Finny

Compounds that provide an ideal environment for pathenogenic bacteria. Pathenogenic bacteria, as you know, do not just spring up out of nowhere, there has to be a carrier. Uh....the word is PATHOGENIC :rofl: Kind of hard to take you seriously after that gaff, 30 year fish keeper or not! As for the rest of your blathering..... :rofl: :poo: -roll-

Yes, bacteria is usually the cause of ulceration in most but not all cases so that is not a surprise. I have had this fish for 1.5 years so I doubt he was carrying something for this long and then just exhibited symptoms now. I do regular weekly water changes and when I test my water all parameters are in "normal" or "safe" limits. I have a peaceful 180 gallon community tank. There are only about 35 fish in the tank and there is no aggression that I have observed and I watch the tank a lot. Of the 35 fish the largest ones are three pearl gouramis and one angelfish and the rest are smaller so there is definitely enough space for the fish so crowding is not an issue. I have the decorations and plants arranged to ensure there are hiding spaces and cover for the fish to feel comfortable in order to avoid stressful situations. What is your experience with this type of ailment in fish? Have you had a fish with ulceration that has healed so it is undectable? If so I would be very interested in a detailed account of the disease and all the treatment administered along with photos if possible. As for you disagreeing with my veterinarian, that is your opinion. I have dealt with this veterinarian for over 15 years and believe me she knows what she is doing. If she tells me something then I have no reason to question her. Do you have experience with the daily routine in a research laboratory? This statement tells me that you have totally misunderstood what I have said. By telling you that I work in a research laboratory I meant to inform you that I am very skillful at performing injections in animals. I am not comparing the ailment of my fish to ailments that might be (but not likely in a million years) contracted by laboratory animals. FYI I have a Bachelor of Science degree and have worked in a variety of laboratories in medical research. I have conducted experiments on numerous laboratory animals involving intricate surgeries and dissections. I am also quite skilled in cellular and molecular biology and I have established and grown cell cultures of animal, human and bacterial derivation. I have studied and contributed to research for the cures of alzheimers, schizophrenia, IBS, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease and I am a co-author on 8 medical journal publications. So as you can see I am not just some moron that doesn't know the first thing about the biology of living things. To summarize: I know how to keep my fish's water clean and provide a proper environment for my fish so that they don't just exist but thrive. Occasionally a fish will contract a disease or ailment such as mine did and the keeper is not to blame. By the way, where were you and your lengthy and long winded diagnoses way back on November 4th when I first posted the problem with my fish?? A lot of good it does now over a month later.

Here's an update on my gourami. In my last post I had treated with kanamycin with really no improvement. I left it for a week or so and the inflamed area seemed to be becoming larger. The water parameters were fine and all the other fish in the community tank had no problems. It seemed to me that if I didn't do something the fish would slowly be eaten away by this ulceration....so I decided to take him to a veterinarian. She diagnosed it as ulceration caused by a bacterial infectection and prescribed the antibiotic Baytril. This is much stronger than those that can be bought at the LFS. I could have had a skin scraping done to determine the exact bacterium causing the ailment, but decided to start with an antibiotic treatment first. This particular antibiotic has to be administered by injection. I would either have to bring him to the vet clinic every day for his shot or do the injection myself. I have over 16 years experience with animal injections in my job as a medical research lab technician so I decided to do the injections myself.....how much harder would it be to inject a fish rather than a mouse or a rat?? So the vet showed me exactly how to perform an intracoelomic injection on my fish and that is what I did every day last week. I think the medicine has helped him. The inflamed area is still pinkish looking, but according to the vet it will never look like it did before the infection. From what I understood, he will probably form a sort of scab-like covering over the area. Anyway the ulceration has stopped spreading and seems to be scabbing over slightly. He is going in for a follow-up next week. I'll post an update then.

OK thanks very much for the info!

I was just wondering why it says Warn 0% on my personal information...below my name and avatar etc.? Is there any way to remove this? I don't see anyone else with that message on their information. Thanks.

What is a cheese background picture??? A picture of a large wheel of gouda???

I started out with an Eheim filter and I never thought I would change my preference. However, I was in need of another filter and a bit short on cash so after extenisive reading and research, I decided to go with a Rena XP4. I love it and I don't think I will buy another Eheim should the need arise. The XP4 has 4 baskets and you can customize the amount and type of media you put in each basket. I'm glad I kept an open mind and gave the Rena a try.

Well I have been giving the gourami some treatment with kanamycin in a separate quarantine tank. He is on his last dose and there really hasn't been that much improvement, maybe slight if anything. I am thinking about trying "PolyGuard" made by Seachem. Anyone have any experience with this medication?

Update: I switched treatment of my danios to kanamycin. They are just finishing their third and final dose (according to directions on the label) and they look really good. Very active and eating well. They should be ready to go back into their regular tank by tomorrow. :thumbs:

I have a similar "cotton-like" substance on my danios and I think it is not fungal, but bacterial. See this article: http://www.flippersandfins.net/Flexibacter.htm I am treating with Maracyn-two and have seen some slight improvement....early in the treatment though. Maybe this helps you out?

Thanks, I'll try a diluted dose of Melafix.

I have been doing some research and came accross some information stating that Melafix could be harmful to labyrinth fish, gouramis, bettas, paradise fish and the like. It seems it may interfere with their labyrinth organ and affect their surface breathing. Has anybody had any experience with using Melafix on these type of fish?

I have added a close-up picture of the affected area of the gourami. I sure would appreciate some feedback on what remedy I could try to help my fish. Thank you.

Hi, Does anyone know what is wrong with the skin surrounding the pectoral fin of my male pearl gourami? The area seems to have lost the scales and has the appearance of inflamed tissue. I have included some pictures. Any help you may have would be much appreciated. I am thinking of treating with Melafix. Thanks very much.

I'm new to Alberta Aquatica. I'm from Calgary and have two freshwater community tanks, 60 gallon and 180 gallon. I've only been keeping fish for just over a year but I have not had many problems yet. It seems when you have a fish tank, you can't have just one! It is a very addicting hobby!