Scarlet Badis fin issues

[Bowwow]

I have a SB female that I got with some fin damage. Seems to be getting worse. She is in a old 5 gal with one shrimp. RO water that is reminerslised. Aquarium salt for the past month. Every few days some stress guard and a 20% water change. 

 

Got worse from breeding stress so I put her in a tank to heal. Looking for some help. 

I'll try for a better picture. Looks better on my phone.

Edited November 12, 2022 by Bowwow
Add pictures.

[CJs Aquatics]

Interested in this thread as I also have a fish with some tail damage so the info provided might help in a similar situation 

[TheSwissAquarist]

@Guppysnail has some of those, so maybe she could help…?

[Guppysnail]

My go to for most things is nitrofurazone and kanamycin. I don’t have a lot of experience with other meds. I use jungle fungus tabs and kanaplax by seachem with a bit of salt in the water. I use the kanaplax directly in the water. 
Other folks with more medication experience might be more help. 
@Colu @Odd Duck

[Colu]

It's difficult to tell if it has a fuzzy appearance it looks like a growth what I would do is treat with maracyn2 active ingredient minocycline has anti-inflammatory properties in food and aquarium salt 1 table for 2 gallons the salt will help with any possible secondary fungal infection @Bowwow

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by Colu

[Bowwow]

On 11/19/2022 at 4:50 AM, Guppysnail said:

My go to for most things is nitrofurazone and kanamycin. I don’t have a lot of experience with other meds. I use jungle fungus tabs and kanaplax by seachem with a bit of salt in the water. I use the kanaplax directly in the water. 
Other folks with more medication experience might be more help. 
@Colu @Odd Duck

I've been trying Kanaplex. Tomorrow will be the third dose. Not really seeing much change.

 

On 11/19/2022 at 5:48 AM, Colu said:

It's difficult to tell if it has a fuzzy appearance it looks like a growth what I would do is treat with maracyn2 active ingredient minocycline has anti-inflammatory properties in food and aquarium salt 1 table for 2 gallons the salt will help with any possible secondary fungal infection @Bowwow

It has a thick cotton look. This fish will not touch dry food to use that dose.

[Colu]

On 11/19/2022 at 11:50 PM, Bowwow said:

It has a thick cotton look. This fish will not touch dry food to use that dose

As it has cotton like appearance I would treat with a combination of maracyn and ick x it's effective treatment for fungal infection's 

[Odd Duck]

Agree with @Colu as far as treatment. I am also very concerned about this being a growth/mass and not just fungal or bacterial infection growing on the peduncle. If it doesn’t respond as expected, then it may not be infection that can be treated.

If you can move the fish to a quarantine tank, that would be best. If you have access to a microscope and slides, then using a cotton-tipped swab (Q-tip) to take a sample from the growth during the transfer could be helpful. Do a kind of roll and swipe with the swab across the surface of the growing area almost like you’re trying to gently wipe it off and then:

1. Tell us (even better, show us pics) what it looks after swiping it with the swab.

2. Gently roll the swab across a couple slides (if you can get them).

3.  If you can stain the slides or get someone to stain the slides that could be very helpful. Dry them flat, don’t wave them in the air to dry them.

You might talk to your veterinarian to get the slides and then to stain the slides. Don’t expect them to do this for free. They have to pay someone to stain the slides.  You might also be able to talk a local science teacher (junior high, high school, or community college probably most likely to help out) into giving you a couple slides then staining them for you (more likely to do it for free).  Biology, zoology, microbiology teachers are your best bet.  A DiffQuik or Giemsa stain would be my first choice.  Then a Gram’s Stain if available on the other slide.

Sometimes you’ll find a vet or science teacher that you can grab their interest. You can take pictures of the results through the microscope and send them to me or post them here.  The pics need to be in focus for me to be able to tell anything.  Let them know I’m a vet that treats fish so they know I’m not just a random person giving random advice online.  If I can’t tell from the pics I might have you mail me the actual slides. 

[Bowwow]

On 11/21/2022 at 9:42 AM, Odd Duck said:

Agree with @Colu as far as treatment. I am also very concerned about this being a growth/mass and not just fungal or bacterial infection growing on the peduncle. If it doesn’t respond as expected, then it may not be infection that can be treated.

If you can move the fish to a quarantine tank, that would be best. If you have access to a microscope and slides, then using a cotton-tipped swab (Q-tip) to take a sample from the growth during the transfer could be helpful. Do a kind of roll and swipe with the swab across the surface of the growing area almost like you’re trying to gently wipe it off and then:

1. Tell us (even better, show us pics) what it looks after swiping it with the swab.

2. Gently roll the swab across a couple slides (if you can get them).

3.  If you can stain the slides or get someone to stain the slides that could be very helpful. Dry them flat, don’t wave them in the air to dry them.

