Open wound on Hypancistrus Zebra, L046

[desmondekker]

Hello, i've discovered an open wound on my L046. i believe the wound is sustained due to mishandling on my part (ie dirty hands, sharp nails etc etc).

a slight hint of sore found on 20/12/2009, i thot it was okay and return it to the comm tank
http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae43/snapping_turtle/sickyzebra.jpg

an open wound discovered on 27/12/2009. as advised by some experienced hobbyists i've isolated it in a 2 feet tank with a sponge filter and increased temperature from 29 degree celcius to 30 degree celcius. the darling isn't eating
http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae43/snapping_turtle/zebrasicky.jpg

29/12/2009, took a big risk and added half the recommended dosage of melafix. pH is stable at 7.3. still not eating
http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae43/snapping_turtle/291209.jpg

01/01/10, 25% WC done, for some reason pH swings like crazy and its as low as 5.8 this morning. added some baking soda to keep it around 6.5. and its eating a little bit.
http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae43/snapping_turtle/010110.jpg

currently its still in the hospital tank, wound seem to patch up pretty well, but the lump is still quite bad.

should i take a leap of faith and return it to the comm tank?

[desmondekker]

just to add on, some white spots visible due to fluctuation in parameters?

[soltari007]

Bro, I had a very similar problem to yours with one of my zebs. What I did was use the usual plastic tank to house it, dose one cap of Melafix and sera peat extract, and leave it alone to heal. You should also add some hiding places. For the white spots it should be due to cold water, you can remove it using a heater.

If you need I can help you to nurse your zeb back to health. Hope this helps. Cheers.

[desmondekker]

it seems to be on its way to recovery. how long did urs take to fully recover approx? u left it alone till it fully recovered? so its not advisable to put him with the comm? thanks for your help :)

[soltari007]

at least 2 weeks. yeah i didn't do much to it, but i took it out of the comm tank in case it spread.

[canopy]

can check the ph level in the main tank? CC is good for buffering. I would add ketapa leave to aid in the recoverly. It all depends, usually 2 weeks is a guide for the recovery. Do control the feeding to maintain good water quality. Add a heater to remove the white spot also. And to prevent fungus, I would dose a little protozin (.... this is not a must).

[desmondekker]

can check the ph level in the main tank? CC is good for buffering. I would add ketapa leave to aid in the recoverly. It all depends, usually 2 weeks is a guide for the recovery. Do control the feeding to maintain good water quality. Add a heater to remove the white spot also. And to prevent fungus, I would dose a little protozin (.... this is not a must).

hey canopy, i maintain my ph between 6.5 to 7. when it goes lower than 6.5 i'll add some sodium bicarbonate to bring it up a little bit. white spot is gone. wound also healing fast. was advised by malcolm of NKS that i can apply melafix directly on to the wound, tried yesterday, gonna see if it hasten recovery when i'm home. when i took it out to apply medication yesterday the "cauliflower" was also visibly smaller

it's interesting that soltari007 and you added peat and ketapan leaves to soften the water. issit because fungus hates soft water?

[canopy]

hey canopy, i maintain my ph between 6.5 to 7. when it goes lower than 6.5 i'll add some sodium bicarbonate to bring it up a little bit. white spot is gone. wound also healing fast. was advised by malcolm of NKS that i can apply melafix directly on to the wound, tried yesterday, gonna see if it hasten recovery when i'm home. when i took it out to apply medication yesterday the "cauliflower" was also visibly smaller

it's interesting that soltari007 and you added peat and ketapan leaves to soften the water. issit because fungus hates soft water?

