SKINNY DISEASE

[Graeme Robson]

Poor guy!

[shari2]

Thank you Ashleigh.

Have you considered treating the remaining fish with a broad spectrum antibiotic? Skinny is one of those 'diseases' that really isn't a 'disease' at all. It's a concatenation of circumstances that build one upon the other leading to the demise of the fish, if not treated. It could be that your fish had parasites, and now are suffering due to secondary infections kept mostly at bay by renewed immune function.

The pics are great! Thanks so much.

shari

[Ashleigh]

No I had not considered that but I will be trying it. Ive rung around a few places and am picking up a few things to try tomorrow, hopefully Il see a difference.
Il post up a few of the other two tomorrow and hopefully any imporvements I see as time goes on

Ta for the advice

Ashleigh

[carolg]

hi,
I live in the uk and i think my clown loach has this skinny disease that i have been reading about.

He is very skinny and i dont know if he is eating, i havent seeb him eat anything.
he used to hide away all the time so i dint notice it, until now he has stared to come out.
he is very thin and his tail seems to have been eaten away at the end.
he is lying next to the thermometre now.

what medicine can i give him, that i would be able to buy at the pet shop.

thank you

[zmo63]

Thought I'd pitch in with some pictures, and try to get some opinions.

I've got six sids that just never seemed to grow. I treated them with two rounds of Levamisole back in June, following Shari2's LO article, and sat back to let them fatten up. While three of them have been filling out pretty nicely, three are getting, if anything, skinnier. Two of them just look like skeletons, and the smallest even has a couple of red marks on its underside.

Two weeks ago I treated with one round of prazi pro, and after a week of carbon filtration and water changes, I'm now trying Kanaplex.

I've only had the loaches for about 4 or 5 months, and it took them a long time to stop hiding. Now all six are out and about a lot, and the skinny ones don't seem any less active than the fatter ones. I see all six eat - no one is spitting it out. So I'm at a loss. I'm inclined to start treating with Levamisole again, but maybe I should give it a rest and see if they start fattening up?

These pictures are all of the same fish:









If these pictures are useful, feel free to use them, though i realize the quality is not up to par. Or if anyone has advice, let me know! I really want to save these little guys.

[shari2]

Generally, if there is no improvement after a levamisole treatment, or if signs of bacterial infection surface (like red patches) I treat the suffering fish in a qtank with a broad spectrum antibiotic. Fish that harbor parasites for any length of time can end up with internal infections due to the damage caused by the parasite. Even after the parasite is eliminated, the internal damage remains. If it is bad enough (and it can be) the levamisole immunostimulating function is not enough to turn the tide for the fish. It only improves the immune function back up to normal levels. It's not a 'supercharger.'

Were I you, I'd consider setting up a qtank for the skinny little guys and treating them while they are still eating and behaving normally.
Or, give it a week longer and see if any improvement occurs. Internal damage can take a while to heal--if it is healing. If you see any deterioration in their behavior or an increase in either the amount or darkness of the red patches it's time to treat.

and thanks for the pics!.

By the way.........
If anyone has the largest size resolutions of their photos please would you email them? I am trying to get the photos cleaned up, brightened up and cropped to include the fish more than the backgrounds. Large files are much better.

Thanks all!

[zmo63]

Thanks for the info, Shari2. I am thinking at this point that I have not been able to eradicate all of the parasites. The skinnier loaches all have big swollen abdomens, and they eat like little piggies, which would indicate parasites more than bacteria, right? I can't tell whether the loach with the red spots on his belly is improving or not with the kanaplex, and i've reached the max recommended doses (three, according to the tube).

I do have an extra quarantine tank available, but I have no idea how to catch these little guys! I'm worried about stressing them out in capture (I'm really no good at it), and am thinking that it wouldn't hurt the other occupants to have a little de-worming themselves. I have a danio I'm not so sure about as well.

So, my plan is to do another couple rounds of levamisole and go from there.

Two more questions:

1. How long after levamisole should I expect to see some weight gain?
2. These fish are always begging for food - is it possible that I'm not feeding enough? If I feed small meals and make sure to clean up anything that gets left, how much do I need to worry about overfeeding them? They're getting a rotating diet of frozen bloodworms, freezedried tubifex, flakes, sinking pellets, daphnia, and live snails (grown in a separate tank).

Thanks! and I'll email you those photos in high res in case you can make them work.

[shari2]

OK. Remember I am no vet, just a hobbyist like yourself.

1. Levamisole seems to have had no positive (or negative) effect on your skinny guys. Likely not a nematode species.

2. Prazi also seemed to have no effect? Likely rules out Cestodes (tapeworms). Was one round the recommended treatment on your med?

3. Another option is flagellates. Treatment is metronidazole. Treats intestinal flagellates, digenetic trematodes, and anaerobic bacteria which means it won't harm your biofilter. Best used in food, but can be absorbed via the gills. Works best in elevated temps, so increasing temp and aeration a bit is useful.

Were I you, I would not bother with another round of levamisole at this point. It worked for some of your fish, and apparently not some others. You may be dealing with something for which that med does not work.
Do a search on metronidazole and see if the symptoms it treats may be applicable to what you see in your fish.

hth,
shari

[zmo63]

Thanks Shari2. I got some metronidazole this evening, but could only find it packaged with praziquantal. In answer to your question, the prazi i used recommended one dose, but said two could be administered. Since I only did one dose, hopefully having prazi in conjunction with the metronidazole will be ok. Everyone is still eating and active as ever, so hopefully this will not be too late.

[Ashleigh]

Sorry Im a bit late with these pictures!
In my previous post I spoke of another loach that was skinny;



This is three weeks on



I did the bacterial treatment that you recomended, and increased feeding to 4times a day. I see a difference-the face area seems more filled out. Also fish in this condition, whether from neglect, lack of right food etc, the eye (to me personally) seems more dull, maybe thats just me??
But he/she has increased activity and is doing better.

Again Shari feel free to use the pictures and thanks for the help

Ashleigh

[shari2]

Good job! Definitely see improvement there.
And yes, when fish are sick it is evident in the eyes, body tone, and attitude. That's why it's so important to really observe your fish. Some things that we may think are 'symptoms' may not be...and sometimes you see no specific 'symptoms' but can tell somethings not right.

So glad your little guy is looking so good!