Please help! BN getting sicker very quickly

[everythingzen]

This is my little albino BN who I recently posted seemed smaller than the other one. I thought he was quiet today with water changing but now he looks terrible.

Water params are 27C, pH 7.4 and stable, and readings are 0,0,10. The diet is always flakes for the schoolers, fresh zucchini and/or hikari algae wafers for the plecos and kuhli loaches. Sometimes frozen brine shrimp, blood worms, dried brine shrimp, sinking wafers, micro pellets etc. They get a bit of everything with fresh veg and flakes being the main diet for this tank. Nothing has changed recently, except for some new plants about 2 weeks ago. No deaths, no fish additions, no diseases. This plec has never grown fast, but is often sucking on veg or wafers so I've not thought him sick. Today he was sucking on the glass and and it struck me how hourglass shaped he was. I then realised he was lethargic and hadnt moved from the area of the tank for the whole day. He often finds a strange spot to hang in and does a rotation of spots. Not today though. He doesn't appear to have a disease, but he just looks physically unwell. His colour is off, his breathing seems regular, has a lot of pink on the underside of his 'chest' area.

Please help. I don't know what to do. I fear he's not going to make it.I'll post pics in a sec.

 

[bigbird]

look i will be honest he does not look well. any chance you can put him in a quarantine tank or net and feed him seperate ? treat with both pima and melafix if you have them. feed zuchinni and wafers as well and try worming him. I hope this helps but it seems the last chance . sorry cheers jk

 

[Joby]

It does look a tad sorry for itself. The heat is perhaps a little on the warm side for bns at 27, I prefer 26 but other than that can't see a problem as a good varied diet :dk:

Hope it picks up for you :thumbup:

 

[Jimmy]

Have you actually seen it eating recently, a bacterial infection can sometimes cause a loss of appetite but if he has been eating then it could be some type of worm.

Looking at the poor thing any treatment may be to late.

 

[everythingzen]

Thanks guys. He's in the qt with melafix. I was going to dose some multicure but I won't, as I'm not sure what's wrong. I hope he pulls through whatever it is.

 

[everythingzen]

Have you actually seen it eating recently, a bacterial infection can sometimes cause a loss of appetite but if he has been eating then it could be some type of worm.

Looking at the poor thing any treatment may be to late.

He was on the zucchini last night but I didn't see him eat today. He's got a wafer in the qt, so I'll keep an eye on him to see if he's eating.

 

[bigbird]

add an air stone as well and good luck. cheers jk

 

[Brengun]

I would be dosing with Sykes big L pig and poultry wormer 1ml to 7 ltrs just in case of camalanus worms. Can't see any in the photo but sometimes they can be really hard to spot.
I would also get onto Plymouthdiscus in the uk and get some wormerplus for flukes etc. Dose is only one scoop provided to about 114ltrs.
Both are really good and mild enough not to even kill fry.

If its not worms I would say its got an internal malformation it was born with and it may never come good.

 

[MIX02u]

Unfortunately its too late for this little guy - he is too far gone for any treatment.
Agree with Bren, most likely worms of some description

 

[Brengun]

Awwww sorry to hear. Well at least he went quick and didnt suffer longer.

 

[everythingzen]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. He died today. I can't believe how fast it was in the end.

Every other fish in the tank is well, and the other pleco has grown well and seems just great. The albino never seemed to grow, but he ate and was active and seemed to do everything right - just not beefing up. They would have been about 3 cm when I bought them and the albino is still not much past 4cm. The other one must be well over 5cm by now.

If it was worms, are they born with them? Are they contagious? Would the other pleco have showed signs of it by now?

Is an internal malformation something you see in bristles? Do albinos get more complications than others? I remember reading here that albinos don't thrive like the others do; that they just don't flourish like the others.

I'm so disheartened by this. The poor little guy. I can't help but wonder if there was some other sign of his being sick that I missed before.

Thanks again.

 

[bigbird]

:cry: sorry thta you lost the battle . However heads up as you tried your best and did all possible. Just keep and eye on the others for a while, especially red anus area for worm. cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[Irene0100]

oh dear, may be good idea to treat the tank with discus wormer to be safe.
I use it now and again to get rid of planaria (flat worms) and snails in the tank.
also if you can use a bit of RO or rain water or add some indian almond leaves/black wtaer extract to lower ph to just below 7. it may be more comfortable for them.

 

[everythingzen]

I'll put a few leaves in now and get some wormer on Wednesday. Medicating is hard to do, because I don't want to give the wrong thing, but by the time they're obviously sick with whatever it can be too late.

I think I need to take a break from all types of catfish.

 

[Brengun]

Awww I get that way too Zen. Just gotta pick ya self up and soldier on.

I think a lot of the time its perhaps nothing to do with us, the fish just might have had something wrong in the first place.

 

[Breamlegend]

Commiserations. I thought it was beyond saving but didn't want to say so. If you are ever up my way let me know and I will give you a free one. Although they grow slower than commons, I find that they thrive and are very tough. I tend to think the paler looking fish are not as healthy. If you suspect worms or a gut infection try rubbing some cut garlic on zucchini and feed that too them. It will make the worms show if they have cammalanus.

 

[Joby]

Sorry to hear he didn't make it :cry: sometimes there are no answers as to why they go :wb: