sure to have plenty of aeration. Most medications will reduce the oxygen in the water so it helps if you can add as much air as possible. The main thing that will help your fish is keeping the water absolutely perfect so this may take 100% waterchanges daily. In the meantime, I would add the 1 teaspoon of sea, rock or aquarium salt (predissolved in a little tank water) per 4 litres of water (in the qt) and try to grab some hydrogen peroxide. If you're going to the chemist, ask for the 6% solution and gently dab it on his wen.

So try calling your aquarium first up tomorrow and if you have no joy, email me at jenlawrence@optusnet.com.au and i'll get some in the mail for you same day. Unfortunately with hole in the head, once it reaches the stage where the wound looks angry, it's time to move fast so lets keep our fingers crossed that we can knock this one on the head (scuse the pun) quickly

I'll happily do that for you although I think most aquariums stock Tetracycline especially if they stock triple sulfa (they're equally popular for bacterial infections).

Let me know if you have problems and i'll shoot some over to you.

As for the qt - I always have filters running on mine and even if they're uncycled, they still help to remove any poop from the water plus I always make sure to have plenty of aeration. Most medications will reduce the oxygen in the water so it helps if you can add as much air as possible. The main thing that will help your fish is keeping the water absolutely perfect so this may take 100% waterchanges daily. In the meantime, I would add the 1 teaspoon of sea, rock or aquarium salt (predissolved in a little tank water) per 4 litres of water (in the qt) and try to grab some hydrogen peroxide. If you're going to the chemist, ask for the 6% solution and gently dab it on his wen.

So try calling your aquarium first up tomorrow and if you have no joy, email me at jenlawrence@optusnet.com.au and i'll get some in the mail for you same day. Unfortunately with hole in the head, once it reaches the stage where the wound looks angry, it's time to move fast so lets keep our fingers crossed that we can knock this one on the head (scuse the pun) quickly

Thanks Jen I really appreciate it. I will do all the things you've suggested and I'll let you know how I go. Take care
Bec

No problem and my fingers are crossed for your guy. Let me know how you go tomorrow