Very Sick Oscar

[elvispacman]

well he seems to like to eat large foods that sink,doesnt even matter if its for him like algae wafers and vegetables,what kind of food can i give him that hed like and where could i get some vitamins

[imagirlgeek]

well i just put the maracyn 2 on him so its too early to tell but hes swimming around not a lot but he is, he is not eatin though also the maracyn 2 is in baggies with powder in them not tablets i dont know if that makes a diference

No, it doesn't make a difference. They started doing that because people were buying the meds to use on themselves since it's the same med and cheaper than a human prescription.

I sure hope he gets better. It would be nice if he would eat though.

[elvispacman]

well i just put the maracyn 2 on him so its too early to tell but hes swimming around not a lot but he is, he is not eatin though also the maracyn 2 is in baggies with powder in them not tablets i dont know if that makes a diference

[imagirlgeek]

How is he doing? Is he eating?

[elvispacman]

do not have access to a microscope, as far as meds i put in maracyn 2 on there, water change with stresscoat and and salt

[imagirlgeek]

Here's a link to an article on the Saprolegnia fungus. http://www.houstonfishbox.com/vforum...72-Saprolegnia It is often confused with excess mucus.

[imagirlgeek]

theres liek a fuzz on top of the ulcers and the red if thats what you mean would it be safe to say thats fungus. should i get maracyn, to compliment the maracyn 2

It's more likely the dead skin cells you are seeing. IF it's a true fungus, you will see it growing on any organic matter left in the tank (i.e. food he didn't eat), and it would happen fast. You need to get the infection under control first. If the skin isn't dying, there is nothing for a fungus to grow on. Have you started any treatments yet?

On a separate note, I know you are going to raise the temp, but I wouldn't raise it any higher than about 76 degrees for now. IF it's a Flexibacter columnaris bacteria, the prime temp range for it's 'multiplication' is between 78 and 86 degrees. Keeping the temp slightly under that will slow down the infection.

The only way to identify the type of bacteria is by looking at a skin scraping under a microscope. Do you have access to a microscope by chance?

[elvispacman]

Just curious... are there any white stringy or fuzzy things on him or in the tank?

theres liek a fuzz on top of the ulcers and the red if thats what you mean would it be safe to say thats fungus. should i get maracyn, to compliment the maracyn 2

[elvispacman]

so Maracyn 2 and stress coat, and water changes anmd raised temp

[ScorpiosWife]

Poor baby. I hope his suffering ends soon.

[mistahoo]

I haven't shopped for meds for a while either, but I always saw it at Petsmart, and Petsmart.com has it listed on their site. I assume they have it in the store as well.

If they don't have it, I guess they could get erythromycin or tetracycline instead. Those 2 are pretty overused these days though, so a lot of bacteria aren't really affected by them anymore. It's better than nothing though.

They have it in the store. Saw it a few times while I was browsing.

[barrettsline]

Very Sick Oscar

I haven't shopped for meds for a while either, but I always saw it at Petsmart, and Petsmart.com has it listed on their site. I assume they have it in the store as well.

If they don't have it, I guess they could get erythromycin or tetracycline instead. Those 2 are pretty overused these days though, so a lot of bacteria aren't really affected by them anymore. It's better than nothing though.

I know erythromycin is common and does a good job. Ive never used tetracycline. You do realize now that we've admitted to not having to worry about meds, somethings gonna happen

[allysangels]

maracyn and maracyn 2 can be found at... drumroll please... HAW!

[imagirlgeek]

Traci I haven't seen that med in awhile. Where can it be found? Granted I haven't needed any meds in a while so I haven't been looking.

I haven't shopped for meds for a while either, but I always saw it at Petsmart, and Petsmart.com has it listed on their site. I assume they have it in the store as well.

If they don't have it, I guess they could get erythromycin or tetracycline instead. Those 2 are pretty overused these days though, so a lot of bacteria aren't really affected by them anymore. It's better than nothing though.

[barrettsline]

Very Sick Oscar

Traci I haven't seen that med in awhile. Where can it be found? Granted I haven't needed any meds in a while so I haven't been looking.