FH Dis Trtmt F

FAQs on the Flowerhorn Cichlid Disease: Treatments

flower horn fish blindness 11/2/14
please help me my fish is ok but he cant see the food and even my finger on the glass of tank just when i pass the tank he distinguish a bit no cloudy eye ,without any symptom/please help me I'm so sad. thanks a lot
<Likely this fish has suffered from a deficiency syndrome... something/s missing in its diet. There are other possibilities. Put the two words "fish blindness" in WWM's search tool (on every page) and read the citations.
Bob Fenner>
Re: re: flower horn fish blindness 11/4/14
Hi and Thanx again he is now better i gave him multi vitamin and i changed the water and he is good.sighn of cloudy eye is now appear and im treating it with antibutic.but he can see.
<Thank you for this upbeat, good news. Bob Fenner>

Re: re: flower horn fish blindness 11/8/14
hi again I'm so sorry I annoyed you with my different questions. and with asking alot.but really I don't know what to do if you remember at first my flower horn fish couldn't see then I gave him multi vitamin and I changed 100% water then abit cloudy eye appeared that I put him in a tetracycline bath after that next morning his eye was full of blood I was shocked after treating with amoxicillin bath and salt his eye is not good he eat food and swim but one of his eyes seems really bad .I think the injury is in or on the black part also as you can see in the photo around of the eye is a bit swollen beg you help me please ,what can I do now,thanx alot.
<Really just good care, nutrition and time going by. Patience. Bob Fenner>

Re Please help; FH hlth. 6/12/12
Hello,
I need to use Nitrofurazone for my fish, but I cannot find the drug (containing this compound) in my country. Instead, I got the following:
"Neomycin and Polymyxin B Sulfates and Bacitracin Zinc Powder" (sold under the drug name of "Neosporin" antibiotic powder).
Is this the right substitute for Nitrofurazone?
<Mmm, no>
My fish is upside down and a little bit of his tummy area is outside the water. The treatment with Metro soaked food is giving some positive result, but the exposed skin has turned red and has some occasional blisters that keep appearing and disappearing.
Another suggestion I got was to use Betadine bath by taking the fish out.
<... too harsh... burning...>
Can you please help me with the right choice?
<There really is none... This fish is too likely been too damaged already to recover. I'd ask you to read again:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/FHDisF4.htm
and consider euthanizing this specimen. BobF>
Thank you for your time.
Shami.

Salt Dips on my Flowerhorn Cichlid and Maracide treatments 9/11/11
Hi Crew, Neale to be specific.
Neale I was wondering how many times I should do the salt dips on my Flowerhorn Cichlid? I did one today (9/8/11) and I am going to do another one on 9/10/11.
<Sounds fine. Do another a week later if you need to, but it may not be necessary.>
The one I did today he only tolerated it for about 5 minutes before he started showing serious signs of distress. Also with the Maracide treatment the instructions state to do the treatment for day one, day 3, and day five, should I stop after day five or continue to do the treatments until everything clears up?
<Follow the instructions! If the Slime Disease is still there, do a 25% water change, then the following day another 25% water change, and then on that second day, start another treatment (three doses across five days).>
Thanks to all of you at WWM for all the help, and the wealth of knowledge!!
Thanks again
Eric
<You're welcome, Neale.>
Saltwater Dips 9/11/11
Hi Crew specifically Neale, Eric King here again and here is a question about Saltwater Dips. I am making a dip for my Flowerhorn Cichlid and am wondering if I can use Aquarium Salt for this or if I need to be using a Marine Salt Mix?
<Either can work, but aquarium salt rather than marine salt mix will be better and cheaper. Non-iodised cooking salt will work, too. Cheers, Neale.>
Flowerhorn Cichlid with Slime Coat Disease and holes in Head and Lateral Line... water quality
High Tank Nitrates and HITH 9/11/11
Hi Crew, This is Eric. I have been talking back and forth with Neale about my problems and I know he is out of the office for the next few days but I have an important question. My Nitrate levels in my tanks are very high, 80 ppm ml/g and I am going to do 50% water changes every day till the levels get back to acceptable, but I need to know should I do these water changes before I start treating the tank with Maracide or after I treat with Maracide?
< Check your tap water for nitrate levels. In agricultural areas the tap water nitrate readings may be very high so changing water may not do too much good. Getting the nitrates down below 20 ppm would be a big help. If you fish is in a severe condition I would still start treatment despite the nitrate levels.>
Also I am going to do Salt Water Dips, should I start these right away or wait till the tanks water parameters are back to acceptable?
< Check the condition of the fish. The disease already has the fish stressed. If the salt bath stresses the fish out even more then I would wait until the fish builds up it strength.>
Thanks a lot to everyone on this site for all the great help and input.
< Thank you for your kind words.-Chuck>
Re: Salt Dips on my Flowerhorn Cichlid and Maracide treatments 9/13/11
Hi Crew, Neale to be specific, I am treating my Flowerhorn Cichlid for Slime Coat Disease and today is the last day of treatment with Maracide. He looks to be getting a lot better, activity has gone back to normal, his colors are coming back and the Slime Coat Disease looks to be almost gone.
My question is, should I continue to do a second round of treatment with the Maracide to be on the safe side, or could that be detrimental to the fish. Thanks for all the help and wealth of info, it is greatly appreciated!!!
<Do finish off the course of treatment. That's usually the best approach.
Glad all is working well. Cheers, Neale.>

