Rainbow ulcer

[Deft]

Tue Jan 10, 2006 10:40 pm
Subject: rainbow ulcer
Hello Anyone !?

(First time user !)

I have a turquiose Rainbow fish (a Metanotaenia Lacustris Torquoise apparently ) It has been quarrenteened for a month already because it has a slowly growing whitish lump on its flesh, near the tail but not on it. I have tried Methylene Blue and the easily available 'anti-slime and velvet' stuff just because it was he closest thing i could find to the description of its condition.

I have two major problems one -i am having problems diagnosizing the condition. None of the research i have done describes exactly what i see, and if someone coments on a similar problem they do not describe how to fix it anyway !
and Two there are so many options of drugs i could try i dont know where o start paricularly as none seem to fit the bill perfectly !

Here is what i do know
My water is how i would like it to be
my NO3- = 0-10mg/l
NO2- = 0
GH = 6-10 degrees
KH = 6 degrees
PH = 6.6-6.8
I have a 180 litre tank with 5 turquoise rainbows, twenty blue (Fredcochui) tetra, two red gourmi and two cats. It has a built-in filter wih three stages, i use RO water and have two fermentation chambers and bubble racks for CO2 as it is quite heavily planted.
I do a water change of 20% once a week, clean gravel and tend the plants once a week also. The fish are fed once every two days, mainly on dried food but about once every two weeks( sometimes more) they are given various frozen foods and cooked chopped peas.

The drugs i know i can get a hold of are Malachite green, Forma green Nitrofuracin green and kanamycin (kanacyn) ? i have heard of Tetracycline,Spectogram, Paragon II, ampicillex, Furacyn etc etc being used to rea ulcers and such like but haven't researched them all yet ?!

It doesn't seem to be Columnaris or Lymphocystis, Nocardia and fish TB or something called edwardsiella septicemia or tarda i don't know how many of those names are the same thing anyway !

oh incidently i have been giving the sick fish aquarium salt for the past monh also !

Please please help !!!

[William]

Do you have any possibility to post a picture of the problem?

Don't know if that will help me help you since you seem to have thought about just about everything but it might.

[Deft]

I don't know but i'll give it a go and back to you ! Happy New Year !

[Deft]

ok i tried to take photos but i think i need a macro lense, can't get close and clear photos !
However having had a closer look during the photographic process i now think the lump is more like a tumor than a ulcer its considerably wider than his tale. He or she is quite young less than a year, his head and body are still in proportion, they were at the stage their heads were flashing white or slightly green on and off, none the colours i have heard about yet though. Don't suppose you could recommend any treatments for tumors ?

[William]

Tumors are unfortunatly very hard to treat and usually require surgery. Unfortunatly I believe that putting the fish to sleep might be the best most human method but I don't have much experince with tumors (never had any on my fish just read about a few cases) so perhaps someone else can give you other better advise.

[Deft]

cheers for letting us know xx