You might talk to your veterinarian to get the slides and then to stain the slides. Don’t expect them to do this for free. They have to pay someone to stain the slides.  You might also be able to talk a local science teacher (junior high, high school, or community college probably most likely to help out) into giving you a couple slides then staining them for you (more likely to do it for free).  Biology, zoology, microbiology teachers are your best bet.  A DiffQuik or Giemsa stain would be my first choice.  Then a Gram’s Stain if available on the other slide.

Sometimes you’ll find a vet or science teacher that you can grab their interest. You can take pictures of the results through the microscope and send them to me or post them here.  The pics need to be in focus for me to be able to tell anything.  Let them know I’m a vet that treats fish so they know I’m not just a random person giving random advice online.  If I can’t tell from the pics I might have you mail me the actual slides. 

I'm on day 3 of the Maracyn and Ich-X treatment, no change so far. She has been in a quarantine tank for over a month. The fin damage was there when I got her, guessing it was from being the only female in a tank with 30+ males. The guy I got her from said the tail was healing and I had her for a month and it looked like it was. It started to get worse when I had a male in with her and he probably stressed her out.

 

I live in a rural area so getting a microscope or a vet. to look would probably be difficult. 

[Odd Duck]

On 11/24/2022 at 8:48 PM, Bowwow said:

I live in a rural area so getting a microscope or a vet. to look would probably be difficult.

That’s too bad.  It can be tremendously helpful.  But we work with what we have.

Keep going with keeping the water pristine, keep the salt levels appropriate, and do everything possible to support her immune system.  I tell clients all the time that no matter how good our medication is, the animal’s immune system has to work in order for them to clear any infection.

[Bowwow]

Day 6 of treatment is over. Looks like it is still growing. 

[Colu]

On 11/28/2022 at 2:22 AM, Bowwow said:

Day 6 of treatment is over. Looks like it is still growing. 

As it's still growing it could be a growth with a secondary fungal infection on the skin as maracyn and ick x haven't worked you could try Methylene blue baths I would only use it in a bath as it will kill your benefial bacteria your could also do a course of maracyn2 active ingredient minocycline has anti-inflammatory properties in food if you can get him to eat frozen blood worms if not add it directly to the tank

Edited November 28, 2022 by Colu

[Bowwow]

On 11/27/2022 at 7:46 PM, Colu said:

As it's still growing it could be a growth with a secondary fungal infection on the skin as maracyn and ick x haven't worked you could try Methylene blue baths I would only use it in a bath as it will kill your benefial bacteria your could also do a course of maracyn2 active ingredient minocycline has anti-inflammatory properties in food if you can get him to eat frozen blood worms if not add it directly to the tank

I have some Meth Blue but no Maracyn2. I'll see if I can get some. I have some PimaFix and MelaFix that should be here in a few days.

[Colu]

On 11/28/2022 at 3:05 AM, Bowwow said:

I have some Meth Blue but no Maracyn2. I'll see if I can get some. I have some PimaFix and MelaFix that should be here in a few days.

Pimafix and melafix are mild antiseptic treatment I wouldn't recommend using them for more serious disease's 

[Bowwow]

So a lil update. I have tried all the recommendations and nothing seems to work. I have went and retreated with the meds just to see if any improvement happened. She seems healthy besides that growth on her fin. Now in a 5 gal to just live her life.

I spent a long time trying to find a female and finally got one. She gave me some other females to keep breeding so I guess her job is done and can live her life with some shrimp.

[Colu]

On 1/6/2023 at 11:35 PM, Bowwow said:

So a lil update. I have tried all the recommendations and nothing seems to work. I have went and retreated with the meds just to see if any improvement happened. She seems healthy besides that growth on her fin. Now in a 5 gal to just live her life.

I spent a long time trying to find a female and finally got one. She gave me some other females to keep breeding so I guess her job is done and can live her life with some shrimp.

As she hasn't responded to any of the treatments it could be a tumor or a benign growth the only other thing I  could recommend is  you could get a vet to remove the lump if you don't have access to a vet I would just monitor closely as long as she eating ok and active I would just let her live her life if you think further down the road she's starting to suffer than I would euthanize her with clove oil 

Edited January 7, 2023 by Colu

[Bowwow]

She was swimming around munching on BBS earlier, just found her on my sponge filter. RIP "Spot". But she helped me get some fry that have turned into some other females. Hopefully get some breeding up and going to spread some females to others.