# Still need help with my big Rhom



## caffeinefizz (May 30, 2004)

My big Rhom is still a mess and I still don't know what I am treating...Could someone please help me if you can, I am getting VERY concerned about him:


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## caffeinefizz (May 30, 2004)

#2


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## caffeinefizz (May 30, 2004)

#3


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## caffeinefizz (May 30, 2004)

#4


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## caffeinefizz (May 30, 2004)

BTW, I have been treating him for 6 days with Melafix and did a 2 day burst of "Jungle Parasite Clear Tank Buddies", which contains Praziquantel. I also did a 25% water change after completing the parasitical treatment...I have no noticed little or no improvement, he hasn't eaten since I purchased him from Pedro last Month. I don't want to lose this guy!


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## watermonst3rs (Feb 15, 2004)

That really sucks bigtime. I read another post about something that sounded similar about a black mask elongs mouth peeling, but no one diagnosed it. He is such a large Rhom is it possible he is maybe getting old?


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## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

It doesn't look like your fish has parasites so I would stop using the Parasite Clear for now. A large fish can produce quite a bit of ammonia during shipping and it looks like your rhom has ammonia burn and not gill flukes. My 16" rhom came in with very similar symptoms but recovered quickly. You need to make sure your water parameters are pristine (Do 20% water changes every other day might help) and I would recommend a salt treatment at 0.3%. Read the pinned salt topic for instructions...

Here's a link to pics

Don't worry about it not eating for now. They can go a long while without eating. Main thing is to prevent it from any further infection. You can put a few "clean" feeders in there to help and it will chase/eat them when it's ready. After it starts to eat, I would switch it over to a diet of prepared food to give it more complete nutrition.

Good luck and keep us posted on its progress.


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## caffeinefizz (May 30, 2004)

DonH:

Thank you so much for the reply, your opinion is extremely valuable.

Does ammonia burn normally progress and look worse as time goes on? When I received the fish, it only had a white/cloudy area going up the forehead. But, in the past weeks, it has gone from that to peeling skin, flashing tank objects several times/hour, and whitish raised scales behind the gills. I assume most of the skin damage around the eyes and head is caused by irritation from rubbing against the substrate, correct? Do Piranhas exhibit flashing behavior as a means of trying to remove the excess skin/mucous?

I am just trying to get my facts straight...I originally thought this was a classic case of ammonia burn, but as it progressed and noticed some of the behavior he was exhibiting, the parasite bulb went off in my head.

Since I have already completed the recommended treatment of Prazi and Melafix, I will go ahead and add a new pouch of Carbon to the Fluval and do another 20-25% water change. I just hope I didn't exacerbate the situation by administiring the meds...


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## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

Ammonia burn can look like it's progressing as the fish heals. The eyes are usually the first to show symptoms (cloudy eye) because of its vulnerable nature but the body can slough off excess mucous and lead to a secondary bacterial infection if water parameters are not kept perfect.

Fish flash for many reasons (especially due to irritation from parasites, sudden changes in water parameters, ammonia burn and attempts to dislodge any foreign matter from their body/gills), but in your case, it's most likely due to irritation left from ammonia burn.

Fortunately, praziquantel is a safe med (but I forget the other active ingredients in Parasite Clear). I would turn off the lights to ease stress and leave it alone as much as possible. Treating with salt will help prevent infection as it heals.


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## caffeinefizz (May 30, 2004)

Thanks DonH...

Should I just leave him alone for the time being as the medication slowly dilutes? Or should I go straight to the 0.3% salt treatment right away?

If so, let me make sure I understand the directions correctly...1/tsp per gallon (in my case 100gal) per day for three days, leaving the solution in the tank for two weeks. During this time do I administer water changes? Or should the full 0.3% solution be allowed to stay in the tank for the entire two weeks?

Many thanks, your help is priceless!


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## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

Do a 30% water change and drop a fresh bag of activated carbon to pull out whatever med is left in the tank. I would let the fish settle down for a couple of days to observe if it is improving with clean water. If not, I would start the salt treatment.

Since you have a 100 gallon tank, it would be easier to measure 2.5 lbs of salt on an accurate scale. You would then divide it into 3 equal portions. Dissolve one portion into a large cup and add it to the tank where there is a good current. Add the second portion the next day, and the third the following day. So now you have a total of 2.5 lbs of salt in 100 gallons of water (0.3% salt solution - which is equivalent to 3 tsp/gallon or 1 tbsp/gallon). Whenever you do a water change, you would add back the amount of salt in proportion to the volume being changed out. So if you change about 30 gallons of water, you would add 30 tbsp (or 90 tsp) of dissolved salt back in. After your fish recovers, small and frequent water changes will dilute the salt concentration to end the treatment. Good luck.


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## caffeinefizz (May 30, 2004)

Many thanks!


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## DirtyJersey (Apr 28, 2004)

that's some great information. hopefully he heals back up nice and quick.

DonH, do you have any pics of that 16" you were talking about?


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## MR HARLEY (Aug 12, 2003)

Don H. is the MAN


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## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

DirtyJersey said:


> DonH, do you have any pics of that 16" you were talking about?


Click here

Also have some more pics in my pic gallery.


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## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

How'z the fish?


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

This thread is an example of how lucky we are to have Don. This is an extremely expensive and rare fish that is hopefully going to make a 100% improvement with this advice.


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## aqualife (Sep 4, 2003)

Excellent info, Don.








Hope your giant Rhom heals up quickly.


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## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

Thanks...


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## illnino (Mar 6, 2004)

2.5lbs of salt, that seems like a lot to me.

but i think he has dandruff. just add some panteen pro v dandruff control shampoo in there.

jk, but hopes he turns out well.


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