Fish Question: Bacterial Infection

[lmarieaa]

I have an Albino Taiwan Reef Cichlid. For the week he has not been eating well, and has difficulty breathing. I put him in a 20 gallon hospital tank today after noticing that his tank mates in his 125 gallon tank were picking on him and taking advantage of his depleted state. I am currently treating him in a "salt bath" treatment. I suspect an internal bacterial infection or a gill infection. Does anyone know if it is okay to treat him with Mardel Maroxy medication while doing a salt bath?

My fish's symptoms are: not eating (getting thin), Breathing heavily (I have 6 airstones in the tank and he is still struggling), disoreintation (bumps into things), and he aslo has minor open wounds due to the other fish picking on him.

[Alusdra]

I don't know much about these treatments you are talking about- but the best thing would be to take this fish to a vet. It can be a bit difficult to find one that will take you, but try calling around. That poor thing sounds like he might need antibiotics to pull through. The price usually isn't too bad. I took my beta in (he didn't make it, sadly... but he was sort of old) and the cost was very reasonable.

[lmarieaa]

When i lived in texas it was easy to find a vet to treat my fish. I had a cichlid who developed some nasty ulcer on his belly and needed injections to get rid of it.
Unfortunately by the time i found a fish doctor here where i live now (i was given the run around by a few weird vets in the area) my fish had died. The next day another one of my fish started to develop the same symptoms as the fish that died, so i took no chances and called the fish vet i found. It was hemorrhagic septicemia. A fairly easily treatable yet deadly disease. I am happy to report that after a week of medicine, that fish is out of his quarantine tank and back with his buddies in his big tank.