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Re: [Killietalk] Scales missing
Tricia M <tishykb at yahoo_com> wrote:
Hi Henry, first is to figure out why the scales are missing-- any
abrasive rocks in the tank? Second is to treat it-- I use Melafix, it
works amazingly well for wounds and things like that.
--Tricia
Henry Diep <dlilazndude at hotmail_com> wrote: Hey, I have an
aphyosemion coeleste that started with a small patch of scale
missing. I thought it was just a slight injury but then the patch got
larger. It's about a 1/4 inch diameter now. What should I do?
I agree with Tricia, Henry, and would add that water changes (small and
frequent) to keep water quality up will help the fish fight it off, if
possible.
The likely culprit is a bacterial infection, and the most frequent with
this symptom is fish TB (Mycobacterium marinum) which is incurable in
fish, and damned near so in humans if you get a cut and it gets after
you. Resist the temptation to use antibiotics as they are most unlikely
to fix it. Fish TB and many other skin bacteria have become resistant to
all normal antibiotics. Low pH (5-6) and dye-type antibacterials are
better. I like a 50:50 mix of acriflavin and methylene blue, just strong
enough to tint the water a pale green. Lower tds water with peat and/or
oak leaves seems to help.
Quarantine the fish and any wet nets, etc., that come in contact with
it. If it is fish TB, it is only mildly contagious to most fish, but no
sense pushing them. Use gloves when contacting the fish's water.
If it fails to respond to the Melafix and water changes, it might be
best to sacrifice the fish to protect your other fish. I failed to do
that the last time I had an outbreak, and not only lost the pair of
Dwarf Gouramis that brought it in from the wholesaler, I lost their
babies and the Celebes Medakas I put with them, all the *boukobanus* in
the tank right below, and some particularly susceptible Rainbows and
Tetras I used as test fish to see if it was gone. It wasn't. I scraped
the back of a finger, somewhere along that process, on a cover glass,
and ended up taking antibiotics for a full six months to cure the
granuloma and lymph-node swelling that resulted. [At two $6 pills a day,
that was an expensive lesson.]
I now treat open scale-loss lesions with considerable care. After the
fish dies, be aware that the usual drying and/or bleach treatment
doesn't eliminate Myco. from equipment. It needs a solvent, like alcohol
or acetone to dissolve the waxy coating and kill the dormant form in the
tank and gravel.
Wright
--
Wright Huntley - Rt. 001 Box K36, Bishop CA 93514 - whuntley at verizon_net
760 872-3995
"The direct use of force is so poor a solution to the problem of
limited resources and diverse ends that it is rarely employed save by
small children and great nations." -- David D. Friedman, Law's Order.
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