Good to hear that your zebra is recovering. The reason for using peat and ketapa is to add in recovery and for the most important .... breeding. I will be doing some research on "Alder cones" if I got the chance to get hold of some of them. They are known to effectively prevent fungus :)

[desmondekker]

wow...keep us posted bout the alder cones. didn't know it has such uses.

i've took a big risk and returned the zebra to the herd. reason being the condition in the hospital tank is deteriorating fast! white worms flying everywhere. the poor fella has been grazing on the tank algae (left behind a trail) as i've not been feeding it well for the past week or so.

before returning it to the herd, gave it another dose of melafix. i find this method really useful. use a cotton bud, dip in melafix and apply gently on the wound.

thanks guys for your guidance...owe u big time!

[desmondekker]

Cauli

03/01/2010

http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae43/snapping_turtle/03012010.jpg

04/01/2010

http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae43/snapping_turtle/04012010.jpg

cheers!

[SoToNgMaN]

condition seems better ...

[drakeho]

Please dont tell me that you return the L46 into the main tank after seeing white spot ... It will move on and infect the rest of the L46 ... And also to fully destroy the Eggs , you will need at least 3 to 4 weeks . Not seeing it doesnt mean its still not in it ...

[desmondekker]

thanks for the tinker drake. this main wound doesn't look like white spots to me, it looks like a secondary infection on the open wound. after transferring to the QT, the poor fish kenah white spots (the one in 4th pic). i up the temp for a few days the tiny white spots are gone. the wound also seem to patch up pretty well. that's when i decided to return it to the main tank. huge risk here, but i guess i was lucky. the "cauliflower" like growth is now gone.

i'd be more careful when handling white spots next time...i thought gone means gone. :D

cheers!

[SoToNgMaN]

thanks for the tinker drake. this main wound doesn't look like white spots to me, it looks like a secondary infection on the open wound. after transferring to the QT, the poor fish kenah white spots (the one in 4th pic). i up the temp for a few days the tiny white spots are gone. the wound also seem to patch up pretty well. that's when i decided to return it to the main tank. huge risk here, but i guess i was lucky. the "cauliflower" like growth is now gone.

i'd be more careful when handling white spots next time...i thought gone means gone. :D

cheers!
often whitespots will have 2nd outbreak

[drakeho]

This kind of red wound is very common if you are used to buying WC L046 . Normally good water condition will do the job . No other med needed . Sometime adding Med may just make it worse as the Pleco is alreadly so stress taking a 48 hours flight here ... Still need to kena med . Hahaha . :) But nowadays I hardly see any Wc Wc L046 in the market ... All of them the condition looks so good . :

[SoToNgMaN]

This kind of red wound is very common if you are used to buying WC L046 . Normally good water condition will do the job . No other med needed . Sometime adding Med may just make it worse as the Pleco is alreadly so stress taking a 48 hours flight here ... Still need to kena med . Hahaha . :) But nowadays I hardly see any Wc Wc L046 in the market ... All of them the condition looks so good . :
WC better genes?

why preference for WC?

[drakeho]

Lets put it this way .

If its F1 or on . The group you see on sales a likely chance they are brothers and sister .

You know what I mean if the bro decided to have SXX with the sister ... Genetic will go haywire ... In breed will result in deform

Same goes for guppy .

[SoToNgMaN]

Lets put it this way .

If its F1 or on . The group you see on sales a likely chance they are brothers and sister .

You know what I mean if the bro decided to have SXX with the sister ... Genetic will go haywire ... In breed will result in deform

Same goes for guppy .
why wouldnt consider F2s of other sources?

Am sure that above will have lesser problems ...

[desmondekker]

thanks for the advice, i guess i was too nervous. :o

i guess coz F2s in the market are really young...a good 5 year wait maybe?

[desmondekker]

looks alot better now :D

[desmondekker]

http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae43/snapping_turtle/roadtorecovery-1.jpg

[Edmundo]

good tat it recovered. ANy medication? or jus keep water good.?

[desmondekker]

good tat it recovered. ANy medication? or jus keep water good.?

yeah, i applied melafix directly. works quite fast, but was told to try at my own risk.

[SoToNgMaN]

yeah, i applied melafix directly. works quite fast, but was told to try at my own risk.
most important point ... it worked ..