Need sick fish help NOW!

[supernan79]

I have a bad set up in my sump for fish (never intended on having fish down there). Long story short, ended up with an extra pair of clowns, also not intended, and already have a pair in the tank. They WERE in a 15 gallon nano but are now in the 15ish gallon sump of my 75 gallon.

 

Here's the problem... the male clown got sucked over the overflow and onto the sponge. I found him still alive but he had some damage to the top of his head- like LOTs of damage. My guess is from drying out. Now it is sloughing off and he's lost quite a bit of tissue along with it. He doesn't appear to be able to see all that well but is not completely impaired. He is not eating, is breathing rapidly. This happened night before last. He's still in the same condition he was yesterday- no worse, no better but more sloughing.

 

I have him in a seperate holding area so I can keep an eye on him. He is actively 'trying' to see and figure things out... not lethargic but hasn't eaten in two days. Is skittish (always has been) so won't come around when I feed and can't seem to see where the food goes when it floats around the tank. He must be in considerable pain which could be suppressing his appetite. I have no local resources to buy treatments but here is what I do have...

 

-iodine

-furan-2

-E.M. Erythromycin

-food with garlic in it (but he won't eat)

-melafix

 

I already have the 75, sump, and a qt tank with some new fish set up... I really don't want to set up a hospital tank if I don't have to, but I need opinions! I should have known better than to trust they wouldn't get in trouble down there... I lost another (grounded to the sump for bad behavior) fish down there with the exact same scenario. I just thought it was a fluke. It had the same sloughing on it's side from drying out.

 

Anyone ever treated this type of wound? At this point I'm mainly worried about the lack of eating because of possible sight loss.

[supernan79]

I also thought about putting the pictured holding container into the qt tank to keep him where I want him and treating him there (and inadvertently treating the qt'ed fish). The qt tank is a 12 gallon and currently for the last two weeks uneventfully housed a yellow tang and two juvenile clowns (qt'ing for a relative who is cycling his new tank). Any harm in that? My initial instinct is the furan-2 since it's broad spectrum.

[Oceanus]

I agree with your plan of a broad antibiotic. Infection is your biggest enemy here. I'd say keep him in an isolated system (hospital tank) and do a regimen of some broad antibiotic. Keep offering food. Is he swimming in a normal manner? I hope the little guy pulls through!

[supernan79]

I agree with your plan of a broad antibiotic. Infection is your biggest enemy here. I'd say keep him in an isolated system (hospital tank) and do a regimen of some broad antibiotic. Keep offering food. Is he swimming in a normal manner? I hope the little guy pulls through!

He is... (and isn't) swimming normal. He is definitely able to navigate but seems confused and has a tendency to swim with his tail lower than his head but if it touches bottom he whips around to see what touched him. The top of the eye on that damaged side is affected as may be the lense even though I don't see anything obvious. So, I'll run to town in the morning and get some ammonia remover and do a bucket I guess. At least then he won't be as confused as he is right now being able to see other fish swimming around him but running into a clear wall, lol. I did slowly round him up- tried to keep it relatively stress free- and kept him in the palm of my hand with his mouth in the water and applied (tried to) a coat of neosporin with a q-tip. He's being held with a friendly yellow watchman goby who was getting thin and I want to keep an eye on until fattens back up. He'll have to hang with the goby until morning while I mix some water since I just used the bucket I had on the qt tank.

[supernan79]

Hospital bucket set up, been aerating all night while the salt mixed, got a heater on it now. Added Furan-2 and an 8th of a medium marine medicated wondershell (no copper), and some Prime for slime coat and to keep ammonia down. Waiting for temp to adjust- almost there and will add the little guy. He did appear to eat last night. His belly is round. Thank goodness he had good weight before this happened. My clown fish are pigs- you'd almost wonder if they're going to explode when they eat!

 

He also seems to have an even more normal swim posture. No more 'heavy tail' look. I'll keep you posted on how it goes- I am a bit more optimistic than I was yesterday since he seems to have eaten.

 

Here's another question... since he is currently separated from his mate (who is super people friendly and would probably dang near just swim into my hand for capture), should I just add her to the bucket as well so he has a pal he loves in there?

[supernan79]

I got a little impatient, lol, and after adding the male and seeing him just sitting in one spot in the bare white bucket, I added the female. As suspected she literally just let me scoop her up in my hand. She used to be the meanest fish I had- would bite the crap out of me whenever I'd stick my hand in the tank. Then I started hand feeding her and she's the most gentlest sweetest fish now.

 

Anyways, I'll keep you posted on how the healing goes. Got a good look at the male's head when I moved him. It looks a bit better. Less red and more white- but not a gross white, more of a granulation tissue white... fingers crossed!