Flower horn hurt itself and a scratch on its head- precaution 10/26/11
help
Dear WetWebMedia Crew,
<Akshata>
Appreciate all the efforts your have been doing to help all of us take better care of our loved Flowerhorns.
My Flower horn hurt itself today and has a scratch on its head leaving its head flesh in contact with water . I have attached the picture of it for reference. It is behaving normal and playful but is there any precaution I need to do to avoid any infections. I just love it too much.. Please help.
Regards,
Akshata
<Not to worry. This wound will heal of its own accord. I would NOT add anything to the water. Bob Fenner>

Re: Flower horn hurt itself and a scratch on its head- precaution help 10/27/11
Thank you so much for your reply :)
<Welcome. BobF>
Re: Flower horn hurt itself and a scratch on its head- precaution help 10/28/11
Hey Bob,
<Ak>
The fish has recovered completely :) This sure is a sturdy one!
<Ah, yes... given decent conditions (space, water quality, nutrition) this is a very tough organism. Cheers, BobF>
Regards,
Akshata

Very sick Flowerhorn, reading 2/11/08 hello, My flower horn is very sick right now and I have no idea how to make it better. Two days ago, it was fine. Then suddenly, it started to swim on its side. My fish was living in a 10 gallon tank whose filter was busted about a month prior. <... needs more room than this> I tried doing 50% change every 3 or so days. It got sick so suddenly that I'm not sure what contributed to it. My fish got sick on Friday evening. I immediately put it in a bigger tank, 150 gallons of water but it does not seem to be better. <Residual damage...> It did not move or when it did, it was swimming on its side. I changed 50% water of the small tank, put in some erythromycin with some aquarium salt. I then put it back into the small tank to soak up the medicine for about 2 hours. My dad then put it back to the big tank and tried to make it exercise to help with the breathing. It was more lively afterward but still swims abnormally. The next evening, I noticed that my fish seemed to have problem swimming downward since it keeps being buoy upward upside down. I'm afraid that it may have bladder disease or something similar. Its stomach has not enlarged. Its eyes somewhat protrude. Then this morning, my Flowerhorn seems to have problem straighten its body out. Its body keeps on bending like a half moon and it swims on its side more. Since Friday, I've been feeding it anti-biotic food from Jungles. It ate some of the food, not a lot though. Also, the anti-biotic food have been about a year old, Is it still safe to feed it with it? <Yes... though likely has little food value or antibiotic activity> I've been having problem finding a pet store near where I live. I'm trying to buy furan, tetracycline, etc. Please help!!! I have some Epsom salt but I don't know if I should put some in. In short, my fish is now in a 150 gallon tank, being fed with at-least-year-old anti-biotic food. Please help! Thanks <... Please... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/FHDisF2.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Re: very sick Flowerhorn Urgent Help Needed!! Metronidazole/Flagyl f' warning... 2-12-08 Hi, Today is the 4th day that my Flowerhorn exhibits weird behavior. I tried treating it with anti-biotic as directed. However, I only have tetracycline and general cure with 125mg of Metronidazole. <This is fine> The fist store I went to buy the medicine told me that tetracycline is even better than furan. <Mmm... not in most cases like this, no> So this is basically what I did today; I changed 25% water (I changed 50% yesterday), I put in both tetracycline (3 pills) and General Cure (1 pill) in the tank (dissolve 4 pills in a 40 gallon tank). I put in about 4 spoons of Epsom salt in the tank. I also mixed a bit of tetracycline and General Cure pill with metr. into a liquid solution. Using a syringe, I force-fed the liquid solution into my FH, about 1 1/2 syringe of medicine. <I would not force feed this fish this material> I also soaked some pellets in General Cure with Metr. but haven't feed it. I also notice that my FH's stomach is noticeably distended. It just floats on top of the tank now. It is so much less active than yesterday. I hope I did not make things worse. Please let me know if tetracycline is good to use. If not, I'll try to find Furan tomorrow. Please let me know if what I've been doing is good for it. Thanks <If you do find a Furan compound, do a series (like three days) of water changes to dilute the Tetracycline... ahead of application. I would NOT continue the use of Metronidazole... this continuous exposure can/will the kidneys of your fish. Bob Fenner>

