High Ammonia Or Gill Flukes During QT

The blue eye tang I have in QT has been eating great, no longer showing signs of ich, no more black spots on her skin either. Shes only a week into a cupramine treatment and I do not want to stop but her breathing seems to becoming labored and as of today she no longer wants to eat. Since the 2nd day of treatment the ammonia in the tank has read off the chart (which seachems site says could be a false reading) I have been doing 50% water changes every 2-3 days. I just did one last night and she still seems to have labored breathing and as said not eating. I am wondering if it could be gill flukes or if it is most likely a ammonia issue.

 

Hi, Thats unlikey to be Gill flukes so quickly, @ a guess its a bad reaction to the treatment.
I would stop anymore treatment going in, add carbon or Polyfilter to reduce the current levels in the water.
Good luck with this but when I have seen this in the past, once it gets to the heavy breathing stage, fatality normally occurs.

 

She has always exhibited some slight signs of gill flukes but none that i was like. Oh ya shes got them! So im not sure that it isnt the flukes. She has done great with the treatment since day one.

 

Cupramine and any form of copper can cause a reduction of appetite. And be sure to continue to keep the cupramine at the right levels, just because you dont see spots, doesnt mean that the ich isnt there. and also remember a fish can go for 2 weeks without eating.
And as far as ammonia goes, keep doing the water changes, but go get some "Prime" made by seachem. and dose that daily. It will detoxify the ammonia.

 

Seachem does not recommend using Prime with Cupramine as it converts the type of copper to a toxic chemical. I know that copper can potentially reduce appetite but the fish is halfway through copper treatment and has just now had a noticeable attitude change. Breathing and appetite together at the same time. I am certain that the copper is most likely not the cause. And the copper levels have remained between .25 mg/l and .5 mg/l

 

I am becoming more concerned. The fish is very lethargic almost like its sleeping. I can put my hand in the water and touch it and it doesnt try to swim away or anything. Yesterday she was energetic and wanted to eat tons and swim around. Now her color is much darker and she isnt really doing anything.

 

My tank has been fallow for about a week but im almost to the point of prazipro dipping the fish and putting it back in the DT in a attempt to save the fish since I do not know what is wrong of if it is the QT causing the problem. Over the last 12-24 hours I have lowered the dosage of Cupramine from apx .5 to closer to .25

 

She has been put back into the 1 week fallow DT in a attempt to save her. I dont know what is wrong, she can no longer swim off the bottom. Her stomach is pinched in. Colors are extremely dark. Rapid breathing. Decided that this problem just arose after last nights 50% water change. And I performed another 50% today. Only thing I can think that has changed.