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  • Results 1 to 5 of 5

    Thread: Cyclops found in skimmer and is gravely ill.

    1. #1
      leicafish is offline Junior Member
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      Cyclops found in skimmer and is gravely ill.

      Hi there. Cyclops is our one-eyed koi of about 15 years. He lost an eye early in life and has always had trouble eating because of a lack of depth perception. We've always rooted for him and tried to favor him when feeding. Regardless he has grown slower than the others and has always been on the thin side. He has about ten other koi/goldfish in the 2000 gallon-ish pond ranging in size from 6 to 15 inches. About 5 days ago I noticed the output from the bio filter decreased and checked the intake which is similar to a pool skimmer. Poor Cyclops was stuck inside. I'm guessing he may have been in there for a couple of weeks but am not really sure. I took him out and noticed that he seemed particularly emaciated, seems to have a bend in his spine and could not maintain equilibrium. I've been trying to hand feed him but he seems to regurgitate most of what I give him. I took a short video of his behavior with my phone but I am not having much luck making it small enough to upload. I did upload to Youtube and hope folks will be OK viewing there. The link is:

      https://youtu.be/Hx-hgsVVOlI

      I am not too hopeful but am already surprised that he has survived for almost a week after his ordeal in the skimmer. Thanks much for any advice!

      Gary

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    2. #2
      richtoybox's Avatar
      richtoybox is offline Administrator
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      There is no way to tell what the eventual outcome will be, but surviving for a week is a good sign. Do you see any inflamed/infected areas, indicating the presence of bacterial infection? If not, that is a doubly good sign. Good luck. Sorry for the problems. Thanks for joining Koiphen and we would appreciate your keeping us up to date with the outcome.
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      Richard

    3. #3
      leicafish is offline Junior Member
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      Pictures added--Dropsy?

      Thanks. Looks like he's got raised scales on his left side. The right side is much less affected if at all. The left side is the side that floats up as well and there appears to be a small lesion on that side also. So I'm hoping that the one side being affected suggests a local infection instead of a systemic one. My tentative plan is:

      1. Salt water ?0.8%
      2. Topical treatment to lesion with iodine
      3. Antibiotics

      Does this sound reasonable? Also I am not sure I can get injectable antibiotics here in CA. Has anyone tried giving capsules by inserting into the gullet? Thanks for any advice.
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    4. #4
      richtoybox's Avatar
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      I think that I would not do any more than treat with iodine and triple antibiotic ointment, if that. Just keep an eye on it and see that it doesn't get worse. With the time since it happened and it not being any worse than it is, the wound may heal without any additional treatment. As for salting, I have used the 0.8%, but only to help with osmoregulation of a fish with a large ulcer that was showing big signs of dropsy.
      Zone 7 A/B
      Keep your words sweet. You never know when you may have to eat them.
      Richard

    5. #5
      leicafish is offline Junior Member
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      Thanks for your reply. I am treating the small lesion with iodine and antibiotic ointment. On closer inspection, there are pinecone like scales on the other side too but not as bad. The fish just looks so bad all bent and floating on its side. It gills heavily and doesn't seem to be able to hold any food down. I keep thinking I will find it dead every time I check, but it has surprised me by hanging in there. My inclination is that it needs to be euthanized but was thinking some last ditch effort was worth a shot.

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