Phloxface

I just came back from shopping at Big Al's fish store. I went looking for medicines and vitamins for my fish, particularly Lava. I did not find any Vita-Chem unfortunately but I did buy some Gel-tek vitamins and some Gel-tek Ampicillin. I also bought some Kanaplex, a strong antibiotic and some Fish Protector which stabilizes Ph, adds slime coat that attracts and absorbs medicines in the water to deliver it to the fish faster and adds electrolytes to help reduce stress in sick fish.

I was a little worried my fish would not eat the vitamin gel, especially Lava who has trouble balancing and eating anything. The drops of gel float for about 15 seconds and then sink. I tried it on Lava first and to my absolute delight he ate it right away. He didn't even wait for the next drop to come out of the bottle. He stuck his head up and slurped it right from the bottle!* * * * Thankfully at least now he is getting some vitamins! I tried it on the other fish and EVERY one of them loooved it! They all did the same thing, jumped up and slurped it from the tip of the dropper. Even my fussy little Daphne who has been spitting everything I give her for the past week!* In a little while Lava will also be getting some Gel-Tek Ampicillin to clear up his bacterial problem and fix his finrot and ulcerated tail. (I thought he had a tumor on his tail but it is actually a nasty infected ulcer from where the snails had eaten away part of his tail almost to the body! )Taking antibiotics orally is a lot faster and more powerful than dropping powder in the water and hoping he absorbs enough. The liquid gel vitamins and meds are also easily digested and there is no danger of constipation as there is in medicated food.
I HIGHLY recommend the Gel-Tek meds and vitamins (called Ultra Color FX) to everyone. It seems many forms of bacterial finrot seem to be immune to the Maracyns so why not try something different if you are having trouble with finrot on your fish.
Vitamins: http://www.aq-products.com/GelTek/ultracolorfx.htm* (can be used with Vita-Chem too)

Meds: http://www.aq-products.com/aquamed_GELTEK.htm

bbfeckawitts

Thats great! I hope Lava feels a lot better soon. I will have to look for these vitamins as they sound like a good thing to add to any fish medicine cabinet. Brianna

COBettaCouple

great to hear that.. and we definitely have the gel-tek products on our list of "to buy" from the DFS site. ..we'll have to get that ultra color fx too. we look forward to hearing more good news on little lava and daphne.

Jendayi

I wish I could find that Kanaplex around here. That is my only and last resort if this round of trisulfa ends up not working for the fin rot. The boys are on day 5 today and Cujo blew his tail out again overnight. I guess I'll have to try to find some on the internets. The best store around here mainly just carries the Mardel and API products... Good luck with your little ones, I hope the vitamins and new meds help out.

Phloxface

I'm not so sure Lava will get through this. He seems to be giving up on life. * *His swim bladder will never be cured. Maybe I can get his bacterial infection under control but it just keeps coming back. He is so depressed and stressed from not being able to swim that he is making himself ill all the time from the stress. I'm trying so hard with him but I simply cannot give him back what he has lost, his freedom and ability to swim. *
He ate a little more of the Ampicillin gel but not enough. He's starting to lose his appetite altogether. This is a bad sign for him. I've never had trouble getting him to eat before. I am adding the Kanamycin powder to see if it will help.

Daphne is otherwise healthy and just being a spoiled brat refusing all foods except peas. I had the same problem with Aenara when she was a baby. She spat everything I gave her for almost a month. Daphne will grow out of this eventually. She was a little under the weather earlier this week but nothing too serious. We all get colds from time to time I guess, even fish.

Jendayi: You should order the Kanaplex online and also get some Ampicillin, Tetracycline and Neomycin Gel-tek meds. I am starting to think that maybe the Maracyns are so overused that many strains of bacteria have become immune to them. Most stores carry the Mardel product and the API ones so I guess that is why most people use them and that many strains of bacteria are now immune to them. Trisulfa may help but it's good to have a whole pharmacy on hand BEFORE you need it so that you are ready if disaster strikes. I plan on keeping a ton of meds around and buying a few more, including Metronidazole and Sulfathiazole made by Seachem. http://www.seachem.com/products/medications.html

I've been lucky with all my other fish. They've all been very healthy with not even so much as a case of finrot. Daphne is a finicky baby with some mild problems with constipation but not really sickly. Angel, Aenara and Noelle have never been sick since I got them and Karma had problems when I first got her but has been very healthy since then. Lava is just breaking my heart with all his problems. We have a special bond simply because he is my poor sickie boy and needs more attention than the others.

Phloxface

Forgot to add, I have got the manager at Big Al's to order me some of this http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...atervitamin4oz It's a vitamin to add to the water and it is comparable and even better than VitaChem. He told me they no longer carry VitaChem because the company that makes it went out of business and the only stock left is being sold online. IKt will soon no longer be available. The Kent Zoe vitamins are very good and if you can no longer get the VitaChem there is still this. He only had the Marine Zoe available and he tried to sell it to me telling me it would be fine for freshwater fish too but I had my doubts and after we checked the ingredients I saw it contains salt. Salt is the LAST thing a fish with swim bladder needs! He ordered the freshwater one and it should be in by the weekend.* There is also another supplement that provides Omega 3 fatty acids and proteins that he says is excellent but it is VERY expensive. The bottle costs $45 (the online price is less but you have to factor in shipping). http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS.../kentzoecon4oz I couldn't afford it but it looks good.* I checked the Dr's Foster and Smith site to order Vitachem but it would cost me a fortune. The shipping to Canada alone would be about $30. I just can't afford it so I'll just wait for the Kent Zoe to come in and use that.

chickadee

Miami Aquariums now carries the same line of vitamin supplements for those of you living in Florida or nearby or ordering off of eBay.*

Azul, my very first fish, went through the "all I will eat is peas" thing too and it nearly drove me crazy because I was being told I had to feed him betta food or else.* When he got good and ready, he ate the betta food and not until.* They are stinkers when it comes to food and there is just no changing them.* It is so strange this love affair they do have with peas though.* I have never seen but one that would not warm up to them after trying them (Marty ... I never could get him to even put one in his mouth).* They all loved them after that and would rather have them than kids would have candy.

Oh and I spoke to the people at Mardel and they said that TriSulfa can be given for 15 days now so that is what I am doing as it is helping Nate a lot. The woman there said that 3 5 day cycles are now okay even though the box says to use for 10 days only. It is helping Nate so much it is like a miracle drug after he had the clean water and vitamin treatment for the few weeks. He is almost back to full finnage. I am going to leave him in the quarantine tank another month until the fins get good and set before I put him into an active tank though. I do not want him with other fish moving and rubbing into him until the fins are at full strength.

Rose

COBettaCouple

yea, i love trisulfa. Aslan's been so much better since his 1 5-day course of it and vitachem daily since.