My becko has a large swollen area behind her right pectoral fin

[Tanyaclick]

Hi Koi family,

I need some insight regarding my becko, who has developed a large swollen area behind her right pectoral fin. These fish have been living in a temporary pool for a year and a half while I work on my pond build, which has faced many challenges and setbacks, unfortunately leading to wasted money due to unprofessional help. This is my first pond build, and I never anticipated it would take this long. Fortunately, I have finally found someone competent who will finish the project in June. Until then, the fish will have to remain in the pool.

All water parameters are within acceptable ranges, including KH and GH, pH, nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia. I clean the pool and perform a 50% water change every two weeks, which is the best I can manage. About a month ago, I lost my first fish from this batch; I didn't notice it had started to float sideways and tail-up until it was too late. This happened just a couple of days after the initial signs appeared.

The becko that is currently injured jumped out of the pool accidentally a few weeks ago. I treated the pool with ProForm C for three days, along with multiple rounds of Melafix after her jump a few weeks ago.

Yesterday, I netted her to take a closer look. There wasn't much to see besides the swollen area. I've been administering Melafix for a couple of days, and I added a small amount of salt water at 0.04% yesterday. I added more melafix today. She looks a little better.

Any advice or opinions you could share would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Here is a video https://youtube.com/shorts/Ifng-TqlP...c391lM1gOfmW-J

[fly4koi]

Lesion, if you can do Baytril injection that's the best, otherwise tricide neo or oxolinic acid.

[Tanyaclick]

How can I get baytril? Is the alternative topical?

[richtoybox]

Yes, the Tricide Neo can be done as a topical. It is a dry powder, which can be applied with a cotton bud/swab. The package directions are to use it as a dip, with the one gallon packet mixed with one gallon of distilled water, but the cheaper and easier way is to rub the side of the fish to get some of the slime coat on the cotton bud, then dip this into the packet to get some of the dry powder included with the slime coat and then rub this on the sore area. Take the balance of the packet, place in a sealed bag and freeze until the next time it is needed. Melafix is really not a very good treatment for any sores, and Proform C is for parasites, not infections.

[Tanyaclick]

The ProForm C was because they were flashing when she jumped out of the pond several weeks ago so I treated it for seasonal parasites.

[Tanyaclick]

Do you know what could have caused this lesion?

[fly4koi]

Sometimes bad water causing stress on the fish, sometimes it's a secondary infection because parasite compromised the skin of the fish. Have you order the med yet?

[Tanyaclick]

I've given her four Baytril injections so far, spaced every other day or every third day. The first shot was on Friday the 18th. It took a little time to find someone willing to let me get the medication — ultimately, my mom’s house vet allowed me to pick up a single syringe, but that was all they had at the time.

By the time we finally got the Baytril, she had already been laying on the bottom of the pond for several days. Her friends were gathering around her quite a bit, which made me think she might be close to passing. Once we had the medication, we moved her into a tub and sedated her so we could do a full inspection. That's when we realized she was in much worse condition than we thought. She had developed a huge swollen lump on her chest, where the infection had spread and pooled.

I drained about 20 ml of pus from the lump, cleaned the area with iodine, and applied wound sealant. However, the wound sealant never seems to stay on well, even though we dried the area thoroughly. There has to be a better liquid bandage out there.

Afterward, we were able to get her seen in person by a local vet who handles exotic pets. This visit was mainly just to secure the medication, but the vet did a smear test of the pus. He didn’t find any bacteria present — meaning Baytril might not have been a perfect match — but thankfully he still allowed me to purchase a 50 ml bottle, which was a huge help.

In the meantime, she's been recovering in a smaller hospital tank with a few mosquito fish, which I think have helped keep her calm and possibly helped keep the wound clean. I also recently added a heater to the hospital tank to aid in her healing. I’ve been gently increasing the water temperature over the past few days, going from about 60°F to 69°F to help boost her immune system.

She’s looking much better overall. The swelling in her chest hasn't returned, and an ulcer opened up at the original infection site, which happened within a day of her first treatment. The vet said this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The wound isn't red or inflamed; instead, it has that white necrotic tissue over it, which is a sign that it’s healing properly.

She’s due for another shot today, and after that, I’m thinking about letting her return to the main pond with her family.
Should I go ahead and do that after her next shot, or would it be better to keep her separate for a while longer?

[fly4koi]

Typically we do a 5 shot regimen on day 12357 but it's your call

[GrandBub]

With the 5-shot regimen, it’s usually good to follow it to the end, even if she’s looking better. I’d keep her separate a bit longer just to be safe. You don’t want to risk the infection coming back, especially with all the progress she’s made.