Re: very sick Flowerhorn Urgent Help Needed!! 2/13/08 thank you for your reply, I'm still very confused now. If you don't mind, can you detail the steps for me? My fish have been force-fed <... should not be force fed period> tetracycline for 2 days straight now. I've fed the pellets with Metronidazole once but it spit the pellets right out. <... Please read on WWM re FW antibiotic use: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwantibiofaqs.htm The medicine I now have is tetracycline, general cure (with 125mg of Metronidazole), and Furan. So far, my fish have been exposed to tetracycline the most. I also put in Epsom salt whenever I change the water. I have yet to see any improvement but the fish store told me that it would take up to 2 weeks to see any changes. Please itemize the steps for me. Thanks <Please read. Don't write... READ. B>

Flower Horn (Golden Trimac) with Bloated Belly..Urgent Help needed 9/29/08
Bloated Flowerhorn
Dear WWM Crew, I am from India (Chennai City mean day temp 35 deg C). I have a two and half year old FH-Golden Trimac. I have him in a 250 litres tank with bed and liquid filter system. The feed is dry shrimps once a day. I changed the entire water after cleaning the bed and filters on first week of September.
< When cleaning an entire tank you run the risk of over cleaning the tank and removing all the beneficial bacteria from the aquarium. With no beneficial bacteria fish waste and uneaten fish food quickly are broken down into deadly ammonia. Tough fish like Flowerhorns may not out right die from the ammonia spike but the stress can lead to diseases such as bloat/dropsy.>
The problem started then onwards. It has developed a swollen belly with a 3/4 inch tissue sticking out from his rectum. Based on our local aquarium guy's suggestion ( piles infection..?) I kept him in a small tank mixed with
half tab Flagyl. I could not see any significant improvement. He had stopped eating since then. I had taken few photos which I am enclosing.
Since three days he is standing vertical and not active with his mouth facing tank bed. I am distressed at his state. Please send me your advice ASAP to save my lovely FH. I had earlier gone through your posting and FAQ
on FH diseases. I am enclosing the Photographs taken a week back and few more taken yesterday.
Yesterday night I transferred the FH in a plastic bucket with 15 litres of water I mixed tab Metronidazole one # 250mg and put the aeration pump. Till 11 AM this morning he is stable. Now at least he is swimming and moving. His
mouth and teeth appear a light pale yellow in colour
Thanks and Regards K.M.C. Ranges Chennai
< The Metronidazole/Flagyl is the right drug of choice. The pressure from the internal infection have forced some of the intestines out through the rectum. These tissues can become infected as the fish drags them across the aquarium. The internal infection can be difficult to treat. Ideally you need to get the medication in the fish through the fish food. Since your fish isn't eating I would recommend a little different treatment. Treat with the Metronidazole every other day doing a %50 water change on the days you don't treat. I would also add an antibiotic such as Nitrofuranace with the Metronidazole. After the third treatment I would try to feed the fish and try to get them to eat. If things aren't any better you could try Clout if it is available in your area.-Chuck>

