# protozoan infection??



## chinchi (Mar 22, 2011)

Hi. About 3-4 days ago I noticed some white dots growing on my pleco, so I isolated it from my other fish, raised the temperature and added some salt since I thought my pleco had ich (did not think meditation is necessary since it only had a few dots). I also raised the temperature slightly and added some salt to my main tank. I have been doing about 60-70% water changes in the tank for the past couple of days, adding a very small amount of salt to the water. I would say the temperature is ~20 degrees celcius in the tank. When I took the pleco out 3-4 days ago, I noticed that my channa bleheri (in main tank) is trying to scratch its sides on my gravel and rocks, but nothing appeared to be wrong on it (no ich looking white dots, no growth, fins are fine. etc). Today I have noticed that on the bleheri's head there are some translucent patches, its colour is becoming slightly lighter, and the small tube like things above its upper jaw (feelers?) are starting to rot. it is still trying to scratch itself on the rock/substrate, but the number of times is not increasing. Could this be due to protozoan or bacterial infection? I did some research but can't tell for sure. its feelers (?) were all normal yesterday, but they'r almost completely gone now (only about 1-2mm in length when normal). any help would be greatly appreciated . First pic is how the bleheri's colour looks like a couple weeks ago. second one is how it looks like now.(actual difference is not as obvious, the secon picture's colour is lighter thn what it looks like due to my lighting)


----------



## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm not an expert for fish diseases and that looks like a pretty expensive fish to me. (I just have small fish.) To me, it looks protozoan, too. Because I don't know much about fish diseases, I'd probably treat with Jungle Lifeguard, which treats protozoan, fungal and bacterial diseases and is not an antibiotic, but if you can find a medication that targets it more specifically, that might be better. Maybe Quick Cure?


----------



## chinchi (Mar 22, 2011)

ok thanks. I will try to find some jungle lifeguard/quick cure later today when I have time. is there anything else I can do like changing water, raising temp or adding salt?


----------



## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi Chinchi,

I'm bumping this, hoping that someone who knows about protozoan infections will respond. I am really not qualified to answer this question and I hope that your fish recovers quickly. Good luck!


----------



## chinchi (Mar 22, 2011)

just checked out the Petsmart near me and bought some Ich medication. that is what the clerk over there suggested, so I hope it'll help.
thanks Morainy!


----------



## `GhostDogg´ (Apr 22, 2010)

I noticed a few spot on my newest RD, he's still in QT.
I added in Malachite Green & it disappeared in just over a day.
I'm not sure if this stuff is good for a pleco @ full dose though.
All I know is this is the quickest working Ich med I've ever used.
I've tried Jungle & it took about 3 days.


----------



## chinchi (Mar 22, 2011)

one I got is called Ich Attack by Kordon. Seems to be working pretty well with the bleheri. dots are already disappearing but when she swims, she only uses one of her pectoral fins. other one is completely fine and she can use it, but she doesn't seem to bother and just swims around with one pectoral fin, only moving the other one every now and thn so she stay balanced. anything wrong with this? I cannot see anything physically wrong with her right now except some white dots, a little bit of mucus in front of the dorsal fin, and disappeared feelers (?). pleco died yesterday in a separated tank with what looked like a severe case of ich due to my lack of action (exam month+lack of experience with fish diseases). was a really small pleco too, only about 3~inches, which was probably the reason for it being more vulnerable to ich. . thanks guys

EDIT: base of the pectoral fins where they attach the the body are somewhat swelled up. one side is turning black in colour where it is attached. This doesn't happen often but sometimes when she suddenly moves, gas bubbles would come out of the swell. also, a blister about 1x1mm is on one of her swelled up pectoral fin bases. Could this be gas bubble disease (nitrogen narcosis)? if so, what could i do?


----------



## `GhostDogg´ (Apr 22, 2010)

I've used Kordon too, i works fast.
Mucus sound like it could be fungus.
I don't know anything bout Gas bubble disease.
But only using 1 fin,blistering,swelling, & black in color doesn't sound right to me either.
Make sure to get an ID on the disease, some time meds can do more harm(sometimes even death) to the fish if they're not the right meds. 
Most meds cause stress on the fish, & can mess up their immune systems. I only use meds when needed , or on new fish.

I hope everything takes a turn for the good.


----------



## chinchi (Mar 22, 2011)

thanks ghostdogg! 
after further reading+research about fish diseases, this seems to be a terrible case of ich+fungus. The ich seems to be improving and I have added some aquarium salt to the tank and am planning on performing a salt dip. Hopefully it will work.

Edit: cancelled the salt dip because I think it might be too stressful for her. added salt and more places to hide to the tank.


----------



## chinchi (Mar 22, 2011)

pectoral fin is looking better now, and ich dots are disappearing, but why is there a LOT of mucus coming off of her? almost the entire body is covered in mucus, except a small section on top of her head. That section is looking completely normal though, and shes slightly more active now instead of staying in the pot the whole day. Also, is there any way I can get her to eat? Haven't eaten anything for almost two weeks


----------



## `GhostDogg´ (Apr 22, 2010)

For fungus I like to use Pimafix, for sores I use Melafix.
Same company API, it's an all natural fish med.
I net my fish & apply it directly to the sore/wound with a Q-Tip.
It speeds up healing quite quickly IMO.
I've seen open wounds/scale loss heal up as fast a 2 days.
I picked mine up from Petsmart but many places carry it.(I was in a rush & they were close)
If your in Surrey try Rogers, he has almost everything & anything you need.

I've heard garlic stimulates the appetite.
But since it sound like your fish is stressed, this might not help.
You can buy food with garlic added in, I slice a clove of garlic paper thin & put a few pieces in a net near my outtake of my filter.
I made sure to do WC's @ the end of the night.
Epsom salts also work like a laxative, if there's a blockage this will help it release it.
I use Epsom salts over any other salt in my tanks.

Again I try to stay away from meds if I can find a more natural solution.


----------



## chinchi (Mar 22, 2011)

ya... I think she is really stressed. Tried to reduce it by adding more hiding places, and she seems to be swimming around more. Looks more healthy now but she is still starving herself. will try some garlic slices and toss in an earthworm since she used to love them. Thanks!


----------



## `GhostDogg´ (Apr 22, 2010)

Make sure to remove it if she doesn't eat it after a few mins.
Earth worms die in water quickly & will foul the water.
Glad to hear she's doing better.


----------



## chinchi (Mar 22, 2011)

adding garlic didn't seem to work.. :/. She has been hiding behind the pot the entire day so I couldn't see her very well. Can't really see the base of the infected pectoral fin, but she's using it now. most ich dots have disappeared, but there's a lot of mucus coming off of her for some reason. Did a water change since I think it might be caused by something that is irritating for her. Doesn't seem like a blockage since I don't see any wierd bumps on her, so I think the reason why she's not eating is stress... Is there any other way that I can reduce her stress other thn adding cover and dimming light?


----------

