Jennifer

I wholeheartedly agree with the water argument, but I digress.... Having studied and taught clinical and therapeutic nutrition (both animal and human), I believe that there is much we don't know about the nutrition of non-domesticated species and this often boils down to us feeding an inadequate nutritional profile to our animals. For the animal, this often results in a shorter lifespan and occasionally nutritional deficiencies that can be hard to detect. For example, take the common budgie, in captivity on an all-seed diet, these birds live around 4 years but if fed a varied diet (in an effort to simulate a nutritional profile similar to that achieved by natural variance) they can live 20 years. It is this significant difference in lifespan that has prompted greater research into avian nutrition. Now it is known that vitamin deficiencies result in poor skin health, decreased fertility, respiratory problems, reduced resistance to infection and parasites, vision problems, lack of appetite...I could go on an on but my point is, if your fish came down with any of those problems, would you associate it with nutrition? Probably not, which is exactly the reason why I try to feed as varied a diet as I can.

I don't have big fish anymore. I have one ~200l tank but the others are under 60l. You can feed other veg, like cauliflower or brocolli stems, anything dense. You can blanch it very briefly to make it more edible. I just buy those metal BBQ skewers from the store and tie some string on them so I can hang them easily from outside the tank using a piece of tape (and it is easy to remove it without getting wet). You can add all sorts of veges to those skewers, not peas tho... :roll: Some veges will really soil the water so watch carefully if you are using something new so you can remove it at the first sign of water cloudiness. I don't leave any veges in for longer than 20 hours for that reason (if there is anything left). The cats all seem to like it the veg more the older it gets.

I also use salt on occasion but I have mainly used Seachem Prime as a water conditioner since it safely addresses the ammonia release associated with chloramine neutralisation. But I don't use it for wound treatment. I personally believe that the ingredients in 'synthetic slime' can inhibit epithelialisation that is essential in wound reconstruction. My policy for any wounds is keep them warm, keep them clean, feed them well and treat any infection before it spreads.

venerable (well at least he made sure it wasn't something rude! :lol: )

I have no idea. That's not a product I have regularly used. ...but causing irritation to encourage slime seems like a round about way to make fish feel better. I tend to think that keeping good clean water is a better way to treat any fish problems, cheaper than adding chemicals too. :roll:

rasbora (well done Sam! )

I am kind of embarrased about this but I feed a different thing each day. Just about all of my tanks appreciate the variety in a rotating cycle but everyone gets a basic flake or pellet once a week. I only buy small quantities and I only feed a small amount each day. Fresh: hatched brine shrimp whiteworms mysis shrimp whiteworms microworms mosquito larve fly larvae frutifly larvae insects from the garden :oops: cucumber courgette carrot pumpkin peas Frozen: mysis shrimp brine shrimp bloodworms mosquito larve prawns Dried: hikari algae wafers & catfish wafers shrimp pellets spirulina wafers & flake colourbits tropical flake

Regardless of the cause, it sounds like there are some wounds there, whether or not they are infected is another issue but it does sound a little like fin rot. It would be useful to know the cause so you can prevent it from reoccurring. Also, secondary fungal infections might also be present. These look like white fuzz or black spots and treatment involves different medication. Anyway, some commonly used broad spectrum antibiotics/dosages are: Erythromycin 1mg/5l or Tetracycline 1mg/12L or Sulfathiazole (either triple sulfa or sulfa trimeth) approx 700mg sulfathiazole/40L Do a large water change or put the fish into a hospital tank with a good portion of clean water. Dissolve the medication in a cup of lukwarm water, then add it to the tank. Dose once each day at the same time, then after 48 hours do a 25% water change. Keep dosing once every day and doing a 25% water change before each treatment. Continue for 5 to 7 days. Be sure to remove any carbon from the filter (if present). Once the treatment is complete, remove all traces of the antibiotic by adding carbon or putting the fish back in the main tank. If you take photos of the fish into a vet clinic (preferrably where you have a relationship with your other pets) and show them the photos and explain your situation and the medications you wish to try, they will often prescribe you a course of medications. Keep in mind, less medication is required when you treat a small hospital tank rather than the main tank. Also, these antibiotics will likely affect your biological filter so that is another reason why it is good to use a hospital tank. I personally just use a clean bucket with a heater.

nebulous (my favourite word lately :roll: )

American :oops:

Surprise

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Well done. Are the fish still looking happy? Have you done a water change?

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gynecomastia (well it was either that or gynecologist and I wasn't going THERE :-? Don't complain, I know there is a word that starts with 'ia' come on Nav, I know you know this one....)

Any down my way??

Shhhhhh!! This is the fish mafia we are talking about here. 8) I may have suspected the same thing... :roll: I was going to take it into the microscopy lab over the weekend.

See, I told you I had given some away P44. 8) BTW, lookin good! Here's a bet that those rubber bands will rot before you get a chance to cut them away.

The white that you mention makes me think of localised irritation, and potentially increased slime production - have you added any chemicals to the water recently? Also, healthy fish shouldn't get injured by rubbing their fins on things. Is there another fish that could be nipping them? If it is fin rot, a good antibiotic will help more than acriflavine which is a topical antiseptic (antiobiotics kill bacteria from within the fish, antiseptics halt bacterial multiplication on surfaces). Some good antibiotics to try would be SMZ TMP (sulfa trimeth), erythromycin or tetracycline although there are many other suitable options. You will need a prescription for antibiotics. With any wounds, you should aim to keep very clean water to promote healing. Fin rot can sometimes be caused by poor water conditions. It sounds like you have been very careful with water chemistry but I would also take care not to overfeed, especially now. It wouldn't hurt to do a good vacuum of the substrate to remove any rotting food or detritus that could potentially be contributing to the problem. Keep up with the water changes, up to 30% daily wouldn't hurt if your fish can tolerate it.

essence

Poor guy, I know the feeling. I am missing my birthday party just so I can go to conference this year. :roll: If it makes you feel any better, I went to a bird show once here and it was a lot of budgies and canaries...not that I have anything against them but I was really hoping to see some 'real' birds! 8)

incomplete

cobra

I have used staples and tacks in the past - they will erode after a while but by then the plant is well established. I also like black cable ties. But really, just a small line of fishing line works a treat.

Hey, there is a heap of great wood like that over in Greymouth on the beach by the cemetary. Free (if you can make the trip). I haven't found any good wood around here though - it all looks good but then when I get it wet I find out it is rotten. :-?