Re: Flower Horn (Golden Trimac) with Bloated Belly..Urgent Help needed Flowerhorn Dies, Resetting the Tank Back Up -- 10/02/08 Dear Chuck, You are right. The mistake of completely cleaning the tank is costing (morally) me heavily. < Everybody makes mistakes and nobody is perfect. The important issue here is that we all learn from mistakes so others don't make them. This is one of the reasons WWM exists and I participate as part of the crew.> Yesterday I did a 50% water change. When I returned back he was much more stable and moving/coming up to see me and draw oxygen. By night I again did 50% water change and added a tab of Metro and one tab of Nitrofurantoin, the trade name was Martifur 100mg in 20litre of water. The water turned light yellow. I aerated and put my FH...I unfortunately didn't monitor him. Morning at 6 I saw him dead, which left me my wife and daughter very sad and grief stricken. For two years he had been so pro-active and fine with us, now left us depleted and left a void in our dining area. Please advice me, what we should do with the tank and its filters polished stone and marbles. Do we have to disinfect it before using the same for other fishes (I have 10 Koi karbs 4/6 inches size. Please advice Regards Rangesh <Get an ammonia and nitrite test kit. You have already cleaned out the tank so no need to do that again. Keep a few fish in the tank and control the ammonia and nitrites with water changes. When the tank has its biological filtration up and running the ammonia and nitrites should be zero. Keep the nitrates under 20 ppm with water changes.-Chuck>

Flowerhorn Cichlid Is Too fat My flower horn has an enormous stomach now and its not because of eating. He got really big at one time and couldn't move. Now he is swimming around a little more but can't get to his food and he also has like a white sack under his belly where I think his poop hole should be. What is wrong with him and what can I do to cure him? < Your Flowerhorn probably has an internal bacterial infection. I would recommend a 30% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Treat the tank with Metronidazole as per the directions on the package. Early treatment is the key to a complete and total recovery.-Chuck>
Flowerhorn Treatments Dear Sir, I really appreciate for your valuable answer. According to your answer you recommended me to use Nitrofuranace. My question is Can I use Tetracycline instead, Sir? < Tetracycline will work in clean soft acidic water. It is not as effective in hard water.> The black marks spreads gradually on his fin. And I also see some hole in his head. So, what shall I do for this hole? < The hole in the head is a matter of sanitation and quality food> I'll be waiting your reply. Thank you so much for you help. I'd also be glad if you reply me in a very sooner time as I'm so worried for my baby fish. Thanks a lot! < Clean the tank as recommended and add some live food to the diet such as washed earthworms, shrimp and a quality fish pellet. Keep the nitrates under 25 ppm with water changes. If the hole in the head gets worse then treat with Metronidazole.-Chuck>

Pot Belly Flowerhorn - 05/06/2006 Hi my two year old Flowerhorn has been sick lately. I noticed that his stomach grow bigger and bigger and really became an enormous size. He eats two to three pellets a day. His movements seems ok.. he swims normally. But am really worried at him. My mom went to a local pet shop and they gave my mom some medicine to be put in the water. They said that maybe our flower horn had a internal infection. They advice us to lower the water level, put the antibiotic and observe our fish.. But i still want to hear and seek the advice of an expert. And am so glad when i learned about this column. Hoping for your quick reply on my questions. Thank you very much.. <For internal bacterial infections the medication of choice would be Metronidazole. Nitrofuranace at double to triple the dosage may be effective too. Some aquarists had had success with salt treatments. Google the website for bloat or dropsy.-Chuck>

Flowerhorn With Head Trauma 5/27/06 Hi! I am emailing to ask if you have any idea what we can expect when a Flowerhorn has had a head injury. I have read through the questions on your site and I understand that this fish has the capacity for overexerting itself when agitated or playing and hitting its head on the cover of its tank. My sister was teasing the fish and the fish got very excited I saw it jump from the side of the aquarium then it seemed to hit the cover of the tank and in slow motion, it slowly drifted down the side of the tank and it settled on the floor. It seemed to be hyperventilating for a bit and then we tried to see what was happening to it. You can imagine the scene of chaos when 4 women were screaming in terror ( going around in circles in panic) because of the fact that their mom's beloved fish now resembles the goldfish in the other tank which had a ruptured air bladder. The goldfish seems to be in a better position because at least it is floating compared to the head down fins up tilted fish on the floor of the tank. Two of us went to the fish store to see if there was any advice from them they just gave us a stress reliever, while the other two hit the internet and I found your interesting site with scenarios similar to ours. Right now it is about an hour later and the fish has shown some capacity to propel itself through the water. Unfortunately it still would not stay right side up. At one point it even looked like it was spiraling down to the floor, it stood on its mouth vertically and then for a couple of seconds it went tail down vertically before sinking back to the floor. It seems to be asleep now and shallowly breathing it is breathing very lightly and still tilted with its head down, body at an angle and pelvic fins up in the water. Please, please tell us what signs and symptoms we should look out for in the next few days whether or not the fish will get better and what to look out for if it gets worse. Thank you, 4 panicked daughters < Many fish experience trauma to the head like this and don't make it. They can linger on for awhile but soon stop breathing. You can try to increase the aeration and add a cup of rock salt per 20 gallons. If you have ever gone fishing before you will notice the first thing they do with a freshly caught fish is knock him on the head to stun or kill him. Sorry I can't be of any help. Good luck.-Chuck>

Bloated Flowerhorn 6/30/06 Hi. In the past few days I've been desperately seeking for advice and help from the marine experts regarding my flower horn condition. My two-year old flower horn has his right eye bulge out and it became cloudy. < Popeye probably.> It really grew big and it became cloudy after each day. And maybe because of his condition that's why he is not eating properly and before he used to be an aggressive fish but know he never reacts when I came close to his aquarium. < Probably suffering from an internal infection too.> He had suffered from an internal disease before and because of your help I was able to cure him. And now I am again seeking for your help. What do you think its cause? <Stress from diet/water quality/water temp/aggression/water chemistry/etc...> And what should I do? <Change 50% of the water, clean the filter and vacuum the gravel.> What medicine should I give him? <Try treating the tank with Metronidazole and a double dose of Nitrofurazone. Add a teaspoon of rock salt per 5 gallons of water.> Please. please help me. I don't want my fish to lose his eye and see him suffer. I am hoping for your quick response and help for my pet.. again thanks and good day. < Good luck.-Chuck>

Urgent Flower Horn nuchal hump harm problem 7/18/06 Dear Sir, I have an aggressive male flower horn about 9 inches length and 2 years old. While I was playing with my fish last night, he tries to bite me with very high force and hit the aquarium glass. After hitting, he probably hit his nuchal hump and he cannot swim and floated up side down in water until this morning. Is there any medical treatment that I can give to him to become better. <Mmm, best to lower the water level, keep the light/s turned off for the next few days. Not likely the hump itself that is "dazed" but the fish's brain itself... happens> Right now, I turn off the aquarium pump for make him easy. Can you kindly answer my question that I'm felling so guilty and sorry for him, as his injury was suffered because of me. Thanks and regards, Min Zaw Tun <I might add a level teaspoon per five gallons of marine (aquarium) salt as well. This is a good general treatment/cathartic here. Bob Fenner>

Flowerhorn With Stubborn Popeye 7/25/06 Hi.. a pleasant day once again to you. Its me again, I consulted you before about the problem of my Flowerhorn. If you still remember, my fish has an internal infection and pop left eye. Well, I followed your advice. I apply the proper medication for my fish. But it seems he's not feeling better. He even got worse because his right eye got infected too and now his eyes both popping out and both are turning white. I am really worried because he's also not eating for days already. I think I've done everything to help him but I still want to know and try if there is anything else I can do to save him. Aside from giving him Nitrofuranace and Metronidazole and water changes, is there any other ways to help him get well or make him eat again. I am afraid to ask this but .. will my fish die? <This disease can be fatal.> What do you think is the percent for his survival? < The key to a complete recovery is early detection and early treatment. Something has stressed your fish to the point that he is susceptible to this disease. It could be food, sanitation, temperature and even tankmates. You need to find out what had changed before he got sick. You could try to add some rock salt to the tank too. About a teaspoon per 5 gallons would be worth a try.> I hope he'll gets better,.. because he is my beloved pet.. hope you help me again. Thanks in advance and for your time going through my letter. good day. RHEA from Philippines. < These medications are usually pretty effective if the disease is caught early. Keep the tank clean by vacuuming the gravel and cleaning the filter often.-Chuck>

Flowerhorn With Cloudy Eye - 07/30/06 Hi WWM crew! I went out of town for four days but before I did, I made sure my flowerhorns were well-fed (not bloated!) and I cleaned their tank. But when I arrived, one of them had cloudy eyes and has a sort of cob-web like thing on its face. I'm really scared that it has gone blind!!! Has he???? Help! What should I do now? I changed half the water but it did not seem to work! help me please...Cecille.... < Sometimes we do too good a job and when we clean the tank we remove all the good bacteria that we tried to establish. Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Then treat with Erythromycin. Follow the directions on the package. This may affect the rest of the good bacteria so watch for ammonia spikes.-Chuck>

Flowerhorn - 10/18/06 Great website and thumbs up to the crew for an excellent job, <Thanks Ivan, MacL here with you tonight. Sorry for the delay in response.> I have a few questions but I'll first tell you more about my Flowerhorn. I've had him for three years now and always fed him a diet of pellets, small live shrimp and occasionally the frozen bloodworms that come in cubes. As of recently, he's been showing some worrying signs. <In the past couple of years I have really come to appreciate Flowerhorns. They have such amazing personalities and such great colors. Many people don't know the beauty of these fish.> This started about two months ago when the edges of his CHECK fins started tattering away. Nothing drastic but the edges now look thinner and jagged like. Also, his stomach is bulging out. His mood is about okay except that he is not as active as before. After surfing the net and reading your informative website, I've come to realize that the live shrimp is probably the suspect. It explains the bulging stomach but I'm not sure about the fins. Could this be a side effect or a different problem? He has stopped eating the live shrimp as well and that sort of tells me he's gone vegetarian, or something about the shrimp isnÂ¹t making him too happy. <Flowerhorns don't usually "go vegan" but they do need some greens to digest properly. You don't mention the size or the parameters of the tank. How often do you do water changes? Do you have any problems with your ammonia levels?> There was mention of surgery for this kind of problem. <I believe some vets can do surgery for blockage. But the gills are not because of a blockage, its more likely that its because the tank is too small for the fish. As they grow they need more and larger room and often this is only manifested with their gills turning out and getting frayed. There are several other things that can cause the gills to fray but with a large fish this is usually the first culprit. My friends keep theirs in a 125 and recently purchased a larger tank because its was too small for the fish.> This is new to me and I haven't a clue as to where to begin, or even if it's available here in the land of smiles, Thailand. Comments from readers living in this country appreciated as well. What will happen if I donÂ¹t treat the problem with surgery? What other options do I have? <I have heard using peas for this fish as well as for other fish to help with the digestion. How long has his stomach bulged, is he eating anything at all?> There is also a sucker fish in the tank with him. Is this okay? <Should be fine as long as the tank is large enough to hold them both. Good luck and let me know how he does. MacL> Comments appreciated. Ivan.

Flowerhorn swimming vertically 11/15/06 Dear WetWebMedia, <Kathy> Good day! I have been reading the queries on your site about flower horns and it seems that I have same problem too. <Don't know why there are so many problems with this hybrid cichlid> You see our flower horn pet which is 7 months old has been swimming vertically for 5 days now after my mom played with it. She said the fish was playing when it suddenly bumped itself on the aquarium wall. <Ohh> It has been swimming vertically ever since. We tried giving him antibiotics as recommended by a local hobbyist and he seems to improve a little as he is swimming a bit but still can't swim upright for long time. I also notice that his body is tilted downward so he can't swim as gracefully as before and his left side stomach is starting to bulge but he havenÂ¢t eaten anything since (cause he was just amply fed before his accident). I tried giving him peas but chew them out the minute he goes down the water. I also notice that his left eye is starting to bulge. I have checked the net and read about swim bladder disease and flip over and been worried that it can get worse. I also tried consulting a vet but unfortunately flower horns are not treated by local vets in the Philippines which saddens us because we don't want to lose our pet and my mom has been guilty ever since our pet has been sick. Please help us. Regards, Kathy Manila. Philippines <Mmm, not much to do... you could try Epsom Salts... a teaspoon per five gallons... Otherwise, only time will/can tell. Bob Fenner>
Re: Flower Horn swimming vertically 11/15/06 Thank you for your reply. Is there a need for me to use the Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace? Regards, <Mmm, no... won't make a difference here... This seems to be entirely a physical/nervous damage injury. Bob Fenner>

FH bloated, upside-down   5/8/07 Hi,   I desperately need you help. My FH who is a year old suddenly became bloated and now is swimming upside down. He wants to eat but can't because of his swimming position.  I've tried treating him with Epsom Salt but no effect, I suspect that it's a bacterial infection thus added Metronidazole <... is a protozoacide... Not an anti-bacterial...> in his tank after doing a water change. I don't know if its effective though he is a bit active after putting Metronidazole and his bloat lessen a bit but I notice that his anus became enlarge and there is a filmy balloon sticking out. I am really scared now and I don't want to lose my little fella. Pls help me.   Thanks,   Kathy <I'd have treated with a Furan Compound... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/flowerhorndisfaq.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: FH bloated, upside-down 05/08/07 Hi Bob, thanks for your reply. I tried looking for the Nitrofurazone or other furan compound but there is no available one from our local petshop or drug store. The petshop owner told me it was already banned in our area. I'm from Manila, Philippines. Do you have alternatives?   I really appreciate all your support.   Regards,   Kathy <Whatever broad spectrum, gram-negative antibiotic you can get your hands on pronto... 250 mg. per ten gallons, treated three times, with half the water changed out, every three days... Bob Fenner>
Re: FH bloated, upside-down 5/9/07 Hi Bob, I already got furan 3 from a pet shop. Hope it is under furan compound. <Yes> My FH condition is not better though last night the filmy balloon sac which I think is his swim bladder came out from his anal and it burst this morning. We have added Epsom salt, which I hope can help him recover. He does not swim now he just lie flat on his aquarium floor. I am praying he will survive this. Pls advise on what I can do more...can I continue adding the Furan 3? or will the Epsom salt help him? Thanks for all the help. <Yes and yes... You have read on WWM re the use of these materials? BobF>
Re: FH bloated, upside-down   5/10/07 Hi Bob, I really confuse now.  Yes, I have read the uses of the Epsom salt and had success in using it before but with the furan compound I'm not yet familiar though I've read about it. Can I simultaneously use both? and what dosage? Thank you so much for the help. <Can be used at the same time... the dosage and cautionary remarks are posted... where you were referred: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/saltusefaqs.htm BobF>

Flower Horn Help!!! Flowerhorns Not Moving 06/19/07 We have a 29 gallon tank. We went to the pet store looking for fish and were convinced by the guy there to purchase these flower horns. < Bad idea. They get big and mean.> We have 6 very small flower horns now, they are about 1 inch each. I have been feeding them cichlid food and they have eaten very little. They are very lethargic and not moving very much. They are mostly hiding. Is it too big of a tank for them? Did I make a huge mistake? After reading your site, I see how beautiful they become. I want to make sure I am doing everything I can to give them the best life possible. :) Thank you so much! Your time is greatly appreciated. Rachel* < Keep them at 80 F. Feed only once a day and only enough food so that all of it is eaten in two minutes. Do 25% weekly water changes to keep the nitrates down. Once they start to feel comfortable then they should start to come out if they are healthy.-Chuck>

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